***The following is a guest post for Survival by Barbara Fix*** Move over for the next generation… the green movement’s here to stay! It’s taken over our TV programs, big box marketing strategies, and has captured the hearts and minds of many. The green movement is replacing consumerism with practical economy that is user friendly to our overburdened landfills. But nowhere is it evidenced more than with the new wave of organic gardening. Surprisingly, the first green movement began in the early 1900’s in a reaction to synthetic fertilizer at the beginning of the new industrialized agriculture. Somehow, it died a quiet death until (Read more....)

****Today we have a guest post by Barbara Fix.  She is an outstanding writer and I think that you are really going to enjoy what she has to share with us below.  We encourage everyone to visit Barbara at Survival Diva Blog http://www.survivaldiva.com/.**** We are all aware of escalating food prices, but what's driving the shortages and the price hikes? The answer is multifaceted: global political unrest, inflation, weather anomalies, the nuclear incident in Japan and the rising price of oil that increases the cost of planting, harvesting and transportation have all played their part.

****Today we have a guest post by Barbara Fix.  She is an outstanding writer and I think that you are really going to enjoy what she has to share with us below.  We encourage everyone to visit Barbara at Survival Diva Blog http://www.survivaldiva.com/.**** We are all aware of escalating food prices, but what's driving the shortages and the price hikes? The answer is multifaceted: global political unrest, inflation, weather anomalies, the nuclear incident in Japan and the rising price of oil that increases the cost of planting, harvesting and transportation have all played their part.

Reports that 2 to 3 feet of snow would hit the mid-Atlantic region created a panic buying atmosphere at Washington D.C. area supermarkets prior to last weekend's blizzard. Shelves were picked clean of meat, fruit and other essentials. The thought of having to go a couple of days without going to the store caused some Washingtonians to go into a frenzy. So what would happen if a real crisis came, and once the supermarkets were out of food they could not get any more? How crazed would people get then?  The Washington D.C. blizzard of 2010 has been dubbed the "snowpocalypse", but honestly it wasn't that bad. Sure it was inconvenient and thousands of people lost power, but it was not a major disaster by any stretch of the imagination.

But people got crazy (Read more....)

Most Americans have absolutely no idea that over the past couple of decades, one giant corporation has achieved a virtual monopoly on some of the most important seed markets in the United States.  Not only that, but this same company has done more to push genetically modified food on to the dinner tables of America than any other corporation.  The name of that giant corporation is Monsanto, and today approximately 95 percent of all soybeans and approximately 80 percent of all corn in the United States (Read more....)

Will the world be facing a devastating food crisis by the end of 2009?  Record setting droughts and crippling crop failures all over the world are combining to set the stage for a potentially frightening food crisis.

First of all, let's consider some recent news from right here in the United States.

*Record breaking heat and drought continues to plague the state of Texas.  In fact, extreme drought conditions can be found in many agricultural areas from coast to coast.

*If that wasn't bad enough, a disease known as "late blight" is absolutely devastating tomato and potato plants in the eastern half of (Read more....)

Exploding third world populations, record droughts around the world and dwindling strategic food reserves in the major industrialized nations have brought us to the edge of something none of us would ever like to think about: a crippling global food crisis.

As world food reserves sit at a 50 year low, many experts are warning that we are now facing a "perfect storm" that will dramatically increase world hunger.  Even the industrialized nations are not immune.  With U.S. wheat reserves now at a record low, USDA Undersecretary Mark Keenum had to admit last year: "Our cupboard is bare."

Record droughts and freak weather (Read more....)

Many of us have the tendency to think that we will never face a really serious disaster or emergency.  But those who have been through a difficult ordeal know that it is those who are prepared that have the best chance to survive a crisis.

This article is the first part in a three part series on how you and your family can be prepared if disaster or emergency strikes.

It is not difficult.  In fact, it can be easier than you think.

In this guide, we break the preparation process down into 4 checklists. Begin with step 1, and work your way through step 4.

Step 1 - Build an emergency pantry that can provide you and your family with food (Read more....)

In a time of economic uncertainty and rising food prices, it it always a good idea to have a garden to provide extra food for you and your family.  Besides providing a source of food in an emergency, a garden is also a great source of wonderful vegetables which are MUCH healthier to eat than most of the food you can get at the supermarket.

So how do you begin?  The following are 9 steps that you can take to get your garden started.....

#1) Decide What Your Goals Are - Do you want to grow enough just to add a few vegetables to your dinner once in a while?  Do you want it to be able to provide enough food for your family if there is a major emergency?

Some people who want to live "off the grid" end up (Read more....)