Sorry, Charlie.  In a zero sum game, one party must lose for the other to win.  For the average American Homo sapiens, about 20 acres are converted to agriculture, and more for housing, businesses, and roads.  The former inhabitants of those acres are the losers.


Fully understood the Zero sum,  just wasn't sure how you were applying it.  Understanding your point to a degree.  But that is what American agriculture is all about.  Changing that balance.  Getting more and more from the same acres.  And they have done it in spades.  Yields per acre and feed  conversions continue to rise. At fantastic levels.  Most people don't comprehend this.  It is what drives  Farming here in the USA  (as opposed to subsitance farming in most other parts of the world.   It is the driving issue of GMO,  and our current pesticides.  More usable crops per acre.  

A acre of good ground here in the USA converted to farming is vastly better than an acre of rain forest in SA (poor soils) or for that matter most parts of the world.  Our stewardship practices have proven both the most productive, and sustainable.  

In a world with an ever increasing population, there are not a lot of other good choices.  Overfishing the ocean? stripping the tropical rain forest?  Raising very poor cattle in Africa?? If we are to believe in one world,  trading sightseeing in the Congo, and teak logs in SA for corn and beans in the USA  makes a lot of sense to me.

It seems to me we need to be careful about how selfish we are for bee forage in relationship to the global picture.  Are we willing to trade  a more  honey for no more tuna??  (just a perspective) or should we slide over a bit?   With honey production in the US on the rise,  I personally think we have some room left.  Our productivity is still rising.  Even in our beehives.

Charles

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