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7
Scientists
warn
ollamine and
mass
starvation in the d ecade
ahead. A world BREADBASKET is desperately needed.
Sorne
point to the Amazon Basin, hoping this vast
green
tropical
;ungle holds the key to staving
off
world hunger. Will Ama–
zonia leed the world?
Here
is the conclusion
of
a two-part
report
on
the mighty Amazon Basin.
by
Drs. C. V. Dorothy and
L.
E. Torrance
Rio de Janeiro
O
RVILLE fREEMAN,
former
U.$.
Secretary
of
Agriculture, told
Brazilian officials in
1966
at Sao
Paulo: "You have a tremendous (food]
market.
"This market is so rich,"
Mr.
Free–
roan said, "if
1 ...
saw it clown the
road
I
would start producing because
1
could get rich as hell."
Yes- get rich by selling food to the
rapidly increasing world population.
Somebody has to produce food for the
predicted
FOUR BILLION PEOPLE
who
wi 11
be
alive on carth by 1975- or
miiiions will starve!
The Pioneer's Price
Orville Freeman reminded the Brazil·
ians their country has more arable land
than the U. S. In cssence, both he and
Brazílian ex-president Artur de Costa e
Kiog Leopold Photo
Silva, in his August,
1968
mcssage,
envisioned the vast, greco jungle basin
- Amazonia - as the future "bread–
basket of the world."
What has happened since then?
Where are the pioneers to settle Ama–
zonia? Today famine threatcns much of
mankind. Hungry millioos agonize,
while Amazonia's "breadbasket"- near–
ly two billion acres - líes undeveloped.
No wonder thc world críes for pio–
neers to grow food in Amazonia.
But could
)Oif
be
an Amazon pio–
neer? Only a handful have been willing
to make the sacriJice.
Whethcr you really would want to be
a píooeer makes no difference. You can
be a better-informed citizen if you come
along with us as wc take a fact-finding
trip. Imagine, then, you are going to
devclop agriculturc in Amazonia.
First, you will have
to
come clown to
the standard of thc ave rage jungle pio-
•
neer. Start with your home and furnish–
ings. Throw out the washing machine,
the shower, the batbtub, the kitchen
sink, the dishwasher, the garbage dis–
posal unit
if
you have one, and the
indoor bathroom. The pioneer-log or
reed-and-thatch
maloca
you build in
Amazonia will not have inside running
water. But fresh, driokable tap water is
not all you will have to do without.
If you become an Amazonian pio–
neer, you must learn to get along with–
out electricity too. Without electricity
you will have no use for the refrig–
erator, the
f
reezer, ( nor any frozen
food), the electric stove, the iron, the
electric lights, the toaster, the electric
shaver, the TV set, the radio, thc stereo.
Ladies, you will not
be
able to use your
electric mixcrs, ovens, electric sewing
machines or hair dryers.
You will have to leave behind your
furniture - bed, cbairs, tables, divans,
rugs,
lamp~.
pictures, silver service,
china - evcrythíng.
Now sell your house, property, and
land holdings. Of course, don't forget
to sell your business! Junk, scrap, or
sell your car, any motor bikes, boats,
trailers, campees, bicycles you may have.
But save the fishing gear - you may
need to Live on fish for a while.
Sell all you have. Takc the kids out