Agriculture

[Vrej1915]

Re: Agriculture

I wish my Russian was better then it is. I do wonder how sustainable the fish farming business can be, considering the limited water resources we have. I have seen a few of these farms myself and the fish they produced was tasty. To raise trout you need lots of clean fresh water which is becoming a scarce resource worldwide.

This is literally a nature's plunder.
Absolutely not sustainable ponction on natural reserves.
A handful of persons, are depleting billions of cubameters of water for instant use, most even not redirected into irrigational system, sent directly to the torks.
Already the consequences are obvious.
Hundred of wells, in premontainous foothills have dried, causing enormous damage for village irrigation, and forcing the fish breeders to go always deeper.
If the same business was based on running water only, as was the case of Armash breeding facilities during soviet years, it would be perfect...
There is a good reason why a country like ours can produce cheaper something any european country, Russia or Ukraine should have done better, on the paper...

[Haykakan]

Re: Agriculture

I wish my Russian was better then it is. I do wonder how sustainable the fish farming business can be, considering the limited water resources we have. I have seen a few of these farms myself and the fish they produced was tasty. To raise trout you need lots of clean fresh water which is becoming a scarce resource worldwide.

[ZORAVAR]

Re: Agriculture

Very interesting must watch video.
Very large aquaculture enterprise in Armenia (Unifish) where they breed, raise and sell fish (trout, sturgeon, caviar etc)
Another large enterprise is Ecofish.
This promising sector is very advanced in Armenia.

[Artashes]

Re: Agriculture

Artashesh you bring up inequality which i have researched to some length. People wonder why are there so many people in poverty in the richest country on earth when much poorer countries have fewer people in poverty taking into acount population differences. The answer to this question is not at all obvious but is easy to understand and explain. You see in the late 70s and early 80s a evile invention was born in the USA called special interest lobbying. People/coorporations either formed their own lobbies or paid other lobbiests to influenceour government. Regardless if you had your own lobby or if you hired another lobby to do your bidding in either case you had to pay to be heard in government. The influence of money in politics has drastically grown since then and lobbies have morphed into things like super pacts which have a huge level of influence and do not even need to declare where their money comes from thus hiding the source of influence on the government. So what does all this have to do with inequality? Well for 35 years or so our government has been influenced by the rich who furthered their interests via lobbying while the poor who cannot lobby (they have no money) cannot advance their interests. There is a culture in this country of blaming the poor for their own misery but this blame is misplaced. The truth is that it is harder to crawl out of poverty here in the USA then it is in many other parts of the world including Asia. People in poverty face huge obsticles and have no say in government. The full access to government enjoyed by the rich and the no access to government by the poor is the reason behind the greatest inequality in the developed world-a level of inequality which is only growing.

Thanks Hakakan for the clarity .
I spent two years getting through the 12th grade , so am rudimentary at best in my attempts . Don't have the tools of higher formal education or really even know how to use them , so your more irradiate light is both welcome and appreciated .
-----
Agriculture
Have worked on a farm before . Used to run alongside a truck with two hooks in my hands , and grab bails of hay and toss them on the truck beside me as we moved through the fields . After awhile the truck would stop and we ( driver and me ) would stack the hay neatly , then change positions and I'd drive while friend ran alongside ... When truck was full of neatly stacked bails we then went to main hay stack and off loaded truck , etc. Also would move irrigation line , hand line , motorized line , both straight and circular , and water the fields . Also many other choirs .
The farmers themselves would drive the cool tractors and plow the fields , and also pull other things behind the tractors to cut crops , fertilize etc.
It seemed to me the stuff they were using to fertilize the earth with was ammonia or something closely relate . Smelled like ammonia .
Similar to the mining industry there is a toxic byproduct in the run off , after irrigation .
And similar to the mining industry , the farmers ( in my opinion ) did NOT take the time and effort to handle said toxic by product appropriately .
The Columbia river ( a large beautiful river ) was the recipient of those toxins as well as other pollutants that are produced by large industrialized ??? Modern ??? Farming techniques .
Welcome to ??? Advanced ??? civilization .
So I wondered --- is this the only way ?
Have to go now but would like to say what my modest search showed .
Artashes

[Haykakan]

Re: Agriculture

Artashesh you bring up inequality which i have researched to some length. People wonder why are there so many people in poverty in the richest country on earth when much poorer countries have fewer people in poverty taking into acount population differences. The answer to this question is not at all obvious but is easy to understand and explain. You see in the late 70s and early 80s a evile invention was born in the USA called special interest lobbying. People/coorporations either formed their own lobbies or paid other lobbiests to influenceour government. Regardless if you had your own lobby or if you hired another lobby to do your bidding in either case you had to pay to be heard in government. The influence of money in politics has drastically grown since then and lobbies have morphed into things like super pacts which have a huge level of influence and do not even need to declare where their money comes from thus hiding the source of influence on the government. So what does all this have to do with inequality? Well for 35 years or so our government has been influenced by the rich who furthered their interests via lobbying while the poor who cannot lobby (they have no money) cannot advance their interests. There is a culture in this country of blaming the poor for their own misery but this blame is misplaced. The truth is that it is harder to crawl out of poverty here in the USA then it is in many other parts of the world including Asia. People in poverty face huge obsticles and have no say in government. The full access to government enjoyed by the rich and the no access to government by the poor is the reason behind the greatest inequality in the developed world-a level of inequality which is only growing.

[jgk3]

Re: Agriculture

Working constantly , can't stop .
Want to make several points about farming / agriculture but ...
A word on economics now because I only have a few minutes .
In my early days I was doing some tracking trying to figure out why the poor man was poor in such a rich country .
Using similar approach as Haykakan , but not as educated or refined . However I felt it was sufficient enough to find the answer .
I kept coming up short , even though the economic data kept telling me America had a ROBUST economy .
An old J-ew grabbed me and took me to the side and told me several things .
He said -- follow the money . Then he told me I was looking from the wrong direction . He said I could not track from the beginning , but had to track from the end and go backwards .
He said the way I was doing it , that the benefits would always come out looking good for the economy AND the rich . But if I went right to the source --- the poor man --- and tracked backwards , then I could see the lies I was hunting .
Artashes

wow.... seems to ring pretty true.

[Artashes]

Re: Agriculture

Working constantly , can't stop .
Want to make several points about farming / agriculture but ...
A word on economics now because I only have a few minutes .
In my early days I was doing some tracking trying to figure out why the poor man was poor in such a rich country .
Using similar approach as Haykakan , but not as educated or refined . However I felt it was sufficient enough to find the answer .
I kept coming up short , even though the economic data kept telling me America had a ROBUST economy .
An old J-ew grabbed me and took me to the side and told me several things .
He said -- follow the money . Then he told me I was looking from the wrong direction . He said I could not track from the beginning , but had to track from the end and go backwards .
He said the way I was doing it , that the benefits would always come out looking good for the economy AND the rich . But if I went right to the source --- the poor man --- and tracked backwards , then I could see the lies I was hunting .
Artashes

[Artashes]

Re: Agriculture

Agriculture , gmo's , and economics . Of the three , agriculture and economics have recently been discussed on this thread , fairly intensely .
Gmo's , can be talked about in an agricultural sense or an economic sense .
In the " elections in Armenia " ( think that's how it's titled ? ) Sarkis brings up "gmo's " in the conversation and points out some --- bad news --- aspects of gmo's , along with fact and videos to back up his his and others ligitimate concern on dangers of gmo's .
Haykakan , acknowledges safety concerns that a certain portion of world community has with gmo's , but also points out some economic benefits , and further more points out morality issue and Monsanto , a big multi national company's role . Haykakan further elaborates on Monsanto's questionable moral integrity as well as "pure" economic thought .
The "pure" economic , and the reality argument appeared between Vrej and Haykakan on this thread recently .
Got off work at 4am , got up 8 hrs later and have to move now , but want to address above issues at first opportunity .
Similar to the Haykakan/ Vrej discussion where both made valid points , but I thought Vrej's point was representative of the of the reality that Mr & Mrs ordinarary would have to " suck up " at the end of the day .
Personally , I think this is of extreme ( EXTREME ) importance .
I say --- thank GOD Armenia banned gmo's and Monsanto co is in bed with the devil .
Art ashes.

Sometimes the devil has horns protruding from his head and looks hot , mean , and scary .
Sometimes the devil is wearing a red dress with really nice knockers protruding from the chest and looks hot , mean and scary ( in an inticing way ) .
In between these two figures is a bookkeeper , two spread sheets and an economist .
The horned guy and the bookkeeper and one spread sheet are in a smoke filled room in the back .
The red dress with the nice ( really nice ) knockers and the economist with the other spread sheet are out front addressing the public .
----------------------------
I've had many jobs in my lifetime .
When I got my first b job , I remember thinking --- I like this job .
Don't think the b job did much for the hard working , hard pressed villagers working agricultural jobs .
Also don't think the economists rosey spread sheet is telling the hard working , hard pressed villagers working in the agricultural fields story accurately .
Artashes

[jgk3]

Re: Agriculture

I think quinoa, a very lucrative and nutritious crop that desires cooler temperatures, would be ideal in many highland parts of Armenia.

Planting Times. Quinoa grows best where maximum temperatures do not exceed 90°F (32°C) and nighttime temperatures are cool. For most southern Canadian and northern U.S. sites, the best time to plant quinoa is late April to late May. When soil temperatures are around 60°F (15°C) seedlings emerge within three to four days. However, when quinoa seeds are planted in soil with night-time temperatures much above that, quinoa, like spinach, may not germinate. In this instance, it's best to refrigerate seeds before planting.

In warmer regions, Amaranth (also known in Greek as Vlita) apparently works better.

Both Amaranth and Quinoa produce nutritious seed, rich in protein and contain some amino acids not found in other plant sources.

Cooked amaranth leaves are a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and folate; they are also a complementing source of other vitamins such as thiamine, niacin, and riboflavin, plus some dietary minerals including calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, copper, and manganese. Cooked amaranth grains are a complementing source of thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, and folate, and dietary minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, and manganese - comparable to common grains such as wheat germ, oats and others.[14]

Amaranth seeds contain lysine, an essential amino acid, limited in other grains or plant sources.[21] Most fruits and vegetables do not contain a complete set of amino acids, and thus different sources of protein must be used. Amaranth too is limited in some essential amino acids, such as leucine and threonine.[22][23] Amaranth seeds are therefore promising complement to common grains such as wheat germ, oats, corn because these common grains are abundant sources of essential amino acids found to be limited in amaranth.[24][25]

Amaranth may be a promising source of protein to those who are gluten sensitive, because unlike the protein found in grains such as wheat and rye, its protein does not contain gluten.[26] According to a 2007 report, amaranth compares well in nutrient content with gluten-free vegetarian options such as buckwheat, corn, millet, wild rice, oats and quinoa.[27][28]

Several studies have shown that like oats, amaranth seed or oil may be of benefit for those with hypertension and cardiovascular disease; regular consumption reduces blood pressure and cholesterol levels, while improving antioxidant status and some immune parameters.[29][30][31] While the active ingredient in oats appears to be water-soluble fiber, amaranth appears to lower cholesterol via its content of plant stanols and squalene.

Amaranth remains an active area of scientific research for both human nutritional needs and foraging applications. Over 100 scientific studies suggest a somewhat conflicting picture on possible anti-nutritional and toxic factors in amaranth, more so in some particular strains of amaranth. Lehmann, in a review article, identifies some of these reported anti-nutritional factors in amaranth to be phenolics, saponins, tannins, phytic acid, oxalates, protease inhibitors, nitrates, polyphenols and phytohemagglutinins.[32] Of these, oxalates and nitrates are of more concern when amaranth grain is used in foraging applications. Some studies suggest thermal processing of amaranth, particularly in moist environment, prior to its preparation in food and human consumption may be a promising way to reduce the adverse effects of amaranth's anti-nutritional and toxic factors.

[Artashes]

Re: Agriculture

Agriculture , gmo's , and economics . Of the three , agriculture and economics have recently been discussed on this thread , fairly intensely .
Gmo's , can be talked about in an agricultural sense or an economic sense .
In the " elections in Armenia " ( think that's how it's titled ? ) Sarkis brings up "gmo's " in the conversation and points out some --- bad news --- aspects of gmo's , along with fact and videos to back up his his and others ligitimate concern on dangers of gmo's .
Haykakan , acknowledges safety concerns that a certain portion of world community has with gmo's , but also points out some economic benefits , and further more points out morality issue and Monsanto , a big multi national company's role . Haykakan further elaborates on Monsanto's questionable moral integrity as well as "pure" economic thought .
The "pure" economic , and the reality argument appeared between Vrej and Haykakan on this thread recently .
Got off work at 4am , got up 8 hrs later and have to move now , but want to address above issues at first opportunity .
Similar to the Haykakan/ Vrej discussion where both made valid points , but I thought Vrej's point was representative of the of the reality that Mr & Mrs ordinarary would have to " suck up " at the end of the day .
Personally , I think this is of extreme ( EXTREME ) importance .
I say --- thank GOD Armenia banned gmo's and Monsanto co is in bed with the devil .
Art ashes.