[sethammons]

> most lived at subsistence levels with starvation always at their doorstep

I find this hilarious. Modern civilization has starvation at our doorstep. If the modern supply chains fail, so very many would starve.

Did toilet paper become scarce about 5 years ago? I don't see what protects the population from that for food and water.

[culi]

you have a point actually. Non-agricultural people had much more varied diets and we have almost zero archeological examples of famines leading to mass deaths of non-agricultural peoples but we have plenty of examples of that happening to agricultural people. Agriculture was, especially initially, a huge step back in food security.

Obviously things have changed a lot since then but some of the risks remain. Cuba is a fascinating case study for what happens when a modern agricultural supply chain can collapse (due to US sanctions). Many many died. But since then there's been a massive focus on locally grown food and even wild tending. I know many people who are into permaculture and alternatives to industrial agriculture who have traveled there to study