[fnordpiglet]

Because in modern society we equate toil with morality we will toil on ever more meaningless crap tasks for food coupons for food that costs nothing to produce but is withheld through artificial scarcity to ensure meaningless toil occupies our existence because of a philosophy from the 1700’s.

[gruez]

>we will toil on ever more meaningless crap tasks for food coupons for food that costs nothing to produce but is withheld through artificial scarcity

Seems dubious given how much agricultural subsidies most western countries engage in. If anything foods are under-priced.

[ghufran_syed]

I look forward to seeing your company actually producing and selling food for “next to nothing”, given how easy it apparently is

[fnordpiglet]

We can produce enough food for everyone on earth to eat, and as more automation sets in, labor costs will decline. We are already at artificial scarcity - other than political animus rooted in racism and toil is moral there’s no reason for anyone anywhere to starve. This trend won’t reverse, but will become increasingly perverse.

For example, in my neck of the woods there’s the company Carbon Robotics, which is pretty successful. They develop autonomous tractors and a laser weeding system both of which have good adoption and sales at megafarms. They decrease the cost of herbicide application and labor significantly. That’s just one such company. It’s to the point that farms go fallow, or convert to solar, because the revenue produced farming isn’t enough to justify farming because we would be feeding people for free otherwise. That, my friend, is artificial scarcity. So keep toiling for your food coupons and convince yourself that the market is infallible.

[squeaky-clean]

Producing the food is only 10% of the challenge. How do you deliver it to everyone at no cost without rotting? How do you deal with a delivery of flour if you have no oven?

If it's so easy this is ripe for a startup to disrupt. Food is the most necessary thing to human existence. Every living person is a potential customer.

[grigri907]

I agree, we can - and should - produce enough food for everyone on earth to be happy and healthy.

But nobody is saying "people shouldn't eat for free, therefore I won't grow crops."

You said it yourself: farms are left fallow because the revenue doesn't justify the cost for the farmer. That, my friend, is basic economics, not artificial scarcity.

[dionidium]

> We can produce enough food for everyone on earth to eat,

Who is this "we?"

There's a kind of circular complaint built into all such endeavors that goes like, "we can do this, but unfortunately we as a group don't want to, but we could definitely do it if we wanted, but sadly we currently have the wrong opinions, but we can definitely do it, if only we weren't inclined not to, but we should and we will, as soon as we all come around to the truth."

Your "we" doesn't seem to want to do what you want them to do, which is why communists so often end up thinking that the real problem is the existing populace and maybe what they really need is to be re-educated or even replaced.

[CalRobert]

Bulk grains, etc are pretty cheap.

[ehnto]

That may waver, a main input across the whole chain for farming is crude oil.

[lanfeust6]

I'm not sure what this is contradicting. People can already get free food through a myriad of different institutions, including the government qua food stamps and welfare. Cheap grains are affordable by basically anyone who earn an income.

[fennecfoxy]

Turns out, plants have been growing all by themselves for millions of years. Lmao.

[sulam]

Yeah those idiot farmers with all their machinery and services are really missing out on your trenchant observations.

[fennecfoxy]

No, what I'm really saying is that the baseline of plat growing is "it works by itself". Anything above letting nature take its course is a force multiplier.

As opposed to other technologies; microchips do not grow on trees.