Vijoy Prakash

Stupid and wise

His idea on rat farming was ranked above Obama, McCain, Hillary, Sarah Palin, Oprah as the “world’s stupidest statement award” of 2008.

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS99512+02-Jan-2009+PRN20090102

Dennis Avery considers his idea on “rat farming” to be the best “non-science” solution to issues of global food scarcity. Dennis T. Avery, is a senior fellow with the Hudson Institute in Washington. Dennis is the Director for Global Food Issues. He was formerly a senior analyst for the Department of State.

http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/4523

Comments on Rat Farming

If humans will need twice as much food and feed in 2040 how would we feed ourselves and our increasing number of pets with low organic yields? Organic fields yields are limited primarily because of the global shortage of manure. However, the world would need billions more cattle to get extra manure, and we’d have to clear forests to grow their forage. “Green manure crops” steal land, sunshine, water, and soil nutrients from food and feed crops.

The best non-science solution I’ve heard is from Vijoy Prakash, Secretary of Welfare in India’s Bihar state. Prakash says we should eat rats. Then the rats won’t eat the stored grain, and the people will get more high-quality protein. He is promoting rat meat in the villages—and talking with hotels about rat meat on their menus. It’s at least more realistic than expecting humans to become vegetarian.

DENNIS T. AVERY is a senior fellow for the Hudson Institute in Washington, DC and is the Director for the Center for Global Food Issues. (www.cgfi.org) He was formerly a senior analyst for the Department of State. He is co-author, with S. Fred Singer, of Unstoppable Global Warming Every 1500 Hundred Years.

Nutritional Value of Rat Meat

The current knowledge of the yield and nutritional (proximate and fatty acid) composition of meat derived from African ungulates, camelidae, rodents, ratites and reptiles is reviewed. Although most of the species discussed give low cholesterol levels consistent with their low meat lipid contents, the tegu lizard gives a very low level (18.2 mg/100 g tissue). The fatty acid profiles of the various species all have low saturated fatty acids and high polyunsaturated fatty acids resulting in favourable saturated to polyunsaturated fatty acid ratios. Although the springbok, camel, ostrich and crocodile are marketed and exported to sophisticated markets, the rodents are the species that show most promise in becoming large commercial commodities. Not only is their meat desirable and nutritional, but they are also highly adaptable to extensive and intensive production systems.

The yield and nutritional value of meat from African ungulates, camelidae, rodents, ratites and reptiles
L.C. Hoffman, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag XI, Matieland 7602, South Africa