What can the average person do? Cut back & stock up. Cut back (as if many people in the U.S. haven’t) on your current food consumption. Cut out any “luxury” foods like desserts, soda pop and cut back on eating out. All those things were considered a luxury when I was a kid in the 1970s. Cut back not just to get used to having less, but to try & save what moneys you can because prices are going up.  Stock up, and start eating, the plain jane basic food stuffs. Dry goods like beans (relatively good pant source for protein), rice, uncooked pastas, etc. are cheap & can store for long long time. Canned & preserved goods are next for relative affordability & storage.  Meat Jerky can store for a long time but it’s not cheap, but get some for your protein needs. Protein bars will work, but also not cheap. There is plenty of info on the internet about preparing for a food shortage. Also, check your library. Basically we may have to adopt the ways of living that our grandparents used (the generation that went through the Great Depression & WW2).

Also, don’t forget your pet’s needs in this coming food crisis.  Mass produced cat & dog food uses a lot of grains.

Growing your own is another option. Some plants like tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, can be grown indoors in flower pots if they get proper care. You don’t need big land to do it, your not trying to feed the world, just yourself & immediate family.  In cooler areas build a greenhouse. I know a guy who decided to turn his basement into a hydroponics garden (although it’s expensive, especially the lighting he’s using). Remember whatever you do has to be cost effective. Plenty of info on what used to be called victory gardens is out there, there’s even a PBS program named after victory gardens. Also, check for local private seed banks. They usually specialize in food plants that grow well, or are native, in your area. And go native; Native Americans knew what native plants (that didn’t require human intervention like Maize) they could eat, and there are books & info out there about that.

How about raising your own chickens? It’s easy, but you have to check your local laws. An east Idaho TV station did a report on legalizing “urban farming”. Apparently some Idaho cities have laws against raising chickens (www.localnews8.com).

Finally, If you don’t have a green thumb, try to find and patronize local farmers’ markets. Local farmers’ markets may be the security net that saves many people in the coming food crisis.