Archive: https://archive.is/2025.03.26-113538/https://www.ft.com/content/eeb1ee80-00b8-4f9f-b560-a6717a80d58d
EU households should stockpile essential supplies to survive at least 72 hours of crisis, Brussels has proposed, as Russia’s war in Ukraine and a darkening geopolitical landscape prompt the bloc to take new steps to increase its security.
The continuing conflict in Ukraine, the Covid-19 pandemic that brutally exposed a lack of crisis response capabilities and the Trump administration’s adversarial stance towards Europe have forced the continent to rethink its vulnerabilities and increase spending on defence and security.
The new initiative comes as European intelligence agencies warn that Russia could attack an EU member state within three to five years, adding to natural threats including floods and wildfires worsened by climate change and societal risks such as financial crises.
Europe faced increased threats “including the possibility of armed aggression against member states”, the European Commission warned on Wednesday as it published a 30-step plan for its 27 capitals to increase their preparedness for crisis and mitigation measures.
We live rurally and don’t have much money as I have been disabled for almost a decade now. What we do have is seeds and gardens. Loads of them. A large greenhouse as well. We started a small farm before I got sick with the idea that if it didn’t make money at least we would be able to eat. Then I got sick and we just continued to plant. We are fortunate to have planned early to have space to do so. At first we helped others set up homesteads and growing in our area as well and still do to some extent but guess what…we do eat and are not so beholden to the grocery oligarchs and economic system. Any little bit you can do helps.
Yeah, not too far off from my situation. A full-blown greenhouse sounds awesome, I can only dream of that. How much time do you spend tending it?
Mine is basically just to grow enough leafy greens to prevent scurvy and supply enough to go in sandwiches and maybe salads. Interestingly, parsley has the most vitamin C of non-tropical crops.
We start planting stuff inside and in the greenhouse in Feb/March and go through to November usually. I spend a few hours every day and my wife does as well mid season. She works a real job as well in summer so I’m on my own then. The growing is the easy part really. It’s all the storage and preservation that takes a while.
Hmm. Is there not enough sunlight Dec/Jan? If you could keep some things ready to harvest all year you wouldn’t have to worry so much about that.
We do keep greens and such here. We have about mid November to end of February where we don’t have enough light. If we have cold weather crops already grown they will almost always hold. We usually keep greens, hearty herbs and such all year round. If we get carrots and beets and stuff under planted they will also hold in the ground. It becomes a humidity and temperature fluctuation problem with them in the hightunnel. Not to mention bugs and rodents. It’s 20’x50’ and unheated so it gets quite cold at night in the winter.
We even grow figs now. Shouldn’t be able to do that here but climate change is real.