|
What about using an existing infrastructure and modifying it to supply one of the fastest growing demands in the world. Chemical free foods (I teach horticulture so I am NOT going to go down that old banana of so called "Organic" foods" )
There are millions of people in the developed countries of the world who are prepared to pay an arm and a leg for chemical free/reduced foods. The belief that we cannot produce enough food to feed ourselves without chemicals is a complete and utter furfy. It has been shown time and again that small hold intensive farms can be fully sustainable and productive without the excessive use of chemical applications, both herbicide and pesticide, and be more profitable ha for ha compared to broad acre farming. To be effective it requires a paradigm shift in thinking about crop production and retraining in the ways of sustainable agriculture.
We have the land, we have the tools and we have the personpower. Why then are communities abandoning the land in record numbers. A serious effort by our so called powers that be to support farms that are prepared to take the challenge rather than support the current outdated and destructive farming practices (that really haven't changed in the past hundred years) would be funds far more productively spent.
"Have soapbox will travel"
|