Sustainability In Food Production

Sustainability In Food Production

Sustainability In Food Production: Since 1975, Ecology Action has used the term “sustainable” (or “sustainability”) on a consistent basis when discussing soil fertility for food production and so it should come as no surprise that we’ve chosen their definition of it to guide us in developing a continuing family food production system.

We refer today to their paper “Ecology Action’s Comprehensive Definition of Sustainability — Self -Teaching Mini-Series #24″ (available from the 2009 catalog of Bountiful Gardens – 18001 Shafer ranch Road, Willits, CA 95490 for less than $2 plus postage www.bountifulgardens.org.

Here are some of the papers key points:

• “Because sustainability means continuous soil fertility, productivity which is based on non-renewable inputs cannot be considered sustainable. Only those yields that can be maintained indefinitely, using inputs which are themselves in sustainable supply, can be considered sustainable. …the only real foundation for a sustainable agriculture is healthy, fertile soil”
• “For hundreds of years, the Chinese practiced a manual, organic form of intensive farming using only fertilizers produced on the farmstead. They were able to feed about two times more people per acre than the United States presently does using modern mechanized techniques (assuming similar non-meat diets).”
• “Conventional agriculture requires ever-increasing amounts of chemical fertilizers at an increasing cost as petroleum supplies dwindle.”
• ” … the yields of biologically intensive agriculture can be sustained because the techniques used replace those elements within the soil that plants and humans need to sustain life without depending on petroleum-based synthetics.”
• “Sustainable soil fertility, then, can be said to exist when soils are not diminished by agriculture, but rather enhanced and maintained at an optimal level by nurturing practices such as those used for thousands of years by Oriental and Greek cultures.”

(Some) Steps toward Sustainable Soil Fertility:

#4. “The complete recycling of all farm waste products, including crop residues and animal manure. …”

#8. “The maintenance of genetic diversity in seeds so that a broad plant base which can respond to different, changing, geoclimatic conditions can be preserved.”

#11. “Most important, there needs to be a goal of “closed-system” farming with as few nutrient and biomass exports and imports as possible.”

• “…we need to properly feed the soil, and in turn it will feed us.”

Note; For additional information, see the Sustainability chapter on pages 18-31 of “How to Grow more Vegetables’ …(and fruits, nuts, berries, grains and other crops) than you ever thought possible on less land than you can imagine” by John Jeavons

Soon, PrudentHome.com plans to give some “up-to-dates” on the current world and national oil availability picture. This information should provide the home food producer with additional incentive to seriously work toward some level of sustainable home food production.

Until the end of the week then: keep your eyes on the horizon as the weathers changing fast.