We need more highly skilled small farmers in more places all across America — not as a matter of nostalgia for the agrarian past but as a matter of national security.This quote is from a Michael Pollan article entitled "Farmer in Chief," published in the New York Times. Pollan raises some interesting points about the importance of elevating the conversation about how we feed ourselves. Have a read.
For nations that lose the ability to substantially feed themselves will find themselves as gravely compromised in their international dealings as nations that depend on foreign sources of oil presently do. But while there are alternatives to oil, there are no alternatives to food.
Have we passed the tipping point? It's difficult to say. In July 2007 I quoted a biodiesel article that, in terms of energy, says we have 400 times more output than input. A simple analogy would be to say we're spending more than we're earning...only rather than money (one store of energy), we're talking about sunlight. Even with Pollan's ideas, I'm not convinced that the rate of energy consumption can be brought back into something resembling a sustainable balance.
Then again--if we keep doing the same old thing, can we really expect something different to happen?
