Toward Local Food Sustainability
Sustainability is a key concept for anyone
concerned about the environment, the future of the planet and life as we know
it. The path civilization has taken
is woefully oblivious to long-term sustainability. The consumption of fossil fuels is
creating more pollution than the Earth can absorb. Soils are becoming depleted at an
alarming rate. Few seem to
understand that when the soil becomes depleted, it no longer sustains plant
growth upon which all animals, including ourselves, depend.
In the book How to
Grow More Vegetables than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land than You Can
Imagine, author John Jeavons lays out a scenario
and timetable that no one concerned about our ability to continue to live on
Earth should ignore.
Jeavons claims: Current agricultural practices reportedly destroy approximately 6
pounds of soil for each pound of food produced.
Jeavons also points out that even organic
farming as currently practiced in many areas depletes soil 17 - 70 times faster
than nature can rebuild it because it relies on organic matter and minerals
that have been imported from other areas that become increasingly
depleted. The author claims this
practice results in a net reduction
in overall soil quality.
What is the solution to this dilemma? A method he calls GROW BIOINTENSIVE.
Based on over 10,000 years of traditional agricultural
practice by indigenous peoples around the world, this method includes the
following features:
1)
Deep soil preparation – for better root
penetration, and better soil aeration.
2)
The use of compost – to put nutrients and
minerals back into the soil.
3)
Close plant spacing – for water retention, weed
control, maximum productivity.
4)
Synergistic planting – of crops that enhance each
other’s growth.
5)
60% grain cropping – for carbonaceous compost
& concentrated dietary calories.
6)
30% high-calorie legumes & root
vegetables – for
concentrated food energy.
7)
10% -- leafy greens and salad vegetables
for minerals, vitamins, antioxidants.
Not only does this system produce more food to feed more
people than row-cropping, but just as importantly, it rebuilds soil rather than
depleting it. It is no coincidence
this 60/30/10 soil “diet” not only rebuilds soil fertility, it remains
the core daily diet of most indigenous peoples who live in agricultural areas
throughout the world.
The 60/30/10 ratio is not only good for the soil; it
constitutes a ratio that sustains healthy living for humans as well. This is one more affirmation of the
wisdom of Macrobiotics.
“Man and Nature Not Two” is a traditional Oriental
saying that sums up what Jeavons and his co-workers
discovered – what is best for the earth is also best for human
beings. That is, when we farm and
eat the way traditional indigenous peoples did, we not only sustain a higher
quality of health, but we also help sustain the very soil upon which our health
and our lives ultimately depend. By
practicing the GROW BIOINTENSIVE method, we help insure the Earth will support
healthy lives for our children and their children’s children.
Each one of us can be part of the solution, or part of the
problem. The choice is ours.
Fred Pulver