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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] more on the real threats to our country
  • Date: Fri, 13 Feb 2009 10:20:45 -0700



“Get big or get out” is a refrain with which American farmers are all
too familiar. Small farms are seen as being too small to survive, and
thus, unworthy of serious consideration. For example, government programs,
including publicly funded research and education, tend to focus on large,
commercial agricultural operations as the future of American agriculture.
In fact, the opposite is true. Most large, commercial farming today are
too big to survive. Small farms are the future of farming in America. "

- Many Farms Are Too Big To Survive, John Ikerd
http://www.ssu.missouri.edu/faculty/jikerd/papers/SFT-Too%20Big.htm
-----

"Sustainable farming systems must be ecologically sound, economically
viable, and socially responsible. All three are essential; more of one
cannot offset a lack of either of the other two. The three dimensions of
sustainability are not a part of some formal or legal definition, but
instead, are a matter of common sense. If the land loses its ability to
produce, the farm is not sustainable. If the farmer goes broke, the farm
is not sustainable. And if a system of farming fails to support society,
it will not be supported by society, and thus, is not sustainable.

- The Family Farm on the Cutting Edge, John Ikerd
http://www.ssu.missouri.edu/faculty/jikerd/papers/YakimaFamilyFarms.html
-----

"The highest priority for American agriculture should be on reducing the
fossil energy dependence of food production. Our current food system,
including food processing and distribution, claims about 17% of total U.S.
fossil energy use, with about one-third of this total used at the farm
level.[9] In fact, we use about ten kcals of fossil energy for every kcal
of food energy produced, not counting the energy use in final food
preparation. This means that even at the farm level, American agriculture
uses about three kcals of fossil energy for every kcal of food energy
produced. In a world of rising population and dwindling fossil energy, the
first priority of agriculture should be producing more food with less
fossil energy.

- Agriculture after Fossil Energy, John Ikerd
http://www.ssu.missouri.edu/faculty/jikerd/papers/Iowa-FmUnion-Energy.htm
-----

* Percentage of original U.S. topsoil lost to date: 75%
* Water needed to produce 1 pound of wheat: 25 gallons
* Water needed to reduce 1 pound of meat: 2,500 gallons
* Amount of waste produced annually by U.S. livestock in confinement
operations which is not recycled: 1 billion tons

- Diet for a New America by John Robbins
http://www.duke.edu/web/planv/realities.html
-----

Beginning in the 20th century, the energy of human and animal labor and
wastes has been replaced with the use of fossil fuels and mechanization.
Today nearly half the energy consumed in the United States goes into our
agricultural system.

- http://www.smartcommunities.ncat.org/rural/agriculture.shtml
-----

By nature, sustainable agriculture is generally smaller in scale. From an
economic standpoint sustainable agriculture works to provide viable
business pathways for small-mid sized farmers. The goal is to create a
decentralized, self-sufficient, local/regional food system that empowers
farmers and strengthens community."

- http://www.communitymarkets.biz/questions.php
------

Based on the estimate that 0.5 hectares per capita is necessary for an
adequate and diverse food supply, it would be possible to sustain a global
population of approximately 3 billion humans. However, arable land is being
degraded and lost at a rate of more than 12 million ha per year (Pimentel
et al., 1995; Pimentel et al., 1997c). At this rate of loss, in just 42
years there will be sufficient arable land for a population of only 2
billion. It is critical to adopt soil and water conservation techniques to
protect the soil resources that currently produce more than 99% of the
world’s food (Pimentel et al., 1995; Pimentel et al., 1997c).

- http://www.oilcrash.com/articles/limit.htm
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, CORNELL UNIVERSITY
----

Given current depletion rates of land, water, and energy resources, U.S.
agricultural productivity is already unsustainable. Should the U.S.
population double within the next 60 years, the subsequent decrease in
arable land will substantially change American eating habits and
dramatically reduce future food exports. ..
Land: On-going soil erosion and expanding urbanization contribute to the
continuous loss of cropland in the U.S. Annually, more than two million
acres of prime cropland are lost to erosion, salinization, and
waterlogging. In addition, more than one million acres are removed from
cultivation as America's limited arable land is Overwhelmed by the demands
of urbanization, transportation networks, and industry. As a result of
arable land shortages, U.S. meat consumption may be reduced.
Water: The groundwater that provides 31% of the water used in
agriculture is being depleted up to 160% faster than its recharge rate. The
vast U.S. Ogallala aquifer (under Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas) will
likely become non-productive within the next 40 years. Even if water
management is substantially improved, the projected 520 million Americans
in 2050 would have about 700 gallons/day/capita, considered the minimum for
all human needs, including agriculture.
Energy: The availability of non-renewable fossil energy explains in part
the historically high productivity of U.S. agriculture. Currently the 400
gallons of oil equivalents expended to feed each American amount to about
17% of all energy used in this country each year.

- From FOOD, LAND, POPULATION and the U.S. ECONOMY by David Pimentel of
Cornell University and Mario Giampietro Istituto of Nazionale della
Nutrizione, Rome
http://www.dieoff.org/page40.htm





  • [Livingontheland] more on the real threats to our country, Tradingpost, 02/13/2009

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