Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Dan Conine <dconine@bertramwireless.com>]

Jumping in:
I could go both ways on this. A book I read recently was "Metatropolis", 
and they covered the vertical farms very well. With genetically enhanced 
hogs used to handle city wastes, then methane to produce electricity to 
run the lights and power needs, and some other fancy tricks. Not a 
simple hydroponics plan, but an integrated system. Complexity and 
bureaucracy, though.

I think rooftop gardens are very important, as well as any urban 
agriculture. As cities become more depopulated, this is more available. 
As suburbs become less and less viable, small plots will get more common 
and larger nearer to cities.

The key right now is to keep hammering away at the wall of ignorance 
about food, and the urbanites are more willing to try new ideas than the 
suburbanites and rural bedroom communities are. Those without a castle 
are able to take more risks and do things differently than those trying 
to protect their status quo. People in cities know they are dependents, 
and it can make them nervous enough to do some physical work.
The demise of every empire has come when they found ways to get someone 
or something to do their hard work for them. The right half of the brain 
atrophies and they start to believe their own 'logical' education 
bullshit. With Rome, it was the easy life using slaves. With Spain, it 
was the easy life of 'free' gold. With England, it was the easy life 
brought by sea power. With America, it has been slaves, then immigrant 
labor, then cheap oil which made our backs weak and our minds mush.

The Bureaucracy Bubble always preceeds the demise.

Dan C.