Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Barbara Money <bmoney9@verizon.net>]

 Interesting take on the subject, Mike. It sounds like you are talking 
about a net-zero loss or gain, a steady state? But taken from a purely 
practical standpoint, then nothing is sustainable, at least in a limited 
geographical area; it may be sustainable if taking it globally. Even 
after reading a lot of material about homesteading and growing all one's 
own food, etc., it seems to me there *have* to be some non-local inputs 
(meaning non-local to the farm itself, could be another farm, say). One 
couldn't live only on one's own tomatoes, for example, you'd need 
different foods that may come from other farms or even other regions.( 
Where do folks in the higher lattitudes get vitamin C in the winter, if 
not for oranges?) Though trading for other foods, then using that gained 
energy (labor) on one's own farm would "cancel" out the input.

I can see how harvesting leaf litter would destroy a forest; it depends 
on it for its own fertility. Apparently the forest in question doesn't 
produce any extra from the sun, water and air inputs. Other forests in 
different climates may produce more. By that same token, a farm in a 
very "rich" or fertile location could produce more than is used, and 
have a net gain.

If that doesn't make sense (smile), try this example: I live on 5+ 
mostly wooded acres. I have maybe 900 square feet total (very rough 
guess) in food production, for our own use, and maybe to give some to 
friends. We burn wood for heat, but don't have enough trees to cut only 
our own; we have to buy several cords each year. I'm considering 
chickens for next year; again, I would have to buy feed as I have no 
space to grow the seeds, grains, etc to feed them as they wouldn't get 
enough protein (I don't think) just foraging. This of course, doesn't 
take into account things like inputs to keep entropy at bay (building 
repairs etc.). I think then, the calculation of just food production 
cannot be separated from other factors. As we all know, everything is 
connected!

Great discussion.

Barbara M
Foster, RI

--
"Animals Are A Gift"