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  • From: Matt Cheselka <mcheselka AT yahoo.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Latest tirade against organics
  • Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2005 12:03:25 -0700 (PDT)

Exactly, Paul!
 
I just got John Jeavons' book and wow am I psyched!  Here's a quote that is relevant to this discussion:
 
"Generally, the challenges of world hunger, soil depletion, and diminishing resources seem so overwhelming that we tend to look for big solutions, such as massive grain shipments, breeding high-yield miracle crops, or establishing infrastructures ... These solution create long-term dependency.  What is exciting about a personal approach is that it seeks to answer the question: 'How do we enable ourselves to take care of our own needs?'"
 
I really do think that the solution to most of our current "problems" (social, political, medical, etc.) is to grow small gardens or mini-farms and distribute what's produced to people within a small (I'm aiming for 30 miles) radius.  This is what I mean by "feeding the world".  Not that I, personally, am going to feed people in Mongolia, but rather local farmers in Mongolia will do it using the same basic farming practices that I'm using.
 
People with full bellies of delicious, healthy food are going to feel better about life in general and probably be nicer to others.  Of course we'll always have the "kooks", but that's what would keep life interesting for the rest of us, eh?
Jeavons speaks to the idea of importing manure and other inputs from outside the farm.  His basic argument against this (hopefully I'm saying this right -- I only go his book yesterday and haven't put it down since!) is that the manure HAD to come from the soil at some other location.  So there's still a net depletion of soil overall.
 
Ok, enough hot air for one day.  Back to playin' in the dirt!
 
Matt Cheselka
Cosmic Lettuce
 
P.S.  Paul -- you mentioned you're in the southwest.  Where exactly are you?  I'm in southeast Arizona.



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