permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>]

Toby Hemenway wrote:

> There is no "we" making decisions at that level. This is a system-level
> problem. Nobody "decides" collectively to use oil to grow food, to

> overpopulate the planet, or to create an unsustainable practice like
> agriculture. Turning away from the course we are on, as a civilization, is

"create an unsustainable practice like agriculture"

So what label do you prefer to describe food/fiber production?

Are you suggesting that billions of people should compete with other lifeforms
for access to wild field & forest feedlots for nutritional sustenance? Sure 
would
provide a healthy diet but would leave little time for other activities even 
if there
was enough food from these sources to go around.

> not something that is going to occur by a vote or changing our shopping
> habits.

How about some good support and encouragement for the masses to seek ways to
utilize sustainable practices and materials to produce food in a sane way,
locally for local consumption. Ecologically aware, biointensive, regenerative
methods employed in integrated farming and permaculture systems can produce 
amazing results,
often unpredictably so. Its straight up from there. I have witnessed this 
happening on my land
as I prepared 4 acres of biointensive raised beds for vegetable production.
I could hardly believe what I was seeing. The production potential of this 
land is immense and will only increase.
I provided an initial massive shot of manures, composts, rock dusts and 
hundreds of hours of tractor-based tillage
and it has been coasting ever since.

There are ways to practice agriculture and there are others best left undone.

Those who teach permaculture should spend more time an effort teaching soil improvement practices. There are new worlds 
to conquer in that arena.

LL