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Re: John Hagelin: Old vs New Approach in Agriculture
Valerie Cowperthwaite wrote:
>
> > These are pretty bold statements without any supporting evidence.
> These low yield
> > production practices result in more land being needed for
> agricultural production
> > to meet even current needs let alone future needs. Yields from
> organic farming in
> > the United States and Europe are only about half as high because
> organic farmers
> > suffer more pest losses and need extra land for pasture, green
> manure and fallow.
>
> This is not quite the experience down here in New Zealand. A major
> food processor is exporting both organic and chemically grown produce.
> Yields are not less from organic processes - organic yields are at
> least equal to conventional chemical yields and in fact organic corn
> production outdid conventional yields this year. The question of green
> cropping and fallow periods ca be managed within a sustainable system
> that is wholly integrated - not just mono-cropping on a low or nil
> input basis.
If a green manure or fallow is used every third year the total
agricultural output in the two grain years would need to be 50% higher to
equal the output from a farm that is annually cropped.
>
> > Historically, the plow has caused far more land degradation than
> fertilizers and
> > pesticides. Afterall, how fertile is the "fertile crescent," now?
> The negative
> > effects of soil erosion have been documented throughout history.
> >
> Topsoil loss under conventional monocultural'industrial agriculture'
> is equally as deleterious.
Soil erosion is related to the amount of residue cover on the land.
Conservation tillage practices, especially no-till, can dramatically
reduce erosion levels. These methods work best as part of an integrated
farming systems using diverse crop rotations. In western Canada, no-till
farmers typically use at least four (six or more is not uncommon)
separate crops, including legumes in their rotations.
> Don't confuse 'organic' or 'sustainable'
> with low or no input. Just going cold turkey off the chemical dripfeed
> is not the answer if it means minimum input and no sustainable
> strategy.
You also should not confuse "organic" agriculture with sustainability
either. These farming systems trade one set of evironmental problems for
another. Organic systems also have less flexibility with land management.
The most sustainable systems will be those that can make the most
efficient use of all available inputs whether they are chemical,
biological, mechanical or human.
Blair McClinton
b.mcclinton@sk.sympatico.ca
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