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Re: British Beef Situation
In article <wVtkvBAghyfxEwCg@chalex.demon.co.uk>, cmb
<cmb@chalex.demon.co.uk> writes
>In article <4lhajd$jmc@news1.exit109.com>, "Nathan D. Justus"
><nathan@exit109.com> writes
>>In article <flOojiAmDzexEwd7@upthorpe.demon.co.uk>,
>> Oz <Oz@upthorpe.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>>>
>>>Farmers in pre-fertiliser and pre-spray days farmed organically and
>>>achieved yields typically less than 1/3 of what we have today (UK). They
>>>actually knew what they were doing, were pretty smart and had 2000+
>>>years of experience. If you think that, with much of the knowledge lost,
>>>and with little experience you are going to do any better then you
>>>merely expose your ignorance. I take it you are a practising organic
>>>farmer earning your entire income from it?
>>>
>the last sentence shows how we can become blinkered by the constraints
>of modern western economic theory. you do not have to be a practising
>organic farmer or earn your entire income from it in order to contribute
>both in theory and practice to (a) a more sustainable way of life (b)
>producing healthy food. there are are many 'cottage farmers' doing very
>nicely on a part time basis; they work in the 'nuts and bolts' economy
>to earn the necessary cash and in spare time to produce their food and
>preserve/improve the environment. If everyone used their available
>resources from window boxes/ backyards/ farms to produce their own food
>(EG using permaculture design principals) we would be better fed,
>happier and using less non renewable resources in transport,
>fertilisers, chemicals etc etc.
I'm all for it. Excellent. Unfortunately it typically doesn't begin to
feed the family, much less others with no land. So it's far from being a
solution to feeding the world. It does however make a lot of people very
happy, and that's good.
>of course the conventional economists don't like it because these
>activities don't show up in the GDP, and the agri-businesses don't like
>it because they feel threatened by it,
Eh? Absolutely not I would have thought. The effect is miniscule. If
farmers thought about this dispassionately then they would encourage it.
The reduced production would result in reduced supply and thus increased
prices. Funny old world, ain't it?
>hence some of the agressive
>replies in this thread. the conventional approach is not working so we
>have a responsibility to look dispassionately at the alternatives
Well, the 'conventional' approach is actually feeding the world. This is
a pretty good description of 'working' to me. The 'organic' route
cannot, but it gives a great deal of pleasure to many people and that's
good.
-------------------------------
'Oz "When I knew little, all was certain. The more I learnt,
the less sure I was. Is this the uncertainty principle?"
References: