Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The "better living through chemistry" factions are still flogging their tired horse.
Having stripped the soil of its richness, burned out the humus and killed offthe soil
life, and having turned much of their not-so-little corner of Nature into a nutrient
depleted toxic wasteland, they are now developing Frankenstein's monster crops,
genetically modified organisms or GMOs, bred to live in these conditions. We can
count on this turning out as well as their previous bright ideas.
This topic is all about science and chemistry, but science and chemistry in the
service of humanity and in harmony with Nature, not science and chemistry
misused in a vain attempt to exploit and beat Nature into submission.
Humans are a self-aware and intelligent land animal. We have eyes and ears and
brains; legs and arms and hands with opposable thumbs. We have the ability to
understand the present and envision the future. Our role should be that of
caretakers of our home, as we are the only ones who can do that.An intelligent
person does not cut down the tree that shades their house from the hot afternoon
sun or pour sewage in their family's drinking water,Attempting to exploit our only
home for short term gain makes no logical sense; obviously it hasn't worked, isn't
working, and won't work in the future.
The worldwide Organic agriculture movement and its various offshoots have so
far only offered simplistic solutions, mostly one simplistic solution: add more
organic matter to the soil. This is the school from which this topic's authors come,
and most growers with whom we work are organic growers. “More organic matter”
is a step in the right direction if the soil is low in humus, but does little to address
nutritional deficiencies, especially mineral deficiencies. Yet it is fiercely defended
and proclaimed to be “the answer” for everyone everywhere. Is it? No. While
essential, soil biology and organic matter are only a part of what makes a healthy
soil and nutrient dense crops. Nature is not simple, and simplistic one-size-fits-all
answers are not going to solve the nutritional and environmental crises we face.
Those who follow the Biodynamic school are to be commended for their deep
appreciation of Nature and for having preserved much traditional knowledge and
brought it into the present. They have an understanding of energy that goes far
beyond simple electrical current flow, but by not fully understanding the minerals
in their soil, they limit their potential.
Permaculture works fine in many instances, but is mostly an approach to
stabilizing the existing soil, preventing erosion. Under a permaculture system the
nutrients that are in the soil are largely retained; what is taken away is supposedly
replaced with a fresh layer of organic matter. If every bit of the crop that was taken
away was somehow brought back and replaced, the soil nutrient content would
still only be what it was to start with, which in the case of most agricultural soils is
far from ideal.
