Image Source: Unsplash
What would a morning without a hot cup of tea and a slice of bread be like? Probably awful. Food is a key component to our survival, and accounting for 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions a key thread to it. There’s many more problems to it, from production to distribution, and luckily some promising solutions. It will require to shift our mindset considerably, but there’s a world to win!
This blog post will be focusing on food production -- stay tuned for the next post in two weeks about distributing food!
The Problems with Industrial Agriculture
Industrial Agriculture is a strain on many social dimensions: 70% of agricultural farmworkers in the United States are foreign born, representing one of the most socially discriminated and economically exploited groups. Hard physical work and extensive use of chemicals put them at risk for many health issues.
At the same time, organic and family owned farms are at the risk of being swallowed by large industrial agriculture giants. 3% of farms in the US account for 51% of the sales, and most of them are owned by larger corporations. This development leads many family-farms facing economic insecurity, poverty, and the loss of what they’ve built up for generations before.
International delivery chains can have severe humanitarian impacts as well, read more about it here.
Keeping all those social and humanitarian challenges in mind, we can start to focus on the impacts that industrial monocultures, ridden by a dream of profit and efficiency, have on the environment – the environment we live on and off, home to us, nature, and everything beyond.
Graphic source: Our World in Data
Pollution: Emissions from agriculture result mainly from keeping livestock (not to get started on animal abuse), the application of masses of fertilizer, and conversion of non-agricultural lands. Especially the conversion of lands is important on multiple dimensions: it’s land that’s stolen from the indigenous, land that houses biodiversity, and land that produces the air we breathe.
Biodiversity Loss: Industrial agriculture often relies on monocultures, which means that huge fields are devoted to a single type of crop. This makes the fields vulnerable to pests and diseases, which creates a necessity to use chemical fertilizers and herbicides, killing even more of nature. Also, fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides as well as regular turning of the soil cause soil degradation, which harms its health and makes the land even more dependent on artificial intervention. Furthermore, Monocultures are less adaptive to climate change and natural catastrophes, posing our food supplies at risk.
Water Shortages: Water has become a scarce resource due to the climate crisis (heatwaves, droughts) and extensive water usage (agriculture, industry). Combatting shortages is usually to the benefit of wealthy large scale industrial agriculture, leaving family owned and organic farms behind (see Mega Bassines in France). To worsen the situation, fertilizers and pesticides can contaminate nearby water bodies, leading to algal blooms, dead zones, and a loss of aquatic life.
Permaculture: A Sustainable Alternative
Permaculture, or "permanent agriculture", tries to fix this problem. The goal is to create a system that can go on forever – permanently. Main focus points are a decolonial usage of land, working with nature instead of against it. A key point to that is learning to understand nature and (re-)connect with it, keeping ecosystems in a balance by not taking too much, and creating safe spaces for people, plants and animals. To put it short: permaculture is the holistic view of agriculture, thinking in circles instead of profit.
Permaculture designs are often structured using five zones, making sure every little helper has a home.
Zone 0 is your home. This place belongs to you, make yourself feel welcome!
Zone 1 is the area closest to your home. This is where crops and vegetables go that need daily watering and care, there’s only as much wildlife as necessary and you keep a high degree of control.
Zone 2 is used for plants that need care only every few days. Here might be some attractions inviting wildlife, such as ponds or bee hives.
Zone 3 involves anything that requires minimal attention. You’re here to plant and harvest food, nature does the rest.
Zone 4 doesn’t have any food. You might visit here for a nice afternoon stroll or a little chat with the birds.
Zone 5 is the wildlife zone, left undisturbed to support natural ecosystems and biodiversity. This is the animals’ home, just as Zone 0 is yours. It should be treated as their sanctuary, and we should respect their privacy and natural habitat, just as we value our own privacy – don’t enter.
Starting a Small-Scale Permaculture Garden
To get started with permaculture it’s a good idea to start connecting with nature first: how are the birds and other animals reacting to you? How do different plants interact with one another, what are their roles in the ecosystem? What kind of plants and animals live in your ecosystem already? Where does the sun shine, and which areas are shady? How does water travel through your garden?
It’s good to get a rainwater-storage and a compost started early on, although that’s not a necessity. You might also try to incorporate different zones into your design – and respect them afterwards (Especially zone 5! You wouldn’t want a stranger stumbling into you living space either, would you?).
Another important factor is ensuring that you have a variety of plants in your garden. It’s okay to start small, but don’t cut down that wild flower meadow to start a monoculture of avocados that aren’t indigenous to your region. Don’t be too tidy either, many bacteria and small helpers need organic materials to feel comfortable. Feel free not to pull (all) weeds or pick leaves. Needless to say, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are a No-Go.
For a full-on guide, check out this amazing work by spiralseed.
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