A call for common sense farming
There are numerous claims that the global food system is broken. But how to fix it is less obvious. I am going to argue that we need to put more faith in evolution, rather than revolution, of global farming systems.
Even proponents of our modern food system often admit that the vast technological improvements and associated production increases of the past have accompanied social and environmental tradeoffs. But they argue for more of the same, although with modifications to care more for the environment and people this time around. They argue for a ‘Second Green Revolution’ and ‘Sustainable Intensification’. Others contend that the industrial food system is the problem, and cannot be part of the solution. They argue for a complete reshaping of the food system and established power structures and argue for ‘food sovereignty’ and ‘agroecological farming’. Still others argue that we cannot solve this problem without addressing demand-side issues of excess consumption (especially of red meat) and food waste. A confusing array of solutions is presented to the public — buy organic, buy local, eat less meat, eat insects, vertical farming, urban farming, fair trade, etc.
But I sometimes wonder if we are putting too much faith in revolutionary ideas, and are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. First of all, our global agricultural system is rife with insanities, and why don’t we simply deal with those? We use some of our best lands on the planet to grow corn, and then feed three-quarters of that to animals (and only 3% to 40%, depending on type, returns to human diets in the form of meat). We cut forests in the Amazon to grow soy. A large portion of that soy goes to feed pigs and chickens in Asia, Europe, and other parts of the world. We drained the entire Aral Sea to grow cotton. We use excess amounts of fertilizers in some places, much of which runs off and pollutes ground water or harms fisheries in far away regions. We spray vast amounts of toxic pesticides on our crops that are also harmful to humans and the environment. And we grow all this food with so much energy and pollution, and yet waste an entire third of it. I should hasten to add that these are not insanities from the perspective of individual humans going about their daily lives, but only insanities from a larger perspective, say an alien visiting the Earth and trying to figure out what we are about.
Can’t we just deal with these insanities rather than look for a revolution? And secondly, our food system is vast and complex, yet so vital for billions of people, and I am nervous about a revolutionary shift, rather than making gradual shifts toward a better farming system. Instead of a radical new agriculture, or at least in addition to envisioning an alternate future, I would propose that we should also focus on what I would term “common sense farming”. Most of us are not farmers and probably cannot imagine what common sense farming (CSF) means. But think about how you maintain your own house plants. You water them regularly. Every once in a while you add some nutrients. When you see pest infestations, you try to manage it by applying some pesticides that are not harmful to health. You use your common sense to deal with the issue.
CSF would dispense with the current excesses of our food system. It would not apply twice the amount of fertilizer as required by crops in some regions of the world, but would apply nutrients in those regions of the world where the soil nutrients are depleted (using compost or manure as possible, but supplementing it with synthetic fertilizers as needed). Soil amendments and management would treat soils as the precious resource it is. In regions where water is scarce, it would not use precious surface or groundwater resources to grow water thirsty crops such as sugarcane and cotton. In a CSF world, consumers would pay more in order to incentivize farmers who do not cut down forests in order to grow crops. CSF would not use valuable and climate harming fossil energy to grow vegetables in greenhouses. In a CSF world, people would recognize the connection between food production and the climate it grows in, and eat more seasonally appropriate foods, but also recognize the idea of comparative advantage and not entirely dispense with trade. In this world, the rich would not consume twice as much protein (a large portion coming from meat) as recommended for a healthy diet.
Ultimately, farming has three major “stakeholders” in my opinion. The farmers, who grow the food for others (and often eat it too), and who need to make a livelihood and remain healthy. The consumers who want affordable, nutritious, healthy, and safe foods. And the environment, which bears many of the excesses of our current food system. Common sense farming needs to make sense for all of these stakeholders. It will pay attention to, nay respect, ecological principles. Humans are certainly innovative, but we would be foolish to ignore nature which has evolved for much longer than we have and will remain long after we are gone. CSF will pay attention to principles of human rights, equity, and justice that are important to both producers and consumers. And it will pay attention to growing healthy, nutritious, and tasty food.
