I appreciate getting to read on a subject I'm quite ignorant of, from the perspective of one who is so invested in it. Your words about artificial fertilizers as a drug are especially interesting to me. A subject I'm much more well-versed in is the use of technology in our personal lives, particularly smartphones, and how it has, through its utter ubiquity, actually done great harm to us. There seems to be a clear parallel here -- humans do seem to have the tendency, when handed a good thing, to make it the ultimate thing, and thereby blind themselves to the harm that can come from overuse.
"humans do seem to have the tendency, when handed a good thing, to make it the ultimate thing, and thereby blind themselves to the harm that can come from overuse."
This is very true Joel. Collectively, we keep on making this mistake.
Stupidity in concentration indeed! Here in the USA, we have not only screwed up some of the richest soils on the planet, the land that was covered in native prairie grasses, but have drained the largest natural aquifer under those beautiful soils to overproduce grain for cattle feed. And the overuse of chemical fertilizers and poor farming practices have further depleted the land and now we are paying the price. American big Ag is a joke and all the money in the world isn’t going to fix the problems. There are many areas in this country that were extremely productive which are now so depleted or polluted that they have been abandoned. And all for of the acquisition of power and money. Our planet and soils are not inexhaustible. Care must be taken in how we live today to help heal the land. Personally, I’ve changed my diet so as not to contribute to these greed mongers. I grow my own produce as much as possible or shop locally to support local small businesses that provide excellent food items. I may be only one individual but if we each do what we can, it adds up. And we can make a difference.
It is great to hear that you have taken personal action NilaMae, and you are absolutely right that small actions all add up. I wish more people realised this.
Over here in the UK it is depressing to see how brown our rivers become after a rain storm. All that valuable soil washed into the rivers, literally tons and tons of it.
I appreciate getting to read on a subject I'm quite ignorant of, from the perspective of one who is so invested in it. Your words about artificial fertilizers as a drug are especially interesting to me. A subject I'm much more well-versed in is the use of technology in our personal lives, particularly smartphones, and how it has, through its utter ubiquity, actually done great harm to us. There seems to be a clear parallel here -- humans do seem to have the tendency, when handed a good thing, to make it the ultimate thing, and thereby blind themselves to the harm that can come from overuse.
"humans do seem to have the tendency, when handed a good thing, to make it the ultimate thing, and thereby blind themselves to the harm that can come from overuse."
This is very true Joel. Collectively, we keep on making this mistake.
I give thanks that at the least, I and others have the capacity to notice our mistakes, and learn from them.
Stupidity in concentration indeed! Here in the USA, we have not only screwed up some of the richest soils on the planet, the land that was covered in native prairie grasses, but have drained the largest natural aquifer under those beautiful soils to overproduce grain for cattle feed. And the overuse of chemical fertilizers and poor farming practices have further depleted the land and now we are paying the price. American big Ag is a joke and all the money in the world isn’t going to fix the problems. There are many areas in this country that were extremely productive which are now so depleted or polluted that they have been abandoned. And all for of the acquisition of power and money. Our planet and soils are not inexhaustible. Care must be taken in how we live today to help heal the land. Personally, I’ve changed my diet so as not to contribute to these greed mongers. I grow my own produce as much as possible or shop locally to support local small businesses that provide excellent food items. I may be only one individual but if we each do what we can, it adds up. And we can make a difference.
It is great to hear that you have taken personal action NilaMae, and you are absolutely right that small actions all add up. I wish more people realised this.
Over here in the UK it is depressing to see how brown our rivers become after a rain storm. All that valuable soil washed into the rivers, literally tons and tons of it.
G.A Squires, The Small Farmer on The Land I can’t locate this? Is it an article or book?
It is a chapter in the book: The Small Farmer ed. H.J. Massingham. Out of print but available second hand (well worth getting a copy if you can).
Brilliant! All farmers should read this