Episode-422- The Damage Done By Agriculture
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We rely on our modern agriculture system to feed the planet. While most people in the modern world seem to believe food comes from a store it most certainly does not. The bright lights and shiny packaging at the grocery is simply the last step in a long chain of systems.
The reality is be it animal or vegetable it all starts in the farm fields of the world and those fields are sick and dying for a variety of reasons. Of course man’s solution is genetic engineering, new chemicals and attempting to adapt to the damage we are doing vs. reversing it.
Join me today as we discuss the following recent news stories about this problem…
- Peak Phosphorus – what is it, why should you care
- Time and Water – running out for America’s largest aquifer
- Liberty for Pakistan – liberty for Monsanto’s GMO Cotton
- Australia’s Salty Wheat – why fix a problem you can “get around”
- The Price of Food – the biggest jump in 26 years
- Ten Years of Scientific Study – to tell us something we already knew
Additional Resources for Today’s Show
- Members Support Brigade
- TSP Gear Shop
- Join Our Forum
- Survival Seed Bank – (sponsor of the day)
- Shelf Reliance – (sponsor of the day)
- Review of a Shelf Reliance Food System
- More on the Rising Cost of Food in 2010
- Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution
- More on the future for phosphorus – not good!
- The Salting of Australia’s Soil
- Ron Hood’s Survival.com Magazine
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Have you seen this http://www.dirthemovie.org/ Dirt the movie documentary? Was shown on PBS and is supposed to play again Sunday I think. I do not have cable so I am searching for a site to watch free. If anyone can find it please post. Thanks!
LOL, LOL, the hornet’s nest metaphor. Will try that one today in some context…Awesome show.
it’s interesting you mentioned the San Joaquin Valley of California. I was actually in the general area for a permaculture farm tour. you are so right about the place turning to a dust bowl. you could see these acres upon acres of dried out agricultural land with the massive irrigation infrastructure sitting idly. there was hardly any vegetation or water or life, nothing but dust. Then we got to the permaculture farm and the place was green. The soil was intact and there were no signs of desertification. I mean the place is very dry to begin with (3 inches of rain water annually) but if managed properly can actually sustain quite a lot people. At the permaculture farm they had productive gardens, water ponds, damns, livestock and much more. They had a young food forest there as well. I think the farm would be quite productive and totally self-sufficient in about a decade. I cannot say that about the surrounding conventional farms whether they have access to water today or not.