>So, if we take as a premise that the weather becomes increasingly
>variable in agricultural growing regions - not 50 years in the
>future, but NOW - how will this influence:
>
>a) the scale-dependence of agricultural evolution (e.g. trend
> toward mega-farming that so many have foreseen as inevitable)
>
>b) the relative profitability of low-input (e.g. less to lose in
> the event of crop failure) vs. resource-dependent agriculture?
>
>What do you think? Ann
I think I see another facet on this idea:
The increased diversity of farming techniques, products, and
markets advocated by Sustainable Agriculture increases the
probability that, in future, humankind will have the means of
responding appropriately to global environmental variation.
The monocropping practices, products, and markets currently
in use reduces that probability.
Sustainable agriculture can use the same arguments and tools
(like risk-analysis) as the disciplines of Conservation Biology
or Biodiversity. Conserving cropping practices and value-added
markets may have the same overall biologic benefit as conserving
genes of wild plants and animals. It gives us options with which
to respond to selective pressures - including natural ones.
This is good stuff.
Bob
BJWilson@gnn.com