I agree with the concept of farming in a manner which conserves soil,
maintains water quality and maintains or improves the health of an
ecosystem. However, a farmer needs to make money and sometimes our
definition of "sustainable" includes only ecological sustainability
and ignores the need for farming practices to be economically sustainable.
We can cause farmers to farm with sustainable techniques by either buying
the farmland ourselves and gaining control over production, or by buying
produce only from farmers who use sustainable practices, or by legislating
that farmers farm only according to techniques dictated in Washington,
Toronto, etc.
I think buying the land in the best technique to insure its farmed
with sustainable practices. Its educational and can be spirituallly and
economically rewarding.
For people with limited resources or with no desire to leave the city, the
best idea is to buy produce from farmers who minimize the use of
destructive farming practices. If a farmer can make more profit with
sustainable farming practices those practices will be adopted. When we
buy farm products through the standard markets we are indicating with
our purchases that we support current agricultural practices and are not
willing to pay the extra required to grow produce another way. Most
Americans are not willing to pay extra for "organic" produce or for crops
grown with techniques they consider sustainable. If people paid a
premium for the produce, farmers would grow it.
The technique of using legislation is the least appealing. I find it
hypocritical that some people support large scale, chemical intensive
agribusiness through their buying decisions and then support
restrictions on how a farmer can use land. By doing so these people are not
hurting Dole or Del Monte or ADM. The people hurt the most are the small Mom
and Pop farmers tring to make a living off a hundred acres or so. Those
family farmers are the ones driven off the farm into marginal employment in
town.
I also disagree with the legislative approach because I've observed that
government does not do a very good job when it meddles into peoples private
affairs. I would rather leave land use decisions in the hands of the small
holders who own it. More government is not the solution.
In the homesteaders newsgroup there's a contributor whose signature includes
the line "vote with your lifestyle". I like that approach.
Ron