Food, Food, Food

Because of our proximity to Thanksgiving's impending excesses this evening, I think it's only natural for me to continue on the topic of food.

As Americans, we tend to take our edibles for granted. We are faced with some of the cheapest and most abundant food sources in the world. Just compare the percentage of annual income we spend on groceries compared to that of our European companions. Yet these low prices incur vast expenses that don't necessarily carry dollar values. These expenses go largely unaccounted for and unseen by the general public, which is extremely problematic. There's no impetus to stop exploiting the modern agricultural system when it's not your personal topsoil that's at stake. While the nation gorges itself on cheap corn, soybeans and other monocrops, the agricultural viability of our land steadily dissipates.  The Dustbowl, as far as our latest generation is concerned, was a one-off phenomena that exists only in the seldom-turned pages of American History textbooks. Empirical evidence, however, clearly shows the inevitability of a similar catastrophe if current practices are allowed to continue. Wes Jackson recently expressed the situation as such, "...we are plowing through our soil bank account."

Now I know I've condemned the 'modern agricultural system' on multiple occasions already in the brief existence of this page, but what's being done to address the issues? What sort of revisions can be made that will sustainably support billions of grumbling tummys? Well, perhaps some of the most exciting new research is concerning itself with the advantages of perennial crops over annuals. Our current monocultures are annuals, meaning they must be replanted every year. Conversely, the perennial grasses  that once fully inhabited America's interior prairies are self-sustaining. The difference lies in the roots. Perennials thrust their roots deeper into the earth's crust, thus tapping into deeper reserves of nourishment and support. The shallow reach of annuals, however, can't cope with harsh conditions, and eventually the plants resign their fate to the propagation of their seeds.

The problem with all of this, though, is the fact that perennials as we know them do not produce viable food sources; they exist for their own pleasure. Yet if we successfully bred perennial traits into annual food crops, then we would have ourselves a more sustainable, erosion-resistant system of agriculture. Less topsoil would be lost to the winds and less synthetic nitrogen fertilizer would be necessary. This prospect of plant breeding is not to be confused with the gene-splicing habits of such chemical giants as Monsanto. Rather, the process would be one of sexual reproduction and inheritance. While estimates for applicable results are measured in years, that is but a speck of dirt on the face of Earth's geological clock.

Humans have a problem with patience. Our lack of long-term planning and foresight is what got us into this mess initially. But a little investment in our future may be able to pull us back from the brink. We do have the technological capabilities to better our situation; it simply must be applied without the goal of capital gain. I'd love to stay and chat a little longer on the subject, but Thanksgiving duties are calling. Eat, drink, and be thankful for the bounty this Earth has to offer. Cherish it, for one day it may well be gone.

Also, for further, more factual and complete reading, you can find the article that inspired most of this post in the October 2010 issue of The Sun magazine. It's entitled Farmed and is mostly composed of an interview with Wes Jackson. Good stuff. And so we're clear, I make no real claims to originality  with this post. I'm simply providing a signal flare synopsis of the information that I found extremely important. Take care all.