The One about FOOD...

This is the third installment in the two page anthropology paper series...

Topic: Sustainable Farming

As the world advances in all aspects of life a greater number of scientists, politicians, businessmen, and

Photo Credit: Robert Taylor via Flickr

others have become increasingly cognizant of the possibility that current methods that support our way of life may ultimately lead to our demise. This awareness has brought up three important questions: 1) Do we want to maintain the current standards of living? 2) Do we need to change our methodology to maintain those standards? 3) Are we willing to change if need be? Currently, in mainstream America those answers appear to be: 1) YES! 2) Yes. 3) Maybe. Looking specifically at agriculture, market demand answers the first question, science has helped prove the second, but the last is solely up to us.

As humans we have spent nearly all of recorded history as an agricultural society and looking for ways to improve the standard of living among ourselves. Jared Diamond argues that what began as a search for a better life instead lead to “starvation, warfare, and tyranny. [1] However, Diamond’s article misses the point that because people had not previously lived in such large numbers they probably simply did what came most naturally to them, because it followed the same pattern of what they had done for thousands of years previously: protect and elevate family first. No slack in consumer demand indicate that we want to continue living the way that we have become used to, with a variety of foods from nearly every corner of the world at our finger tips. [2] Entire markets have erupted looking to provide “the next big thing” in an attempt to satisfy our insatiable pallets for more and better. [2] The next question, then is: Do we need to change our methodology to maintain those standards?

To answer this question most environmentalists point to the overwhelming evidence that current thinking and methodology is changing the environment of the world around us. Despite this, whether or not you believe that cars are a great polluting evil, causing global warming and killing the polar bears is immaterial here. What we do know, for a fact and with indisputable evidence is that some current agricultural practices do more long term harm than near term good. [2] For example, for nearly as long as people have farmed they have tilled the ground in preparation to plant each season. [3] However, research has found that tilling increases topsoil erosion, decreasing soil fertility as well as facilitating runoff of fertilizers and pesticides into the local environment where they may harm wildlife and human life. [3] Clearly then, tilling methods need to change in order to preserve natural resources. Other examples of research into new methodologies including pest/herbicides and genetics also contribute to the overall effort to make agriculture a sustainable practice and maintain yields at rates we currently enjoy. The last question then is: Are we willing to change?

Humans are not opposed to change. All of the time we make small changes as we change what we want and who we want to be. But for most the biggest opposition to change is money. Changing from products and lifestyles that do not support a sustainable way of life, to those that do will cost consumers a significant amount of money up front. Alex Steffen promotes change, saying, “You may pay more [upfront]…but they’ll save real money over the long term.” [4] Even farmers will have to pay a price; Scientific American notes that, “specialized no-till seeding equipment can be expensive”. [3] The key to change will be convincing people that it is worth it. People need to want to reduce, reuse, recycle, or else nothing will change.

So, is it possible to have sustainable agriculture while maintaining our current standards of living? Yes. Are we there yet? No. The good news is that we are getting closer as scientists, farmers, and consumers come together in closer agreement on what the future looks like. The bad news is that the consumers are last to agree. On the one hand more Californians are powering their homes with solar panels than ever, on the other we still use massive motor vehicles to transport ourselves and all of our things. What do you want for the future? 

Works Cited

[1]	J. Diamond, "The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race," Discover Magazine, 1987.
[2]	America Revealed: Food Machine. [Film]. USA: Public Broadcasting Station, 2012.
[3]	J. P. Reganold and D. R. Huggins, "No-Till: How Farmers are Saving the Soil by Parking Their Plows," Scientific American, 2008.
[4]	A. N. Steffen, "The Next Green Revolution," Wired, 2008.