- Feb 5, 2002
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I recently attended an agricultural conference (part of my job) and there were several talks on bio-energy. A lot of discussion was spent on talk of which crops to use for energy, how to maintain the land, how to properly regulate and monitor resources. Almost unanimously, it's believed that the Congressional goal of "25 by 2025" is unrealistic (that 25% of our energy will come from agriculture by the year 2025) and that ethanol (derived from corn) will not be able to support bio-based energy demands either.
A couple of other disturbing trends which were pointed out are that:
1. Almost 40% of land slated to be used by agricultural purposes purchased in 2006 was done by investors and not individual farmers.
2. Almost 50% of land slated to be used for agricultural purposes is rented, rather than owned.
Both of those are disturbing trends, because they indirectly point towards quick profit and/or a lack of long-term sustainability of the land. Some people think that you can simply throw seed down onto soil and you'll get a crop. While that may work for a couple of years, eventually you'll deplete the land of nutrients and it won't be useful for farming any longer. It needs to be properly watered, fertilized, and maintained.
I believe that we need to practice proper stewardship of our land, and that means considering not only the economic impact (short-term) of our decisions, but the social and environmental impacts (long-term) of our decisions as well. I believe strongly that our economy is best served by having local farmers managing their own family farms, that they can suitably develop co-op's for bio-energy based initiatives, and that this would have positive impacts on both the social structure of the surrounding communities and the environmental impacts as well.
Would we have to pay a bit more for our food? Maybe. But imagine shopping at your local farmers market as opposed to the large supermarket (or Super Wal-Mart) a few miles away. I can't find any cheaper veggies than at a farmers market.
Environmentally ... look at New Orleans. With the loss of the surrounding wetlands, New Orleans was a sitting duck when Katrina arrived. Literally hundreds of miles of wetland have been lost thanks to inept handling by the Corp of Engineers. If those wetlands had been properly studied and preserved, New Orleans would not need rebuilding right now. Similarly ... our existing farmlands and resources need to be studied and monitored so they do not suffer similar fates. Only ~1% of the water in the world is drinkable and thus able to be used for irrigation as well. The aquifiers in the United States (and especially the upper mid-west ... where a majority of our corn is grown) are starting to run extremely low, which would further impact our chances of maintaining the land for farming use ... the other option is another "dust bowl".
Anyways ... what's my point? My point (other than the one on the top of my head) is that we all should familiarize ourselves with what our government is doing in this area (as it will impact every aspect of our lives) and what we are called to do as stewards of this gift that God has given us.
A couple of other disturbing trends which were pointed out are that:
1. Almost 40% of land slated to be used by agricultural purposes purchased in 2006 was done by investors and not individual farmers.
2. Almost 50% of land slated to be used for agricultural purposes is rented, rather than owned.
Both of those are disturbing trends, because they indirectly point towards quick profit and/or a lack of long-term sustainability of the land. Some people think that you can simply throw seed down onto soil and you'll get a crop. While that may work for a couple of years, eventually you'll deplete the land of nutrients and it won't be useful for farming any longer. It needs to be properly watered, fertilized, and maintained.
I believe that we need to practice proper stewardship of our land, and that means considering not only the economic impact (short-term) of our decisions, but the social and environmental impacts (long-term) of our decisions as well. I believe strongly that our economy is best served by having local farmers managing their own family farms, that they can suitably develop co-op's for bio-energy based initiatives, and that this would have positive impacts on both the social structure of the surrounding communities and the environmental impacts as well.
Would we have to pay a bit more for our food? Maybe. But imagine shopping at your local farmers market as opposed to the large supermarket (or Super Wal-Mart) a few miles away. I can't find any cheaper veggies than at a farmers market.
Environmentally ... look at New Orleans. With the loss of the surrounding wetlands, New Orleans was a sitting duck when Katrina arrived. Literally hundreds of miles of wetland have been lost thanks to inept handling by the Corp of Engineers. If those wetlands had been properly studied and preserved, New Orleans would not need rebuilding right now. Similarly ... our existing farmlands and resources need to be studied and monitored so they do not suffer similar fates. Only ~1% of the water in the world is drinkable and thus able to be used for irrigation as well. The aquifiers in the United States (and especially the upper mid-west ... where a majority of our corn is grown) are starting to run extremely low, which would further impact our chances of maintaining the land for farming use ... the other option is another "dust bowl".
Anyways ... what's my point? My point (other than the one on the top of my head) is that we all should familiarize ourselves with what our government is doing in this area (as it will impact every aspect of our lives) and what we are called to do as stewards of this gift that God has given us.
