Comments on: Paul Roberts on The End of Food

By: kachocolatier

kachocolatier — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:44:29 +0000

Great article, haven’t watched the talk yet: RT @beoptimallywell Paul Roberts on the End of Food http://tinyurl.com/nb3r5k

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By: TCOYou

TCOYou — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:57:29 +0000

Just read “Paul Roberts on The End of Food” http://bit.ly/P86IR by @foodrenegade … TY @dcrmom for sharing the site via http://bit.ly/ih2ce

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By: KristenM

KristenM — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:58:35 +0000

Chris & Anna — I share your concerns. In my political heart, I’m basically a libertarian (which is yet one more reason why Joel Salatin is my hero). That said, so much of what’s wrong with our food supply today is a direct result of government intervention, and the government needs to change these flawed policies. We simply can’t afford to keep propping up a failing food system with our tax dollars. In other words, we WILL need to get our federal government involved somehow if we want to change the status quo.

I also appreciate the idea of “not farming.” I’d love to learn more about permaculture, but the little I have learned has totally fascinated me! Mostly I’ve just watched some videos and documentaries, but I’ve seen some amazing stuff — an oasis built in the desert (literally), super-productive “forest farms” that yield considerably more than “conventional” farms. It’s definitely worth looking into.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:49:23 +0000

I share Anna’s concerns about government…it was our government that figured out that we could use surplus chemical warfare agents to fertilize US farmland. The pesticide 2-4-D is Agent Orange. The Green Revolution was fueled by the military-industrial complex and justified by research done at US Land Grant universities. ALL of the solutions to global warming, the problems with industrial ag have come from private individuals and grassroots organizations.

In the 1970s a Japanese Farmer, Masanobu Fukuoka, wrote a book about natural farming, that was translated into English with the help of an American soil scientist named Larry Korn and Wendell Berry. In his book, he describes a revelation he had, in which he recognized that every human solution to a “problem” in nature created unintended consequences, and that in trying to resolve those consequences, we create further unintended consequences, and so on. His idea was to remove as much human interference on his farm as he could. He didn’t till, he didn’t use chemicals…he called his method “do nothing” farming. He was far from perfect…he sprayed motor oil on his orchard to prevent pests, for example, but he had yields equal to and greater than his neighbors growing the same rice and winter grains.

I agree that we need to address the whole system, but rather than overlay new solutions on top of old ones gone wrong, we need to peel back the layers. Just as many of us are figuring out that old, traditional ways of preparing food, that let time and nature work for us, rather than working so hard to control nature, we need to do the same with agriculture. Nature creates abundance without any interference from us…we should observe and see what we can do–or NOT do–in our farms and gardens that would allow nature helps us create abundance.

By: Anna

Anna — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 20:55:21 +0000

I really worry about government solutions, as government no longer serves the people. Mega-corporations have bought our government, lock stock and barrel, and they bend government to their will. Until we end the pervasive influence of favoring wealthy private interests, there are no remedies. Small scale private sectors want to provide solutions, but are hindered by a game with rules fashioned by the big guys.

By: smfootprintfam

smfootprintfam — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 05:29:09 +0000

Reading @foodrenegade Paul Roberts on The End of Food http://tinyurl.com/nb3r5k

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By: KristenM

KristenM — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 04:06:47 +0000

Peggy — I remember that interview well. In fact, it’s my FAVORITE part of King Corn. That’s why I find Robert’s point about today’s problems being yesterday’s solutions so fascinating. What’s to keep tomorrow’s solutions from being our grand children’s problem? Really, very little. It’s the law of unintended consequences. All we can do is the best we can do with what we’ve been given, and we can choose to act as firmly and wisely in our given circumstances as we can without embittering or embarrassing others.

By: Local Nourishment

Local Nourishment — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:09:41 +0000

Oops, sorry. I meant to throw into that first sentence somewhere that the interview was part of the movie King Corn.

Local Nourishment

By: Local Nourishment

Local Nourishment — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:07:43 +0000

I was really humbled by the interview done with former Secretary of Agriculture (under President Nixon) Earl Butz. He really revelled in his accomplishments in bringing cheap food to millions. Coming from the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl era, I could absolutely see how he would consider his actions a triumph over hunger and need. It wasn’t until twenty years later we began to see the long-term effects of his policies.

We would do well to keep this kind of humility in our hearts as we search out the next generation’s triumphs. I don’t think it’s a good idea to point fingers and blame those who came before us. No one planned for the industrialization of agriculture to kill hundreds with foodborne diseases, make medicines useless through overuse or create an obesity epidemic. We’d be wise to tread lightly with great forgiveness and care.

Local Nourishment

By: cookingupastory

cookingupastory — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:35:47 +0000

A big thank you for sharing Paul Roberts http://bit.ly/P86IR @FoodRenegade @Zacharycohen @foodwineclassic Keep discussion going!

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