The Bigger Picture

There are three great global and local challenges that need to be dealt with in this century –food production, landscape health and human health.  Linking all three Terry McCosker, an agriculturalist and co founder of Resource Consulting Services believes the solutions are in the way we farm.  If we focus on big changes to farming practices we can avoid the long term ramifications of these three. (ABC Rural Food Conference.Brisbane (1))

With the fast and efficient way of worldwide communication and spread of information in our times, we have a much better chance today than in earlier generations to educate ourselves and learn from each others mistakes.  We have a chance to detect potential problems and dangers and prevent them from growing into a large scale affair.

We know, that landscape health is in decline.  We are living unsustainably, using more earth resources than we can replace in the appropriate time. The quality of food has declined to a dangerous level for human health (In 1952 two peaches supplied the Daily Value of Vitamin A. Today, you would have to eat almost 53 Peaches to meet the Recommended Daily Value!(2)) With the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides we are pushing the living soil towards total depletion. We have lost the wisdom of the Red Indians, who considered the wellbeing of the next 7 generations in every decision they made. Our misinformed and virtually carefree attitude towards the use of glycophosphates (eg. Round Up) has produced already 98 confirmed cases of glycophosphate resistant ” Superweeds” in Australia over the past 14 years (3).

Each of us, when we decide not to use herbicides and pesticides, and choose to have our own organic vegiepatch or reorganise our farms to more sustainable, organic or biodynamic  practices, are making a real difference for the world. We give hope and inspiration to those around us, become positive rolemodels for our kids and thus change the world- one good choice at a time.

When we begin to think of the membrane of the earth- the fertile soil- as a living, breathing organism, that needs care and consideration like any other living being, we have a chance. Coming to think of it- it is not like any other living being – because if this one dies, we all die.

(1)    http://www.abc.net.au/rural/telegraph/content/2010/s2958940.htm
(2)   http://ezinearticles.com/?Vitamins,-Minerals,-and-Why-You-Need-To-Eat-50-Peaches-Every-Day&id=1110204
(3)    http://www.abc.net.au/rural/telegraph/content/2010/s2961135.htm