Surviving climate change will take, among other things, a major restructuring of agriculture towards more sustainable systems.
Part of that effort is going to be encouraging local, organic production.
I happen to know a couple of organic growers who are working very hard at this transition, in the rural Ozark region of Arkansas, not far from Fayetteville.
My son Brendan and spouse Liesel have been bootstrapping organic farms over a decade from Maine to Maui. Now they’ve settled in the Ozark, where Liesel has nearby family.
After doing a tremendous amount of work to bootstrap an organic operation, while working full time farm manager jobs at the same time, two hours away, they’ve gotten a customer base and regular cash flow started, and are now ready to take the next steps.
I’m sure they’d be grateful for any support from climate concerned folks around the world, at their website - snugglebugfarm.com
Exactly what does the term “sustainable” mean when it comes to agriculture?
Because if it means “able to feed the 11 billion expected souls on Planet Earth”, then organic farming is not sustainable, but industrialized farming is sustainable.
If it means a system of conservation that improves the carbon profile of soil, then organic is sustainable. Just not able to work at scale.
My gut feeling is that “sustainable” has become a buzzword, devoid of standard meaning, that is used to describe what a particular author wants it to mean. A bit like the word “wholesome”.