Interesting take.
As a fellow aspiring small farmer, I think that 19 people mark sounds a lot better than 155. Or maybe 10 people. Two families. That can be done on a neighborhood scale in someone's yard. Cut out the mass monocropping, eliminating the petroleum inputs for both equipment and soil amendments. Someone on an apartment balcony could grow herbs and spices for their community pretty easily. Someone else in another apartment could have a flock of quail for eggs and meat for a family or two. It's far superior to grow your own and buy food from your friends, ask me how I know.
We don't need fewer people feeding more people, we need more people feeding people. It boggles my mind how we let our food production get so far removed from our communities. It's not okay. It's no wonder we're all fat and dying of the sniffles; we don't know anything about the food we eat except that it's not good for us!
That said, I love the staggered peach/pecan model. That's pretty wise actually, planning for the future and incorporating the two tastiest tree crops ever. No doubt their aim is to grow pecans, but peaches make a relatively fast crop to bankroll a project, usually producing in three years where pecans may be a decade before their first harvest. I wonder how long it'll take before the juglone from the pecan trees becomes a problem for the peaches. Probably not fast enough to make a difference in that model.
Thanks for that article, I reblogged it and shared it with a few friends off chain.
You are right. I mentioned in the article about the cost of pesticides and fertilizer per acre for most crops. It's more than $400 an acre. That's a really high cost both in dollars and environmental damage. The idea that produce must be blemish free (United States consumers anyway) results in overuse of pesticides and destruction of consumable food. I am in agreement with you about food production as a community. I grow most of my own vegetables and I rely on a mixture of new seeds and seeds that have been passed down in my family for generations. It's unfortunate in some ways that food is so cheap in the United States. Small gardeners have a tough time competing and justifying the time to can/preserve food is sometimes difficult when store food is easy and cheap. Don't get me wrong, I am with you on the need for more local gardeners and farmers. I hope to learn from your blogs and I appreciate the comment.
Oh my goodness, I typed a way longer comment than I thought! 🤣
That's kinda my pet topic though.
Where are you growing?
Northeast Georgia, but I am expanding onto some Southeast Georgia land this summer. Everything I do is more experimental than for money. I'm not sure of the path yet, but it has to feel like I am doing what is right for others and the environment. Long comments are good for me. I want engagement and advice from Hive.