Farm like an Ecosystem

“I am not in agreement with Jared Diamond, that agriculture was the worst mistake our species has made. But the way most of us pursue it now has become a large part of converging crises.”

“Farming has become a euphemism, a delicate term for something offensive or unpleasant… industrial agriculture.”

“Farming within the natural world could revitalize our local communities as well. Can we plant nut and fruit trees and hedge rows of berry brambles everywhere?”

“Can we feed the world this way? To be honest, I don’t know. But we could try.”

Commentator’s Note: Again, while the vision compels me, what I know of the research tells me that this question is dangerous, because the answer is no.

“Mother Nature is not interested in monocultures. She is not interested in amber fields of grain. She cultivates in ecosystems.”

“In the natural world, most plants live in cooperative communities of canopy and understory plants in complex partnerships with the soil biota and the local animals. This is true of a forest, a swamp, a savannah, an abandoned field or a vacant lot.”

“It is simpler and less work to grow food within a thriving local ecosystem.”

“But there is a caveat. Because every ecosystem is defined by a specific physical environment, the organisms living within, and the climate, everyone with a garden, a small self-sufficient farm or many hectares of crops has unique conditions.”

“There is no one way of planting”

“my best teachers have been my neighbors”

“I began cultivating where there were already trees, old trees.”

“We bought land within a mixed oak and pine forest, with worn out pastures and steep hillsides. Before we could cultivate crops, our first consideration was how to rebuild and fortify the heavily eroded areas and then tackle the fields which had been overgrazed. We needed trees: to anchor the soil, to control erosion and regulate moisture, as windblocks and habitat, as well as food sources and nutrient transport systems to the plant community.”

“This past week we had torrential rains, flooding, hail; the worst thunderstorm the local farmers can remember. My past gardens might have been levelled. This time, the only damage was minimal — ripped leaves on cucumber and zucchini plants. The taller trees took the brunt of the storm shielding everything below and to the immediate south, breaking the fall of the plummeting hail. And, after the storm there was no standing water, though the open plains around us were all flooded. The trees regulate the water during deluge and drought, sucking up the water in their extensive root system when there is too much and which they then can disperse as needed. And, as a continuous canopy, they hold precious moisture during intense heat.”