Global food

Ever since I ventured down the winding dirt road that has led to my own successful small farm business, I have firmly believed that environmentally conscious small farms are the key to creating global food sustainability. It's as plain to see as the gorgeous red raspberries ripening outside my door, and the prospect is every bit as delicious.

Imagine taking our current food system "out of the box," reclaiming it from the mega-farm machines that pillage our earth in order to produce mass amounts of substandard food. Picture a healthy and productive landscape dotted with small hands-on farms, each offering fresh and diverse goods to local consumers for fair prices.

Now, take that vision even farther abroad to places where people are hungry and increasingly dependent on foreign aid. Instead of relying on the technological time bomb of genetic engineering to artificially expand the world's pantry to the breaking point, it's time to steer efforts toward localized food production that works in synchrony with natural resources, and taps into the human potential of every community worldwide in order to feed this planet and assure food security for the long haul.

Sustaining the world's population, which will likely climb to 9 billion by 2050, sounds like an utterly overwhelming challenge until you break it down into smaller steps and bite-sized actions. In the hands of each able individual, there is the promise of a lush and fruitful future. And, what do you know? Science, at last, is beginning to back me up.

What's wrong with industrial agriculture?

In a nutshell, industrial just isn't sustainable. It's pretty clear that the way our current food system operates is sadly lacking in its ability to nourish people properly. On one hand, a staggering percentage of the world's population is starving, and on the other hand, "developed" countries like ours are floundering as obesity becomes a leading cause of illness and death. Over half of adults in the U.S. are overweight. This ailing system is taking its toll on the environment as well. Industrial agriculture gobbles up soil and water so recklessly that we're seeing our resources depleted. To make matters worse, the use of synthetic chemical pesticides and fertilizers used to extend these resources beyond their natural production capacity are destroying the biological integrity of the land, polluting waterways and ultimately reducing agricultural productivity in the process. The bottom line: it's a vicious cycle that's starting to collapse.

Can we build a better system?

Fortunately, even as so much is going wrong with the food industry, there are great strides being made in the fields of organic and conservation agriculture, systems of farming that work with natural resources, not against them. For example, the soil-damaging practice of intensive plowing is being replaced by the planting of soil cover crops and the rotation of food crops to naturally boost soil productivity. Environmentally conscious agriculture also reduces irrigation requirements and improves energy efficiency of farming operations. In a review of 286 projects in 57 countries, farmers were found to have increased agricultural productivity by an average of 79 percent by adopting "resource-conserving" agriculture.

How can I help?

Believe it or not, there are vitally important contributions that you can make toward creating a worldwide sustainable food system without emptying your wallet or filling up your calendar. Here are four easy steps. Take one, or take them all. What matters is that each of us starts putting one foot in front of the other.

1. Begin close to home by buying food grown locally. This simple shift in your shopping routine will support small farms by channeling dollars directly into your local farming economy. If you need help finding sources, look to LocalHarvest.org.

2. Request locally grown (preferably organic) products from your hometown grocer, and encourage others to do the same. Store managers are often eager to accommodate customer requests, and you can increase your chances of success by providing a list of local growers.

3. Grow your own. Homegrown food isn't a pipe dream, no matter where you live or how little space you have. The kitchen windowsill can host an herb garden, and an ordinary file box can grow an all-you-can-eat zucchini crop. (Find out how in the "Column Extras" section at www.maryjanesfarm.com/column.) 'Tis the season to get growing!

4. Give a little, help a lot. If you'd like to donate to an organization that is doing great things for global food security, check out Heifer Project International (www.heifer.org). Based on the simple idea of giving families a source of food rather than short-term relief, Heifer provides training in progressive agricultural practices, and helps build strong communities as each project participant agrees to assist another family in need.

Copyright 2011, MaryJane Butters. Distributed by United Feature Syndicate Inc.