Ed. — Archived from the Sunday, Dec. 1, print edition.
VIRGINIA BEACH — There are three main reasons behind my philosophy about our need to think about sustainability when we farm and garden — and use our power as consumers to support responsible food production.
I want to focus on core ideas after years of columns exploring aspects of responsible food production and highlighting thinkers who champion these values and doers who live them by putting them into practice on farms.
These core ideas — understanding sustainability, guiding soil health and working toward a healthy food system — and the people who put them to use have influenced my own work as a farmer.
First, what is sustainability and why is it important? It is anything being done in a way that can be continued for years — and generations — to come.
Overall, we are not doing that now, and some things presented as sustainable farming out in the marketplace effectively are a kind of greenwashing, meaning misrepresenting or exaggerating environmental benefits. In part, this can happen because sustainable farming is an ideal, not a term that is regulated.
People can use the word however they like for financial gain. Just like “regenerative,” a valuable approach I’ve written about in the past, the word sometimes can be abused and misapplied.
There are ways to grow responsibly and support those who do.
A start is no longer using either mined or petrol chemical fertilizers.
As I’ve said in here in the past, you can grow your own fertilizer with cover crops and use compost or compost tea.
You can sit in your arm chair and watch the cover crop grow, and let nature’s own system do the work for you — and your system can be repeated by your kids and grandkids.
You can’t beat Mother Nature, and she’ll give you feedback on how you are doing. You see it with your eyes, smell it with your nose, taste it with your mouth.
You’ll see it in the soil, too.
Is the soil compacted or is it dark and fluffy with healthy organic matter and microbes?
The radio broadcaster Paul Harvey is credited with saying, “Man – despite his artistic pretensions, his sophistication and his many accomplishments – owes his existence to a 6-inch layer of topsoil and the fact that it rains.”
The sun shines, too, but I digress.
Some farming practices reduce topsoil to nothing, and land degrades to a point of uselessness — sometimes to the point of disaster. I’ve written about some dramatic examples of this in the past.
Good soil is incomparable in what it can offer. It has water holding capacity, when treated well. How much flooding would be prevented? How much watering can you avoid?
Microbes in healthy soil and compost lead to better growing, but they can be cleansing and support the carbon cycle where all of life can benefit. Microbes in good soil support a range of life, from microarthropods, worms, bugs, wildlife, crop plants, farm animals, flowers, herbs, trees and, of course, us.
I focus on healthy soil because our life depends on it. You may have to experiment and even make mistakes when you transition, but the result is worth it. There is nothing like that feeling of participating with nature and seeing the results.
Thinking about healthy, sustainable practices and putting them into action leads to a stronger food system that has longevity. I’ve tried to make the case over the past several years that better practices mean stronger, better, more nutritious foods in our local system. And don’t forget the flavor, which is so much greater in produce grown in healthy soil.
Years ago, I wrote about growing tomatoes in my childhood garden — and biting into a vine-ripened tomato.
Oh my, what a good flavor.
Now imagine the last hothouse tomato you ate out of season. Fluff, cardboard, mush, most likely. It’s insulting to be asked to eat that thing.
We all have the power to garden and farm in ways that will benefit future generations.
We can grow some of our own food and pay attention to what we buy.
We can speak with our dollar to support sustainability, healthy soils and a stronger local food system.
The author is a farmer and consultant who writes about sustainable farming and gardening. Reach him via farmerjohnnewearth@yahoo.com.
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