~SUSTAINABLE LIVING FOR CHALLENGING TIMES

[sumisu]

AGRICULTURE NOW EXISTING IN THE U.S.

I was always taught "reap what you sow." My late Mom taught me this Biblical concept, gave me a little plot of land, and showed me how to grow vegetables. The problem with the U.S. now is that around 4% of the food is produced for the other 96%; this is hardly a sustainable proportion. In Russia, which has the “dacha” approach and does not tax food, 40% of the food basically comes from the dacha gardens.

As a nation, we are on a precipice with only three day's food supplies in big box stores. If the grid broke down by whatever reason, we are toast.

The U.S. still produces an abundance of food because it uses a mono or one-crop approach that could not exist without abundant oil, but growing food in petrol-chemicals is probably a slow inducement toward bad health.

The only solution to our food problem would be organic gardening and organic small farms surrounding and supply our cities with food. In the 1950s living on Long Island, it seemed that every property had vegetable gardens. Then the big box grocery stores came into being with trucks and planes supplying the grocery shelves. This approach is not sustainable, as well.

What can be done now? In warm areas of the U.S., Fleet Farming has been formed with an approach to grow vegetables in raised beds on back, front, and side lawns wherever there is sun. Using raised beds is wise as fresh soil and additives can be filled into a large box thus avoiding growing in lawns fed by grass dependent petrol-chemicals. It is working and should spread to more parts of the U.S. [The owners of these lawns receive fresh vegetables and don't have to care for their lawns.]

The gardening and farming concepts must be re-introduced into our public school systems immediately also with raised beds around the school where allowable plus grow rooms inside schools, churches, or tops of more buildings like the Brooklyn Grange. Believe me, give a kid a seed, let it grow, and they become a captive audience forever. At least that was my experience.

Personally I have a seedling program, very limited to ten people, where I give away tomato and pepper seedlings in the spring and seed garlic in the autumn. These ten people once had very small or no gardens; it has been a success, but I cannot supply the world.

40 maps that explain food in America
https://www.vox.com/a/explain-food-america