Where will your food come from tomorrow?
by Lah-May
While attending the Bioneers conference sponsored by Prescott College, one of the local speakers, Andy Millison (who teaches on permaculture at the college) said something that especially drew my attention. "We have never been so close to famine in this country. Just look around, do you see any food being grown near you?"
The comment made me ponder on the misconceptions of agricultural progress. In these times, we seem to have an abundance of food available to us, but we also appear to be unwitting participants in a strange experiment. Never before in human evolution have we removed ourselves so far from the source of our physical sustenance, and never before have we entrusted those whose interest is mainly profit to provide for our families and communities. It seems to me we are in a precarious situation. Local family farms have been consumed by giant agricultural corporations or development interests while we watch our food being loaded off huge semi-trailers from who knows where. What would happen if...?
There are true leaders and visionaries who understand the importance of sustainability, but they need support. Those farmers markets and community gardens (if you’re lucky enough to have one) are not just quaint; in just one natural or man-caused disaster they could very easily be our future.
For those interested in learning more about sustainable gardening, tours of Avalon Gardens, an organic garden and farm in Sedona, Arizona, are available by calling (928) 204-1206.