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| The fields that cradle the Wheat |
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In the mid 1960's when I was a young sprout there were 3.3 billion people on our planet. Now almost half a century later we have doubled ourselves. Through technology we have produced abundance and fed the world. The American farmer in my opinion is the unsung hero of our century. The world has become used to the success of our farm land. When we think about the stewardship of the land and our Earth we have to become aware of the implications of a growing population . Hard questions have to be asked. How many people can we sustain on the Earth? Can Humans become peaceful and put their collective efforts into endeavors that enhance all persons quality of life? Are we able to plan for alternatives when Nature deals us floods and tornadoes that destroy cropland? It is my wish that every person on Earth wake up after a peaceful night of rest to find nourishing food on their table. There are so many who do not. Can the human race afford to spend our energy and resources on futile wars?
i just finished reading an article about world population projections - 10 billion by 2100... you bring up some really valid points and acknowledge people who work tirelessly... food doesn't grow in packages... i think people feel so disconnected from the process of what it takes to eat... this was a beautiful post...
ReplyDeletei think about this often - and while there are many examples of waste, one i just cannot let go of is rain forest being cut down to feed cows for burger king! just wrong in countless ways... as a very young adult i remember reading 'diet for a small planet'... seems like i might want to revisit that...
'Diet for a small planet' was a wonderful book. When you look at the simple objective science of producing meat it is simply not sustainable to feed 10 pounds of grain to make one pound of meat. I don't like to be the voice of limiting choices however if we do not look down the road our resources will limit our choices for us. As I look at the fertile soil in this valley I know we are truly blessed. Unfortunately not every place on the planet has such productive top soil. We are loosing it on the Plains at a tremendous rate. It has been years since composting and rebuilding the soil has been used on a large scale. I am happy at least to see more kitchen gardens being embraced by individual families. Perhaps this will be the start of something good. ; )
ReplyDeleteWonderful thoughtful post Laura...ones I've asked myself often. Waste is abundant...has been for a long time...one of the problems I see is I don't think the powers that be are looking at what is really happening, they are down playing the importance...they are too busy fighting their wars!
ReplyDeleteAs individuals we do what we can.
Cheers