Explication of Sustainable Farming
Wes Jackson made a statement about sustainable farming. Wes believes that traditional farming techniques are never going to be “sustainable” because as humans, we can never actually be sustainable. Wes’s statement can be summed up in three points: sustainability is beyond the stretch of humanity’s efforts in the long-run, today’s agriculture is a mistake, and organic farming even when done right, is not sustainable. Before reading into Wes’s statement, the definition of sustainability, in regards to ecology and environmentalism, must be clear. According to the Oxford Dictionary, sustainability is the conservation of ecological balances of natural resources. Wes believes that sustainability is past the scope …show more content…
Although he confirmed that there are some farms that are better than others, he mainly stated that the present style of farming is hurting everyone. In the soil chapter, more and more grain is being produced through new methods for increasing yield. This grain that is being produced is annual wheat, so it needs to be harvested and replanted every season. This type of wheat cannot provide many nutrients for itself due to shallow roots; therefore, large amounts of fertilizers need to be used. The more fertilizers used, the higher the levels of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds in the runoff. This runoff flows into rivers streams, and eventually some kind of standing body of water. Phosphorus and nitrogen are the main compounds that are found in water that has gone through the eutrophication process. Eutrophication occurs when plants exponentially grow and reproduce. The result is a thick overhead cover that stops light from reaching plants at the lower levels of the ecosystem. When these plants cannot get the sun they need they can’t produce the oxygen that is needed to keep the fish population alive. Farm runoff is a huge offender in the creation of dead zones all across the world. If this practice of agriculture is continued, then aquatic ecosystems will fall apart. This aspect of farming shows that current methods of agriculture cannot be sustained with an artificial movement of high levels of nutrients. That leads into the …show more content…
Wes has a view of sustainability that passes any short-run involvement. Dan Barber told Wes about Klaas and his unique way of caring for the soil that feeds his plants. Even after hearing about Klaas’s seemingly revolutionary ideas, Wes still was not impressed. He assured Dan that although Klaas was probably a great farmer, but he was not a sustainable farmer. Over time, Klaas will be replaced by his son, and then his son would be replaced and so on. Wes made then point that someone along the line will somehow mess up and not be able to play the role in keeping a sustainable agriculture. This view gives the impression that the real reason why humans can’t experience sustainability is because we always try to change things to fit our current needs and desires rather than let nature run its usual
Wes Jackson made a statement about sustainable farming. Wes believes that traditional farming techniques are never going to be “sustainable” because as humans, we can never actually be sustainable. Wes’s statement can be summed up in three points: sustainability is beyond the stretch of humanity’s efforts in the long-run, today’s agriculture is a mistake, and organic farming even when done right, is not sustainable. Before reading into Wes’s statement, the definition of sustainability, in regards to ecology and environmentalism, must be clear. According to the Oxford Dictionary, sustainability is the conservation of ecological balances of natural resources. Wes believes that sustainability is past the scope …show more content…
Although he confirmed that there are some farms that are better than others, he mainly stated that the present style of farming is hurting everyone. In the soil chapter, more and more grain is being produced through new methods for increasing yield. This grain that is being produced is annual wheat, so it needs to be harvested and replanted every season. This type of wheat cannot provide many nutrients for itself due to shallow roots; therefore, large amounts of fertilizers need to be used. The more fertilizers used, the higher the levels of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds in the runoff. This runoff flows into rivers streams, and eventually some kind of standing body of water. Phosphorus and nitrogen are the main compounds that are found in water that has gone through the eutrophication process. Eutrophication occurs when plants exponentially grow and reproduce. The result is a thick overhead cover that stops light from reaching plants at the lower levels of the ecosystem. When these plants cannot get the sun they need they can’t produce the oxygen that is needed to keep the fish population alive. Farm runoff is a huge offender in the creation of dead zones all across the world. If this practice of agriculture is continued, then aquatic ecosystems will fall apart. This aspect of farming shows that current methods of agriculture cannot be sustained with an artificial movement of high levels of nutrients. That leads into the …show more content…
Wes has a view of sustainability that passes any short-run involvement. Dan Barber told Wes about Klaas and his unique way of caring for the soil that feeds his plants. Even after hearing about Klaas’s seemingly revolutionary ideas, Wes still was not impressed. He assured Dan that although Klaas was probably a great farmer, but he was not a sustainable farmer. Over time, Klaas will be replaced by his son, and then his son would be replaced and so on. Wes made then point that someone along the line will somehow mess up and not be able to play the role in keeping a sustainable agriculture. This view gives the impression that the real reason why humans can’t experience sustainability is because we always try to change things to fit our current needs and desires rather than let nature run its usual