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Re: British Beef Situation



In article <4lhajd$jmc@news1.exit109.com>, "Nathan D. Justus"
<nathan@exit109.com> writes
>In article <flOojiAmDzexEwd7@upthorpe.demon.co.uk>,
>   Oz <Oz@upthorpe.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>Farmers in pre-fertiliser and pre-spray days farmed organically and 
>>achieved yields typically less than 1/3 of what we have today (UK). They 
>>actually knew what they were doing, were pretty smart and had 2000+ 
>>years of experience. If you think that, with much of the knowledge lost, 
>>and with little experience you are going to do any better then you 
>>merely expose your ignorance. I take it you are a practising organic 
>>farmer earning your entire income from it?
>>
the last sentence shows how we can become blinkered by the constraints
of modern western economic theory.  you do not have to be a practising
organic farmer or earn your entire income from it in order to contribute
both in theory and practice to (a) a more sustainable way of life (b)
producing healthy food. there are are many 'cottage farmers' doing very
nicely on a part time basis; they work in the 'nuts and bolts' economy
to earn the necessary cash and in spare time to produce their food and
preserve/improve the environment. If everyone used their available
resources from window boxes/ backyards/ farms to produce their own food
(EG using permaculture design principals) we would be better fed,
happier and using less non renewable resources in transport,
fertilisers, chemicals etc etc.  

of course the conventional economists don't like it because these
activities don't show up in the GDP, and the agri-businesses don't like
it because they feel threatened by it, hence some of the agressive
replies in this thread. the conventional approach is not working so we
have a responsibility to look dispassionately at the alternatives 

cmb     



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