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I'm not saying eat chicken rather than beef or beef rather than pork..or animals rather than beans. I'm not talking about consumption so much as ecology. If you review the carbon farming figures they are impressive as regards drawing down atmospheric carbon. And given that even if we ceased the output of most of our carbon emissions today we'd still be stuck with the ever rising impact of those that have been pumped out so much over the last 200 years. That's the nub of the issue. Not only are our agricultural systems unsustainable but they are potentially one of the best tools we have on hand to CONSCIOUSLY reverse some of the climate consequences that have already registered. What that means for CONSUMPTION is an open question...but we really do need to begin the transition NOW. Simple measures are things like moving livestock back into horticultural areas to feed on crop residues and adjusting grazing habitats in line with rotational protocols. This latter aspect is taking off in Australia, North America and parts of Africa. the added advantage is that grasses survive droughts better because the elevated SOC and aquifers hold more water. Crucial to that is the business of what's called 'rewilding' -- where sections of farms are returned to ungrazed native vegetation cover. This can also be akin to the various agroforestry approaches like Silvopasture. However, the main rationale is to sustain diversity and reverse species loss while fostering habitats and species that service productive agriculture and grazing. dave riley _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
