CURRENT PREDICAMENT

How important is Water, Soil, Food, and the Tiller of the Soil to the continuity of life on this Planet?

It seems to be more than a reasonable assumption that from the very beginning of the life form on this Planet that water was essential for the production of food and for food to be systematically produced, a tiller was necessary to till the earth (The Garden).  This was the beginning of Authentic Farming (Gardening with Nature).

Today, we have 7+ billion individuals residing on our planet, who are increasing at the rate of 211,000 per day, and who must eat several times a day to be vital and become worthy carriers of the seed of life for the continuance of our species.

Not only must we eat food regularly, we must eat food that has not been grown artificially.  Artificial food makes for artificial people with artificial intelligence.

It is safe to say that global security is inextricably bound to food security.  If our food supply is not secured by the tiller, then the people of this planet and the planet itself are in imminent danger of dissolution.  To elucidate and underscore this impending peril, consider the following facts:

1. The natural resource base of our earth and its’ potential for land-based production is limited, limited in the first order by the amount of existent land, 29%, and limited on the second order, because, of this 29% land base, only approximately 11% is classified as arable.
2. In 2006, there was 1.15 acres of arable land per person, world-wide.
3. By 2039, there may be only 0.59 acres of arable land per person, world-wide.
4. Arable land is being lost at the alarming rate of over 38,610 square miles per year.
5. At this current rate of land lost, and even if the population did not grow any larger, ALL arable land could be lost in only 310 years.
6. To make matters worse, only 1% of working Americans claim farming as their primary occupation.
7. 57% of these farmers are 55 years old or older.

The reality of our situation is highlighted by the fact that about 60 years ago, worldwide samples of soil were studied and evaluated for viable protein output.  The results established an average viable protein output of 12%; the minimum necessary for animal and human health is 25% viable protein.

In the 70s, this study was conducted again with the sample average being reduced to 6%.  The USDA released figures indication that the average U.S. soil had a viable protein factor of 1.5% to 3% for the same sample period.  

The current situation is that we are rapidly converting the soil of the earth to a destructive anthropogenic vortex fueled by industrial chemicals.  This soil, and the ecosystems it supports, is failing in its attempt to produce high quality proteinaceous crops for a world population whose growth is incessant.

According to the United Nation’s GEO-4 Report (Nov., 2007), written by 390 scientists and peer-reviewed by 1000 more, humans are now requiring 22 hectares (54 for acres) per person for all the activities that sustain human life.  However, there are only 16 hectares (39 acres) per person available world-wide.  Farmland is being degraded, ocean fisheries are being depleted, and fresh water is becoming scarcer.

Our current predicament is becoming something of a test case for the current state of our planet’s collective intellect.  Food, water, and energy are fundamental building blocks of any country’s economy and are becoming increasingly intertwined.