The Farmfree Revolution

     In George Monbiot's groundbreaking book <i>Regenesis</i>, he makes a strong case for farming being the most environmentally destructive social institution humans have ever created. Farming does more to destroy land, ecological habitat, and raise pollution than urban sprawl, mining, transportation, or any other "necessary" social function.

    Feeding people isn't the only way this happens. It's also the use of land for grazing farm animals that need to grow in order to supply humans with essential animal protein. And because there are so many people to feed, farming has grown at such a prolific rate that it is no longer sustainable as a human activity.

    Monbiot proposes that large scale farming can be reduced by making soil healthier. The soil where crops grow must be allowed a natural ecology that isn't contaminated by pesticides or rapid crop rotations. Weeds must also be welcome because they invite a full spectrum of the local ecology to keep the soil fertile.

    Obviously this isn't sustainable either, but at least healthy soil doesn't desecrate a whole landscape, rendering it inarable. This is what's happening all over the planet from rampant tilling, plowing, and pesticide use. These activities degrade the soil so much that it doesn't retain water or nutrients the way it did before it was farmed.

    A more important proposal is a revolution in bacterial "farming" that would merely be grown in a factory and shipped out. Food scientists have discovered ways to grow bacteria in fermentation tanks that would supply all the essential proteins humans need to consume. And while factories aren't good for the environment either, they would at least reduce the number of acres being farmed to the point where ecologies can be sustained again, making it a better situation than total habitat loss.

    It isn't clear whether this method would produce every nutrient and mineral that humans need to survive, and that is my only question with Monbiot's solution. Animal meat contains several necessary vitamins and minerals that would be lacking if humans stopped eating it. Would we all have to take supplements in addition to bacterial protein? What about the fiber that is so ubiquitous in crop farming and critical to gut health? A complete nutritional breakdown of these alternatives was lacking in the book.

    I'm all in favor of such a revolutionary diet if we can retain our nutrients. Not only would it be more sustainable, but possibly healthier for people by containing less sugar, salt, fat, and preservatives. Governments would need to keep corporations out of the picture, as I'm sure they would keep trying to inject this processed food with addictive ingredients.

    <i>Regenesis</i> made me think of the planet in an entirely new way. It isn't just transportation fueling the climate crisis, or overpopulation destroying ecosystems. It is large-scale farming that exacerbates both these issues, spearheaded by corporate greed that claims the land it exploits for profit. The planet could probably sustain 20 billion people if we didn't need to use so much of its land for feeding ourselves. These alternatives are an important step in developing a more sustainable world for our children.