While the above improvements are exciting, they also raised concerns. I would like to see improvements in the following areas:
- Uninspiring Farming—although the article in question revolved around the positive aspects of agriculture’s future, many of the photos used are uninspiring. We saw drab, brownfields, and pastures suffering from erosion. Get with it, in 2021 there are loads of Regen Ag Stock Photos!
It would be encouraging to see photos that inspire potential farmers—lush green pastures that yield their bounty to the animals they feed.
- Getting Students Interested Before University—most of the students studying agriculture have some family background in farming.
We’d like to see an increase in attempts to reach students before they reach university age—imagine the innovation that could come from new recruits with no agricultural background.
“When I grow up I want to be a farmer,” says no child nowadays! We need more of this and to normalise being a farmer for the future!
- Yield-Focused Farming—many of the agricultural technologies that manufacturers create focuses on crop yields. This focus doesn’t align with natural farming techniques. I believe that we need to focus on growing quality crops with a high nutritional density instead of large quantities of nutritionally deficient produce.
It’s like eating cardboard, because you can produce a lot, when a steak is much tastier and more nutritious!
- Soilless Food Production—we can all agree that systems like hydroponics and aquaponics have a place in society. However, I don’t believe that should be the main thrust of our efforts.
Raising food without soil is like asking a human to surrender a full life and live in a bare cell. Plants’ basic requirements get met, but they have none of the joy of a natural experience.
With so much life in our soil, why wouldn’t you want your food grown in soil that is connected to the earth and nourishes the human body?
Research shows that the soil food web is vast. Mycorrhizal fungi spread their nets far to gain food for the plants we grow and offer micronutrients. Plants grown in soilless media don’t have access to the natural soil food web. Therefore, while this type of food production is useful, it doesn’t align with our values.