In class today we talked a lot about sustainable farming practices which is a topic that I haven't thought much about before, but am glad to have brought to my attention. Food is essential for survival and as such farming practices have evolved alongside people for thousands of years, far before the climate crisis was ever considered to be a problem. We are now faced with the reality of the harms that come from classic monoculture farming and the need to find ways to essentially "teach an old dog new tricks" to find a solution. One of the primary set backs in the process of implementing sustainable farming practices is economic. It is extremely costly to start a farm like the one shared in the documentary "The Biggest Little Farm" and often more sustainable farming models take years to be established and have a hard time getting the loans and financial support to start. I think that working towards sustainable farming and harnessing nature's own strategies for growing plants and animals in harmony is essential and I hope that this sentiment is spread widely.
My vision for the future is one in which everyone is more open minded and willing to look at ecological problems like farming as complex systems which require complex solutions. I hated hearing about the failed search for a smoking gun with regards to the drop in the BC sockeye salmon run because a single causal factor couldn't be identified. I think that we need to intervene by supporting and funding initiatives to research and implement sustainable farming practices so that we can eventually have the evidence required for the economical support of these essential endeavours. To change the farming industry as it is right now won't be easy, since like an old dog it has been around for so long and is stubborn, however I hope that relatively new "tricks" like using local predators as a pest management strategy will become commonplace with public support.
Thank you for sharing, this is super clearly laid out! The inertia of huge industries with highly entrenched government subsidies will take a lot of teaching for sure, I would love to see more media coverage of changing legislation on these issues!
I totally agree that it will be difficult to shift a system that has been in place for so long and at such a large scale. Governmental, economic, and public support needs to be gathered for sustainable practices!
Hi Sofie, I also agree that we need to look at solutions from a different perspective than we have been in the past. We need to stop focusing on the one single cause of ecological problems because there is no single cause but rather aim to address as many of the possible problems through complex solutions as you mentioned.
Hey Sofie!! What an engaging title! I liked the part where you mentioned the importance of people being open - minded! This is so important when tackling any issue.
Public support can definitely encourage "an old dog to learn new tricks", although it will likely take a lot of time and effort. I also think that more funding and initiatives are essential to create more sustainable food production!