Yes, I read this one and thought it was a wonderful article. Personally I wasn't thrilled with the images of monocultures under greenhouses, but then I thought - if intensive agricultural practices could raise food in these ways, could more land be left aside for mixed forests, prairie habitats, and other ecologically diverse places where species other than merely our own could thrive? There was a related article recently as well ... maybe in Wired? If it weren't likely to be hopeless I'd try to find it for you but if I run across it I'll remember where to share it :) !
Oh, the good things America could be doing were it not for the fact that we're in the middle of a time where we seem to have lost the damn plot, and think that our purpose is to get richer, become greedier, and hate one another. I'm so tired of it, that a political party has made its mission to destroy this country. I'm so happy to read good news but sad that, again, it's not about us. We're too busy worrying about taking children's books away and finding new ways to force women to incubate fetuses against their will.
Thank you for sharing this …I have been looking at other countries lately and comparing their government and their healthcare to the United States and the U.S. comes in at an abysmal ~36-38th over the years . Not so “GREAT.
The fact that the Netherlands is the number two producer of “food” blew me away but not completely . They actually have a culture of “empathy” and IMHO that makes all the difference in the world .
The Netherlands consistently ranks high in “quality of life “ and that’s because their healthcare is awesome and that success is built upon caring/compassion…it’s that old adage Jesus kept telling us of ; “doing unto others as you would have done unto yourself”. You don’t hear their leaders on the world stage saying “don’t help a blue state only help a red state “ when you have leaders who are creating unity …who leverage technology for the good of -“all” it’s no wonder they are thriving .
We need to take a page of the Netherlands Playbook …today ! 😉
45 years ago I thought the prisons should be remade into huge organic gardens with many eligible ones of the prison population as gardeners. It would rehab the prisoners while providing food for the nation and give them a healthy focus. I thought that idea originated with me but I believe a movie was made along the same lines.
What a brilliant idea. Prisoners could feed themselves, learn about agricultural, help feed the hungry. I can imagine a food connection from jails to food banks.
Instead we feed millions of dollars to the shareholders of private prisons. What if we replaced such corruption with creativity?
Yes. The prisoners would be much healthier eating the fresh foods they grew themselves. Plus there could be fun competitions between prisons on who had the best lettuces or the finest zucchini that year. The tomatoes that came from the prisons might be sought after because they’re the best you can buy anywhere.
One foreseeable problem. Hundreds of thousands of people would want to break the law to get into prison. To solve that, no prisoner could be a gardener until they’ve spent at least 5 years inside. Maybe the first 5 years for some offenders could be engaged in cleaning up Superfund sites. Just musing.
The farming practices for pigs are some of the worst among all types of animal treatment. I am happy about the vegetable farming, but I was horrified to see what looks to be the nadir of factory farming of animals.
Yes, I read this one and thought it was a wonderful article. Personally I wasn't thrilled with the images of monocultures under greenhouses, but then I thought - if intensive agricultural practices could raise food in these ways, could more land be left aside for mixed forests, prairie habitats, and other ecologically diverse places where species other than merely our own could thrive? There was a related article recently as well ... maybe in Wired? If it weren't likely to be hopeless I'd try to find it for you but if I run across it I'll remember where to share it :) !
Thanks and if you find it, I would love to read it.
I share your sentiments about sharing the Earth.
Oh, the good things America could be doing were it not for the fact that we're in the middle of a time where we seem to have lost the damn plot, and think that our purpose is to get richer, become greedier, and hate one another. I'm so tired of it, that a political party has made its mission to destroy this country. I'm so happy to read good news but sad that, again, it's not about us. We're too busy worrying about taking children's books away and finding new ways to force women to incubate fetuses against their will.
Thank you for sharing this …I have been looking at other countries lately and comparing their government and their healthcare to the United States and the U.S. comes in at an abysmal ~36-38th over the years . Not so “GREAT.
The fact that the Netherlands is the number two producer of “food” blew me away but not completely . They actually have a culture of “empathy” and IMHO that makes all the difference in the world .
The Netherlands consistently ranks high in “quality of life “ and that’s because their healthcare is awesome and that success is built upon caring/compassion…it’s that old adage Jesus kept telling us of ; “doing unto others as you would have done unto yourself”. You don’t hear their leaders on the world stage saying “don’t help a blue state only help a red state “ when you have leaders who are creating unity …who leverage technology for the good of -“all” it’s no wonder they are thriving .
We need to take a page of the Netherlands Playbook …today ! 😉
Yes. And they are happier, too!
https://www.plumguide.com/journal/happiest-countries-in-the-world
Bill, such a good article.
45 years ago I thought the prisons should be remade into huge organic gardens with many eligible ones of the prison population as gardeners. It would rehab the prisoners while providing food for the nation and give them a healthy focus. I thought that idea originated with me but I believe a movie was made along the same lines.
What a brilliant idea. Prisoners could feed themselves, learn about agricultural, help feed the hungry. I can imagine a food connection from jails to food banks.
Instead we feed millions of dollars to the shareholders of private prisons. What if we replaced such corruption with creativity?
Yes. The prisoners would be much healthier eating the fresh foods they grew themselves. Plus there could be fun competitions between prisons on who had the best lettuces or the finest zucchini that year. The tomatoes that came from the prisons might be sought after because they’re the best you can buy anywhere.
One foreseeable problem. Hundreds of thousands of people would want to break the law to get into prison. To solve that, no prisoner could be a gardener until they’ve spent at least 5 years inside. Maybe the first 5 years for some offenders could be engaged in cleaning up Superfund sites. Just musing.
The farming practices for pigs are some of the worst among all types of animal treatment. I am happy about the vegetable farming, but I was horrified to see what looks to be the nadir of factory farming of animals.
That MUST stop.