The Original Sin of Agriculture: Population Control Revisited

In the initial series I summarized the argument in Ishmael by saying

The expansion of agriculture to feed the population serves to enlarge the population necessitating the continued expansion of agriculture to feed an ever-growing population. The result of the ongoing “progression” and evolution of agriculture has not actually resulted in fewer people going hungry.

The Story of B goes further in exploring some of the implications of this idea. He uses the analogy of mice in a cage. If you feed the mice a certain amount of food they will reproduce and grow in population size as long as the amount of food is able to sustain the number of mice. If you then increase the amount of food the population will continue to increase. If you stop increasing the food the population will level off and remain basically static. If you incrementally decrease the ration of food the population will decrease. When that idea is translated to human beings it sounds very unnerving, callous and disturbing.

The productivists argue that agricultural production has continued to increase and keep pace with world population. There is no real conversation about the relationship or correlation between production and population. We know that the world hunger problem is not a production problem, but a distribution problem. The world now produces enough food for every human being on the planet to have 3,500 calories per day, which is more than the recommended amount. So, why do we continue to push for higher production and greater yield to solve the population problem? Are we in fact fueling the population crisis by continually increasing our production?

Some will question how this can be true when population growth is correlated to other factors like income or education. The character B’s response in the book is over and over again to ask what people are made of if they are not made of food. If the population continues to increase, then the larger population must sustain itself somehow and the only way that is possible is by eating something. That certainly doesn’t mean the larger population is eating well, but they are eating enough to survive.

Whether production increases or decreases, distribution is the real problem. Either way inequality will continue as long as food is not distributed equitably. The underlying question concerning population growth is whether we can actually deal with the problem if we are continuing to fuel it by producing more and more food. When I mention the possibility of decreasing production as a way of dealing with the population problem, it sounds like I’m recommending starving the marginal brown people of the world. As the system currently stands that would certainly be the case if we simply decreased production overall. A decrease in production would have to go hand in hand with an overhaul of how our food system functions. This is a long term problem that requires long term thinking and solutions.

The planet we live on has a limit to the amount of life it can sustain. Like an elevator or bridge that is only built to handle a certain weight, the earth has certain limits built into the ecosystems. We can push those boundaries with technology and science, but eventually they will break. For many in the world they have already broken, and they suffer the consequences of our over extension of the planet’s resources.

We don’t like to think that we are responsible or in control of other people dying. The truth is we already are responsible for that. Our (American) culture has an uneasy and unnatural relationship with death. Death is a natural part of life. Decreasing food production (in concert with reorganizing our food system) may in fact be the most ethical and just choice given the trajectory of human society. This would, of course, be a long gradual process in which the reduction of food production and slowing of population growth would happen naturally over many decades, if not centuries.

Please share your thoughts and objections. I know this probably sounds scary and crazy to some, but a lot of it makes sense to me. I would appreciate thinking it through more thoroughly with your help.

This is the continuation of a series exploring basic assumptions about agriculture, history and our relationship to creation: The Original Sin of Agriculture Part I, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

Farm Stories

This past week has been a whirlwind of activity and adventures. I’m completely exhausted and ready for a mundane week on the farm doing chores and getting dirty. We drove to San Antonio a week ago for the Farm and Food Leadership Conference. You can read about the sessions here, just search “farm and food”, or #farmandfood09 on twitter. After just over a day back on the farm we left for Texas Lutheran University in Seguin where I preached at chapel (mp3 available soon from the ChapelCast, hopefully) and was part of a panel on environmental sustainability with two other TLU alumni. We stopped by the Texas Agricultural Education and Heritage Center on our way out of town and wandered the grounds. Yesterday we took the kids to the Waco Cultural Arts Festival all morning and now I need an extra weekend to recover from all that time away from real work at the farm.

Our next adventure will be October 1-4 when we head to Lost Maples for a family camping vacation to celebrate Sarah’s birthday.

While I was gone it appears that nature continued doing her thing. The edamame and beans have shot up and the carrots are sprouting. I saw at least two butternut squash growing and I’m sure some melons are hiding in there. Lots of weeding needed for the beans, but they are doing well. Hopefully, we’ll get some romaine planted this week and cover crops on the other half of the plot. Our education garden badly needs some attention. Luckily we have lots of help and “many hands make light work.” Becoming a farmer not only makes me swear more often, but also use old sayings like that one as if I’ve said it all my life. Now to find a good pair of overalls and a cowboy hat that fits my style.

A few pictures from my garden…

Farm Update

It seemed this last week that I was constantly working on projects other than the ones I wanted or intended to work on. I’ve been trying to get a handle on our Education Garden for the Garden Club that will be meeting out here. I finally was able to weed and mulch a couple of the beds including one with sunflowers which resemble small trees. I never realized how spiky and dangerous sunflowers could be.

I harvested my first fruit from the African Okra, which was the first thing I planted at the farm. Yeah!!

I also finally got around to repairing the chicken coop. I have to say that repairing a chicken coop while the chickens are still around is a really crappy job… literally. Our chickens like to hang out a lot under our mobile chicken coops… exactly where I needed to work. So all morning it was a race to get done before they pooped all over the ground or, God forbid, in my eye. I certainly got my share of poop on me, but none in my hair or any orifices.

We’ve had new arrivals at the farm and a few days to get to know them. It’s interesting to see how the dynamics shift and change as people come and go. That’s all for now. It’s time to get dirty and sweaty again.

Farm Update

Well, I just got back from the New Baptist Covenant meeting in Norman, OK where I realized that in order to bring the farm to the people we needed a) some live animals/compost/plants and b) free food (fair trade chocolate, farm produce, fair trade soda etc.). Next time…

The school year is fast approaching which means lots of work getting fall planting and school gardens ready. New interns are coming this week so there will be lots of activity and changes in our community.

I’ll tell you the truth… The thing that has me most stressed out is finding a job after the farm. I recently was told by someone from a missions agency that the positions were a little sparse right now due to the economy. Other organizations have said they won’t be sending new people for at least a year or two. There are some potential jobs here in Waco, but it’s that time of year when I get antsy about knowing what’s next.

Every time I start getting too stressed out I pray the Jesus Prayer, “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” over and over until I feel better. The other thing that encourages me in the midst of my anxiety is life on the farm. I feel a lot more confident in growing my own food or trying to raise chickens in my backyard. I know there are a lot more ways that I can help my family be self-sufficient, simplify and live on less. That means a) less money for the government coming from me (most of which goes to fight wars and build bombs) and b) a simpler more just life for my family.

I’m also continuing to learn to trust that if I am faithful God will provide. That doesn’t always mean easy or abundance, but it means I will persevere and my family will eat. Even as I write those words I’m all too aware of those for whom this formula does not hold true. Being faithful also means figuring out how to make it possible for others to eat and survive who can’t today. In doing so it seems God does provide, even if it’s through my tilling the soil.

Farm Update

We finally got some good rain this last week and it really freshened things up. Our CSA season ended until October so there will be more veggies available for our farm stand and for us to eat. Seven members of our community left us this week and new people will be arriving in the next couple weeks. That is one of the hardest things to get used to about the farm. People are constantly coming and going. There are a core group that are here longer term, but many of them will not be here for our entire year. Perhaps a post on farming and community is brewing.

Here’s some of the places I will be traveling in the months to come…

• New Baptist Covenant Regional Meeting in Norman, OK this Thursday and Friday
• Market Grower’s Symposium at Home Sweet Farm in Brenham TX September 17-18
• Panel discussion on environmental sustainability at Texas Lutheran University with the Center for Servant Leadership in September.
• ELCA’s Ethics of Eating event at WHRI October 22-25