Fighting
Poverty & Global Warming |
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| Sustainable
Agriculture |
| The Way Forward  Our
system of global food production is in the process of undercutting the
very foundation it was built on. The techniques, innovations, practices
and policies that have allowed increases in productivity have also undermined
the basis of that productivity. We have overdrawn and degraded the natural
resources agriculture depends on - soil, water and natural genetic diversity.
We have also created a dependence on nonrenewable energy such as fossil
fuels and a system that is increasingly taking the responsibility of
growing food from farmers who are in the best position to be stewards
of the land. In short modern agriculture in unsustainable - it cannot
continue to produce enough food for the global population over the long
term because it deteriorates the conditions that make agriculture possible.
Sustainability means different things to different people but there
is a general agreement that there is an ecological basis. We suggest that sustainable agriculture includes: 1) Having minimal effects on the environment and releasing no chemicals into the earth, water or air. 2) Focusing on preserving and rebuilding soil fertility and preventing soil erosion. 3) Using water in a way that recharges its sources while meeting the needs of people and the environment. 4) Relying on local resources and replacing outside sources with nutrient recycling, better conservation and an expanding knowledge of the environment. Working to value and conserve genetic diversity. Genetic Diversity During the last century nearly 80% of the genetic diversity of plant and animal species has been lost due to conventional agriculture's emphasis on short term productivity gains. At the Valhalla Experimental Station we dedicate ourselves to improving the genetic variety of the macadamia trees. This means we do not use any artificial methods of reproduction and use only organic materials that don't interfere with the growth and the development of the species. Grafting Typically large scale commercial food producers clone, graft or genetically modify their crops. These methods often favor using only one variety of the crop to gain higher yields. This puts an end to the natural genetic evolution of crop variety. We use a unique selection process ensuring that many varieties of the macadamia nut tree will remain in the future. Using this method preserves the open gene pool and allows the varieties to naturally adapt to their environment. If the climate changes or new pests are introduced only a few species of the trees would be affected. Macadamia
Trees Slash
and Burn Agriculture |
One
of the aims of the Valhalla Reforestation Project is to help put an
end to slash and burn agriculture. This is an agricultural method
common to many indigenous communities all over the world, including
Guatemala, which contributes to global warming. Usually when there
is a struggle to find land for agricultural use conservation is forgotten.
Fires are set to clear forests and to enrich the soil with nutrients.
This only makes the land arable for a few years. This process of slash
and burn repeats itself until the soil is completely depleted of nutrients
and no longer suitable for agricultural use. The land which was once
an abundant forest full of diverse plant and animal life is often
left devastated. This process then moves onto the next forest. This
devastation is happening throughout the globe, rapidly depleting our
plant and animal species. |
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