by Pepper Schneekloth
In our last blog, we gave you a rundown on how the food system in the United States works, and all the energy use (and waste) that goes along with it. The vast nature of the U.S. food system can make it overwhelming to think about how it could be changed. Sustainable agriculture practices, including permaculture, give us a good place to start.
The way our food system operates now. It has a linear structure, with significant inputs of fossil fuels, chemical fertilizers and intensive use of water and land. Image: Model developed by Carina Millstone for Feedback (2017), www.feedbackglobal.org
To make sure we have enough food for future generations without destroying our natural environments, we need a circular food economy. A circular food economy is exactly what it sounds like; it takes outputs like food waste and recycles them back into the food system. One way we can make the food system more circular is through sustainable agriculture.
As far as energy use goes, sustainable agriculture strives to be less energy intensive than large-scale, monoculture farming; it redirects the linear food system, making it more circular by recycling some of the energy that is created throughout the food production process. For example, food that doesn’t get eaten at the consumer stage is composted to make fertilizer for the production stage.
A model for the circular food system. Emphasis is placed on minimal input in the production and processing stages, and recovery of waste wherever possible. Image: Model developed by Carina Millstone for Feedback (2017), www.feedbackglobal.org
Okay, so what exactly is sustainable agriculture? Sustainable agriculture aims to produce food in a way that benefits both people and the environment. Rather than planting huge fields of one crop, sustainable agriculture is more biodiverse, with many different crops planted close together, often in the same fields or beds. This is less damaging to the surrounding ecosystems, providing support to the organisms who live in the area. Additionally, sustainable farms often grow food for their local communities, meaning it doesn’t have to travel as far to get to consumers, reducing its footprint!
Permaculture has long been proposed as a means of sustainable farming that can be incorporated into many aspects of everyday life. The term was coined by Bill Mollison, but its ideals have been used and championed by indigenous communities for centuries. Mollison defined permaculture as “The conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive systems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems.” While permaculture isn’t exclusively an agricultural practice by any means, many of its tenets can be applied to agriculture in order to create a more energy efficient food system.
Permaculture and sustainable agriculture provide a lot of opportunities to turn our energy-inefficient food system around! Permaculture reduces waste by making sure as much as possible remains within the system- which makes the process regenerative and mitigates much of the energy problems we see in the current system. We learned in the last blog that as much as 30% of all energy used in our food system is wasted at the consumer stage. Permaculture addresses this problem by using food waste (from both the production AND consumption stages) in compost and textiles to the maximum extent.
Before the consumer stage though, permaculture is already working hard to conserve energy; its overarching goal is to create a closed-loop system (like the circular food economy), meaning materials are recycled back into the system wherever they can be. Major aspects of permaculture include planting perennial crops that produce every year, without farmers having to continually till the soil (and release carbon), and focusing on conserving water whenever possible. Other focuses include creating components that serve multiple functions and letting nature do some of the work for you, like using a “chicken tractor” to loosen soil and clear patches of land while allowing chickens to feed.
A “chicken tractor”, shown above, is a mobile chicken coop that farmers can move around an area of land they would like cleared and loosened. The chickens, in turn, hunt for bugs and plants in the soil to eat, clearing the area of weeds and pests.
While you might not need a chicken tractor for your home garden, there are aspects of permaculture that you can incorporate into your life whether you live on an acre of farmland or have a window box planter:
Compost!
One of the most obvious ways to circular-ize your own food economy is to compost, and use the compost in a garden! When you compost, your food turns into soil, which then grows food that turns into soil again, and the cycle continues. Even if you don’t grow plants for food, compost helps houseplants grow stronger without chemical fertilizers.
Sustainability starts in the kitchen
By making decisions about how you source your food, you can support sustainable agriculture, even if you yourself don’t have a green thumb! When possible, try to find food suppliers whose practices you support. If you have the opportunity to meet actual growers (like at a farmer’s market) try getting to know your farmer!
Capture and store energy
An important aspect of permaculture is fitting into the natural ecosystem as much as possible. The more you can use what’s available to you in the natural environment, the better! For example, you can collect rainwater to keep your plants hydrated during dry spells. Make sure you follow local regulations though!
Multiple functions
If you’re looking to start a home garden, you don’t need to buy all new materials and equipment. A fence in your yard could serve as a trellis for flowers or vining plants, and some hardy fruit bushes can both provide you with delicious berries and serve as a windbreak for more fragile crops.
Support Pollinators
If you have a grass lawn, you can turn it from a monoculture to a polyculture by planting native flowers pollinators love. You’ll be supporting local ecosystems while beautifying your space - it’s a win-win!
These ideas are here to get ya started- there are plenty more! Let us know in the comments if you have any tips or tricks to incorporating permaculture and sustainability into your own life!