When I first began dating the woman who would later become
my wife, she was a farmer. Organic, one
acre, highly labor intensive, cut the baby arugula by hand with scissors, and
let’s have “greens” at every meal. I
spent many weekends on the farm, working for free and still being reprimanded
about the quality of my work. The farm
had a reputation to uphold, a standard I was not meeting. I felt like a threat
to the brand at times.
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| Mid-summer greens. Photo ©Lynea Petty. |
This was a model of for-profit Ag production that I hadn’t
seen from the inside. Hoop houses,
raised beds, net coverings for insects, no space sparred. An incredible amount
of produce was harvested annually in what used to be a large corral for
livestock. Nestled at the base of the Soldier Mountains, it was an idyllic
setting and at a scale that did not distract from its surroundings. Feeding the masses it was not, but providing a
high quality product for a small community is a bill it could fill.
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| Cutting baby greens. Photo ©Lynea Petty. |
Access to locally produced healthy foods has continued to
have a growing demand in many places, and this is good news for small scale Ag
producers. It is one of our community’s
attributes I value most. The loss of
local food producing operations represents more than the loss of places
utilized by wildlife for passage, food, and livable habitat, it also marks the
loss of key elements of a sustainable community. Jobs and food are prerequisites. However, the
worldwide demand to feed a growing population is changing the face of our
planet. Food is a global commodity,
largely mass produced and consumed. And
in order to address the impacts to nature, the Conservancy is working with
producers at all scales. In Idaho we are
protecting working farms and ranches that provide benefits to wildlife and
people. We are also partnering with businesses, such as MillerCoors, to use
water more efficiently on several barley farms. On a global scale we are
working with food producers to implement sustainable practices.
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| Sunflowers. Photo ©Lynea Petty. |
We are fortunate to live in a community where it is possible
to find high quality locally produced food in relative abundance. I wish this for everyone, but I recognize the
reality. By 2050 food production will
have to double to keep up with need, placing a heavy demand on an overtaxed
planet. We all must make informed
decisions as consumers to address the associated increased demands for land,
water, and energy. Last year, with the
help of friends and the owner’s blessing, my wife and I turned a vacant
residential lot into a maze of vegetables.
It was just as back breaking and rewarding as I remembered. I enjoy taking local steps to address my
footprint on this planet, no matter how small these steps may seem. And I am
thankful to work for an organization that sees the big picture and seeks
innovative solutions to addressing the global challenges ahead.
The mission of The
Nature Conservancy is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life
depends.
