I think modern agriculture is miraculous, don't get me wrong. But we ignore the negative externalities – the cost to our health, and to ecosystems, and to the sustainability of civilization long-term. Even conventionally-minded farmers know that things like soil loss are a huge looming problem. And the labor issue is also complex – while big corn fields may be farmable via GPS-enabled, air-conditioned tractors, there's still a ton of migrant labor without which the system would cease to function.
The idea behind a lot of the regenerative methods is to work with nature to reduce the need for inputs. I am a pragmatist and will tell you that, it's really hard! On this I agree. But a lot of the ideas from more fringe communities like permaculturists are becoming more and more integrated into the mainstream. I just think we need to accelerate that, and put a lot more research into alternative methods like agroforestry – because I think we all rely on a food system that's way more brittle and tenuous than people realize. One with a lot of negative externalities that we can't paper over forever.
The idea behind a lot of the regenerative methods is to work with nature to reduce the need for inputs. I am a pragmatist and will tell you that, it's really hard! On this I agree. But a lot of the ideas from more fringe communities like permaculturists are becoming more and more integrated into the mainstream. I just think we need to accelerate that, and put a lot more research into alternative methods like agroforestry – because I think we all rely on a food system that's way more brittle and tenuous than people realize. One with a lot of negative externalities that we can't paper over forever.