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randomdata parent
Tell us more about the form of farming that contains the high energy consumption shortcoming listed above. As a crop farmer, even a comparatively small reduction in energy availability from a cloudy year can cause a noticeable impact on yields. I wonder what we would eat if we saw a dramatic decline in available energy.
CuriouslyC
He's probably referring to one of a variety of permaculture setups that integrates animals and a food forest into their operation. Carbon zero and super cheap to maintain, but challenging to setup and harder to sell some of the products.
randomdata OP
Still incredibly energy intensive. I honestly cannot think of any food that isn't, at least indirectly if not directly, so I want to know more about these farming practices that can contain the energy need.
CuriouslyC
There is a spectrum of permaculture that ranges from low yield totally self managing systems where you basically hunt and forage, to high yield partially automated systems that almost look like slick modern farms. Those low yield systems can still be very productive, but you have to go get it, so it's obviously more of a subsistence farmer or agritourism thing.
randomdata OP
None of this addresses the intense energy requirements. Even the self-managed permacultures would have little chance of survival if the bulk of the energy received was removed.
stametseater
> permaculture setups that integrates animals and a food forest into their operation.

This is a premise from a bygone era. Replace modern farming with integrated permaculture and billions will starve. Such farming techniques only persist in developed countries today as niche activities to amuse yuppies who want to buy some connection to nature at the grocery store.

CuriouslyC
Great idea. We'll just keep trashing our planet until it can't support our outsized population, then we'll destroy each other trying not to starve.
stametseater
Food instability will lead to mass starvation, which in turn will lead to wars. Wars will trash this planet more surely than modern mechanized farming.
CuriouslyC
I think you missed the part where modern mechanized farming is going to destroy fertility to the point that we have food instability anyhow, which was my original point. The answer is to rethink how we feed our populations, but by all means keep kicking the doomsday can down the line without a plan.

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