A synthesis of questions written on page 33 of Wendell Berry’s Conservation is Good Work:
How might local communities construct local economies and supply themselves in a sustainable way?
In Conservation is Good Work, Berry argues that, “the problems we are worried about are caused not just by other people but by ourselves” (33). He then asks a series of questions addressing the challenge of developing self sufficient communities. By doing so, Berry addresses the inadequacy, wastefulness and exhaustible nature of industrial civilization and the global economy and encourages the reader to think of a future alternative. Dr. Freyfogle also emphasizes the need for a collective vision of a sustainable, landbased future as he writes, “in the end, though, perhaps what we need most-the linchpin for reform-is a heightened ability to imagine better ways of inhabiting this fertile, splendid planet” (11). Both authors call out for a plans and visions of a ecologically friendly culture for humans to execute. While the questions that Berry asks involve many complex, interweaving factors and solutions, one must ask these questions of themselves and in doing so start to create an ideal in his or her own mind. Since I plan on majoring in Horticulture with an emphasis in Sustainable Landscape Design, I will address the means of acquiring food locally and sustainably. Though most may not think of food at the first glance of a suburban lawn, they must. Similarly, though most may not think of a forest as an abundant source for food, they must. Our disconnected concepts of land use have led us to creating fossil fuel, pesticide and fertilizer intensive monocrops. Often times, these plants have undergone genetic mutation to resist pesticides now required for crop production. Our disconnected concepts of land use have led us to consistently think that food grows in fields in rural areas, far away from urban and suburban centers where the majority of human beings now live. Often times, shipping these crops involves an enormous amount of fossil fuels and machinery that contribute to climate change and global pollution. Whereas these patterns of food production often permeate our consciousness, we must learn to think more systematically about food. Every suburban lawn can support an abundance of fruit and nut trees, fruit and berry bushes, herbs, vegetables, ground covering plants like strawberries, mushrooms and vines all working together in a perennial polyculture. These miniature ecosystems have the potential to support small animals as well, such as chickens for eggs, rabbits for meat and birds for the many functions they perform. Aside from these food based functions, the restoration of woodland ecosystems in suburban areas will result in the return of many ecosystem services, including microclimate regulation, reduced drought and flood cases, reduced energy costs due to shade and insulation provided by trees and countless others. Woodland ecosystems in the suburbs will also result in an increase of biodiversity, as more species find more niches to occupy in these complex perennial polycultures. One may also transplant these systems and create abundant sources of food and other materials in urban areas. However, due to limited land space in dense cities, people must utilize vertical greenhouse and rooftop gardening to offset this deficit. Farmers can implement perennial polycultures that produce a high yield of diverse crops in an integrated whole based upon the original ecosystem (forest, savanna, prairie, etc.) of the land. By mimicking native ecosystems, the land will also perform a multitude of ecosystem functions for the surrounding area, leading to resilient agriculture and a flourish of biodiversity.
Freyfogle, Eric. “Culture and Our Environmental Plight.” The Scholarship of Sustainability. Eric T. Freyfogle. Champaign: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2014. 1-11. Print
Berry, Wendell. Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community. New York: Pantheon Books, 1993. Print.