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This reliance upon, or even worship, of one species is a disaster waiting to happen. Permaculture would solve this, it strives to create multitude of relationsh
by rini17 8y ago
This reliance upon, or even worship, of one species is a disaster waiting to happen. Permaculture would solve this, it strives to create multitude of relationships between many animal and plant species, and unorthodox accomodation to local circumstances /ecosystem. Then whole agriculture would not depend one single type of tree and is more resilient.
But the unorthodox part is probably where it breaks down, it's much easier for humans to follow "recognized" methods than observe and adapt.
- gervase 8y agoMy impression from reading the article was that this wasn't a choice of a gao tree monoculture over better methods, but actually a choice between this monoculture and widespread slash-and-burn [0]. See also, [1]. It may not be the best from an ecological standpoint, but it's certainly better than the alternative, and as you said, has the advantage of being well-accepted among the farmers in the area. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slash-and-burn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slash-and-burn [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_fallacy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_fallacy
- noselasd 8y agoYou have to consider the context. When you have an expanding desert, planting a mono-culture of Gao trees to stop this expansion is not a bad thing. In this case the trees will establish a desert fence, bind moisture and improve the soil, which in turn will allow more species to gain a foothold.