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> It is the difference between having a crop to sell, and going out of business and selling off your farm. Thinking outside of the box, I think this is the pro
by mikekchar 8y ago
> It is the difference between having a crop to sell, and going out of business and selling off your farm.
Thinking outside of the box, I think this is the problem we should aim to fix.
- FlyMoreRockets 8y agoA simple out of the box solution is intercropping. The loss of a single crop in a multi-crop system is not a ruinous loss compared to monocropping. It also reduces the requirements for pesticides and fertilizers if done well.
- artificialLimbs 8y agoYep. See Sepp Holzer's mountain farm for an egregious example of this.
- icebraining 8y agoI'm not a native speaker, but generally "egregious" means "particularly bad", is that what you meant?
- ovi256 8y agoIs this solution compatible with contemporary mechanized agriculture ? Seeding, spraying, harvesting by machines ? Otherwise, it's like finding an automobile manufacturing improvement that can only be used with hand assembly. Besides Rolls-Royce, it won't help anyone.
- FlyMoreRockets 8y agoYes, depending on the particular intercrop. It's an area that could benefit from the application of robotics.
- bluGill 8y agoSomewhat, but 180 bushels of corn at $3.50/bushel is worth more than 60 bushels soybeans at $10/bushel. Farmers only grow soybeans because they are a source of fertilizer for their corn and so it works out in the long run.
- FlyMoreRockets 8y agoThis is why farmers spend so much money on insurance.