Consulting the Genius of the Place: An Ecological Approach to a New Agriculture

LocavoreleaderssuchasAliceWaters,MichaelPollan,andBarbaraKingsolverallspeakoftheneedforsweepingchangesinhowwegetourfood.AlongtimeleaderofthismovementisWesJackson,whofordecadeshastakenituponhimselftospeakfortheland,tospeakforthesoilitself.Here,heoffersamanifestotowardaconceptualrevolution:Jacksonasksustolooktonaturalecosystems?or,ifoneprefers,natureingeneral?asthemeasureagainstwhichwejudgeallofouragriculturalpractices.Jacksonbelievesthetimeisrighttodoawaywithannualmonoculturegrains,whicharevulnerabletonationalsecuritythreatsandarepartlyresponsiblefortheexplosioninourhealthcarecosts.Soilerosionandthepoisonspollutingourwaterandair?allassociatedwithagriculturefromitsbeginnings?foretellapopulationwithitsnaturalfertilitygreatlydestroyed.Inthiseloquentandtimelyvolume,Jacksonargueswemustlooktonatureitselftoleadusoutofthemesswe’vemade.Thenaturalecosystemswilltellus,ifwelisten,whatshouldhappentothefutureoffood.,