3.1 KiB
3.1 KiB
Whatever one's trade or hobby, he acts within a belief system that sets up the rules and regulations by which he functions. These are called paradigms. Any time there is progress, one's paradigm must shift and does shift or expand.
In conventional agricultire, the model has the following elements:
- Food and fiber production constitutes a war.
- Nature is the adversary.
- Insect, disease, and weed pest are "normal" and evidence the wrath of God on mankind.
- Soil is inanimate.
- Nature is random, unintelligent, and flawed.
- Man knows a better way.
The logic of conventional agriculture, more properly described as the dogma of the conventional agriculture "chirch," has the following elements:
- Reductionistic - the whole equals the sum of its parts and nothing more.
- Linear - based on straight-line, in-vitro observation and principle; what you get out is only equal to or less than what you put in - purely entropic.
- If all else fails, get a bigger hammer.
On the other hand, the model fo real-world agriculture has the following elements:
- Food and fiber production is part of nature, thwere peaceful coexistence is hte rule.
- Nature is the guide and guardian.
- Insect and idsease pests are nature's garbage collectors; weeds are nature's caretakers.
- Soil is living and dynamic, analogous o the ruminant digestive system.
- Nature is ordered, intelligent, and perfect.
- Nature is the example to follow; she possesses the ideal plant, soil, and animal characteristics.
The logic of real-world agriculture contains the following elements:
- Wholistic - the whole is greater than the sum of its parts
- Nonlinear - keyed to tuning, based on harmonics, in-vivo observation, and principle.
- Energetics is the fundamental basis of all physiology, animate or inanimate.
God created nature and endowed man with the intelligence to learn nature's design and to apply its principles to his world. However, no man-made force transcends those found in nature, e.g., earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tidal movement and waves, and the earth's rotation. Understanding these forces allows man to apply them to enhance his environment. Until man understands these forces, he will continue to pollute and rape the planet, expend its resources, contaminate his fellow man, and generally do everything the hard way...
... there is no such thing as an energy shortage; the only deficiency is in common sense and awareness.
Peer review is actually political review, designed to determine whether the work alienates the monopoly... are nonpioneers peers of pioneers? I say, No. Pioneers have no peers except other pioneers.
I recently read what I think may be the best book I have ever read short of the bible: Science in Agriculture by Arden B. Andersen. I've been reading many books about agriculture this year. This one has a few things I value in discussion. Not only does it have detail and scientific fact, not just fuzzy fluffy feelings, it illustrates a way of thinking about these facts.
All too often we are presented with an onslaught of problems. We have an epidemic of nonpathogenic disease and our hospitals seemingly believe only in germ theory.