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food. Draft animals are far better for soil health than machinery. While natural fertilizers and pest control methods may not produce the great immediate yields of petro-chemicals, over the long term, they foster the healthy soil upon which life depends.

Chemical-intensive modern mono-cropping has cost a great deal in terms of loss of topsoil. Over-cultivation and irrigation have washed away what it took nature centuries to build. It will be good for us to return to the slow, patient processes of organic gardening. The transition, however, may be quite painful for those who are not prepared. Many may die off before our population is pared to a level that the earth is able to sustain over time.

Every citizen of the future will need to be more actively engaged in producing what she consumes, especially food, which will no longer be transported or stored in energy wasting ways. This doesn't mean we'll all be laboring long hours every day of the year. Even the most difficult agricultural practices are seasonal. Good farmers work smarter, not harder.

It will make sense to study the wisdom of local indigenous people and to apply the principles of permaculture to foster a supportive ecosystem with minimal intervention. The strength of a diverse selection of interdependent crops takes a level of understanding far deeper than modern techniques have fostered.

Not every modern method must be scrapped. Diesel engines were invented to run on peanut oil. Farmers can choose to spend some energy growing fuel. But bio-fuels won't support a continuation of current practices. Today the US government pays corporations subsidies to grow corn for ethanol, a process which uses more energy than it produces. Such nonsense cannot long continue, once the debts are called in.

Methane and methanol, which can be produced through anaerobic decomposition of nearly any compost, hold some promise. But these fuels yield relatively low energy, so conservation and clear prioritization will be essential. The trade-off of food for fuel may allow some to move quickly while many starve. Democratic systems that work will be essential to prevent such waste.

Widespread return to the timeless practices of organic gardening and sensible hunter-gatherer techniques, combined with scientific understanding and appropriate applications of newer technologies, are the best hope for preventing widespread hunger as our current practices hit the wall of natural limitations. Let's prepare now, so our future can be as bright as possible.

Learn more about this author, Vernon Huffman.
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