About This Issue

by Sarah van Gelder

Introducing A Good Harvest (IC#42)
Fall 1995, Page 13
Copyright (c)1995, 1997 by Context Institute | To order this issue ...

There may be nothing that ties us more directly to the Earth than food. Despite the illusion of security and abundance created by supermarkets, our well-being and even our survival depend on the vitality of soils, on rain and ground water, on climate stability, and ultimately on the wisdom we bring to the growing and raising of food.

There are signs that the underpinnings of our food system are in trouble. Water tables are falling between 6 inches and 4 feet per year under a quarter of US irrigated land. World per capita grain production peaked in 1984. Rural communities are losing vitality as farming becomes an enterprise of large corporations and absentee landowners.

All this is happening at a time of a renewed yearning for connectedness to the Earth, for simpler ways of life, for greater self-reliance, and for healthier food.

There is no one approach to providing food that nourishes the body in ways that also nourish the soul. There are as many ways as there are eco-systems and people. The contributors to this issue suggest some approaches that could help insure our survival, build strong rural and urban communities, and foster a greater sense of connection to the land.

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