Sustainability and Agriculture: Preserving Canada's Natural Resources, Exercises of Technology

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PRESERVATION OF TOPSOIL AND SOIL FERTILITY

IN AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST REGIONS LAND USE POLICY CONCERNS ARE RISING

PREPARED FOR THE

MANITOBA ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL LAND USE COMMITTEE APRIL 29, 1985

A BACKGROUND INFORMATION PAPER

BY KENNETH C. EMBERLEY

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INTRODUCTION

WHY SOIL PRESERVATION

Those who have visited the lands in the Middle East described in the Bible as a "Garden of Eden" with rich crop land and shady forests now find only deserts.

The Greek Islands that provided the timbers for the ships in the wars around Troy are just barren rock piles now.

Dr. David Suzuki says our technology assault on nature has aged our continent faster than any in history.

We have to mo v a fast in a completely different direction if we wish to avoid producing huge new areas of desert and barren mountains here in North America. We have absolutely no choice.

WHY WRITE ABOUT SO MANY THINGS

We are one people living on one world and most of our main problems are interconnected. They can only be understood as part of the whole and they can only be solved when treated as part of the whole. For years^ I^ have specialized in being a generalist.

ARE THERE SOLUTIONS? IS THERE GOOD NEWS?

Many do not believe it but peace is really better than war and we need to say so.

Get to know some of the environmentalists, alternative technologists, meet women in the womens' movement and meet people in the peace movement.

Living in harmony with nature once we really begin to do so will provide so many benefits and improvements in our quality of life. Those that are doing (b, it now find many benefits.

PRESERVATION OF TOP SOIL AND SOIL FERTILITY IN AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST REGIONS

LAND USE POLICY CONCERNS ARE RISING

1. The^ only^ source^ of^ permanent^ prosperity^ or^ survival^ is^ the^ ability^ of a nation to feed itself well.
2. Widely^ disbursed^ land^ ownership^ of^ farmland^ and^ city^ home^ lot^ land^ is essential to maintain democracy based on an independent and financially secure citizenery.
3. Controls: use of land transfer from food production contamination with poisons spread on land contamination with poisons in the air and water loss of productivity caused by man and nature.
4. Policy: Policy^ on^ use^ of^ land^ to^ raise^ food^ at^ lowest^ cost^ to^ benefit city residents and corporations. Policy to use foreign competition to keep Canadian farmer income low. : Policy^ to^ increase^ size^ of^ land^ holdings,^ increase^ size^ of^ fields, size of machinery, increase size of debts, amount of energy and chemical input.

'5. We^ have^ a^ crisis^ in^ our^ forests^ as^ planting^ for^ twenty^ years^ has^ barely averaged 20 %. 25% of trees harvested and no serious effort was, made to design harvesting techniques to produce the most natural regeneration.

During this time provincial and federal profits equalled or exceeded those of the industry, and the provinces own most of the forests.

6. The^ crisis^ in^ farming^ and^ farmland^ degradation^ is^ too^ widely^ documented in scientific, farm journals and the media to be ignored.
7. Is^ it^ any^ wonder^ industry^ is^ looking^ for^ ways^ to^ attempt^ to^ solve^ the problem while making a larger profit and increasing its control of agribusiness and the land.
8. Scientists^ and^ technicians^ are^ looking^ at^ various^ narrow^ segments^ of^ the problem with an almost guarantee that while their jobs multiply no one simple technology solution is possible and not even a dozen technology fixes will do any good.
9. Governments^ closely^ tied^ to^ various^ industries^ carefully^ avoid^ the^ one or two possible solutions.
10. Aside from these nine details listed everything is going pretty well and under control.

IT IS NOT A SIMPLE ISOLATED PROBLEM

It cannot be examined or solved by only economic and technology manipulation of a few factors. In fact, this attitude is one of the main reasons we face economic collapse today on the family farm and environmental disaster in a very short time, maybe five or ten years because^ of^ the^ increasingly^ unstable^ system.

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Most modern economists and technologists view the farm the same way they do (^) a city factory.

It is a few square miles of property of certain dollar value with certain physical properties. (^) Like a factory with cinder block walls you can pour in varying amounts of dollars, chemicals, seeds, energy and machinery and vary the output at will to meet the needs of industry for raw materials for the imitation foods they manufacture and to meet the needs of government for export dollar earnings and products they desire.

In 1854 Chief Seattle described exactly the two contrasting views of the natural world and exactly described the world of science, technology and economics of 1985 with phrophetic vision.

Chief Seattle's four page oration has been described as the most beautiful

sand profound statement on the environment ever made. Footnote 8.

He knew more than most modern experts. (^) Until we modify our modern technology, science and machine worship, the land (^) will not be preserved for (^) our children. Footnote 29

Capitalism

Political Democracy

Economic Democracy

Good - Capitalist

DIFFICULT CHOICES OFTEN IGNORED

vs (^) Communism

vs (^) Political Dictatorship

vs (^) Economic Dictatorship

vs (^) Evil - Communist (^) - Socialist

Democracies & Dictatorships vs (^) Appropriate Technology

vs (^) Military oriented economy

vs (^) Energy Conservation

vs (^) Decentralized Democratic Technology

vs (^) Working in Harmony with nature

vs (^) System with fair share benefits (^) for less powerful

vs (^) Appropriate technology chosen by (^) various sectors in society

vs (^) Legitimate defence needs

Democracies & Dictatorships White Advanced Technology

ivilian oriented (^) economy

New Energy Production

Oppressive Centralized Technology

Control and Destruction of (^) nature

System benefit mainly the (^) elite

Technology chosen by elite

Aggressive military expansion

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The "Canadian Environment Network ", our official name, has committed itself to locate funding for a research project to present to the Federal Cabinet by 1987 a "Sustainable Development Strategy" to carry out the policy goals of the World Conservation Strategy. Footnote^9 Plan^ A Footnote 13

CONFIRMATION OF DIAGNOSIS

A. AMBIO 1982 - Report of a Conference 10 years after the "Stockholm Environment Conference" produced lists of: ten Major problems needing research : ten^ Major^ problems^ needing^ active management to produce improvement. Footnote 14.

B. New Internationalist May 1984, "Trick or Treat The Sticky World of Food ". (Nor A thirty five page report on the Multinational International High Technology Industry of Synthetic Food as part of our Industrial System of exploiting the land and people everywhere. This^ documented^ and^ confirmed^ my^ understanding from many other sources over many years of the size and scope of our industrial food disaster. Footnote 15.

THE STRUGGLE FOR A SOLUTION

Educating, through making information available on the problem and possible solutions is a key activity.

Lobbying professional groups and politicians is a key activity if the momentum in the establishment to continue land destruction is to be slowed.

To this end, in early 1984 I produced 5 sets of papers with extensive back-

ground material and supplied it to 5 of the 6 Liberal Leadership Candidates,- y- '^ `-

four of whom replied. cor^ -

These papers addressed our problems on a holistic basis as it is the basic policy and one basic strategy of business and government which is the cause of our problem and must be changed before any real solution to any of our 20 main problems will be possible. Footnotes 16, 17, 18.

SOIL EROSION OUTLINE

The "Land Use Committee of the Manitoba Environment Council" decided their Main Winter Project for 1984 -85 would be to examine "Soil Erosion ".

A number of events had led up to this in the experience of various committee members. (^) In particular, the first "Land Use Conference in Manitoba" in 1979 under the leadership of Mr. Runciman. Footnote 19.

The publication by the Manitoba Department of Agriculture in June 1983 of "Ecological Agriculture in Manitoba" by Vere Scott and Michael Janzen. Footnote^20

The "Soil at Risk" report of the Standing Committee of the Senate in Agriculture Forestry and Fishing in 1984. Footnote 21

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Originally, the concept of seeking the one possible solution was replaced with the decision to examine two major systems being used to reduce soil erosion:

"Zero Tillage" recommended in "Soil at Risk" and

"Ecological Agriculture" recommended in "Ecological Agriculture in Manitoba ".

THE NEED TO EXAMINE SOIL EROSION

NOT AS AN ISOLATED DETAIL BUT AS PART OF A FARMING SYSTEM WITH PROBLEMS

Wind and Water Erosion, Salinity, loss of (^) organic matter and fertility, and acidification all contribute to soil degradation. (^) Footnote 1, p. 5.

Summer fallow, excessive tillage, larger, higher (^) speed machinery, reduction of shelter belts and natural wood lots, (^) the elimination of pot holes and speeded up spring drainage, have all caused land degradation.

A major cause of soil degradation is the industrial (^) view of farming as a Mega Project of huge bare fields of Mono (^) culture growing hybrid seeds often (^) pro- duced by seed companies owned by (^) chemical and drug companies who choose seed qualities.

Manitoba has only a little more than 5 million (^) hectares suited to annual production of cultivated (^) crops. (^) This is part of the one twentieth of Canadian land fit for farming. (^) There is very little more available and (^) some is being seriously damaged every (^) year. (^) Footnote 1, p. 3.

EXCESSIVE USE OF POISONS

In spite of a thousand fold increase in (^) Agricultural pesticide usage in the US since 1950 (Rifkin and Howard, (^) 1980; Krummel and Hough, 1979) the (^) percen- tage of the current crop lost to (^) pests (insects, weeds and diseases) is approximately the same; 33% (Pimentel (^) et al, 1978).

Pimentel et al (1978) estimate that only (^) an additional crop loss from 9 -11% would be realized if (^) no pesticides were used and no other alternatives (^) were implemented. (^) Footnote 2, p. 1. Footnote 3, p. 1.

According to Clark op. cit., (^) p, 179, it took five times more nitrogen fertilizer to maintain the (^) same yield of crop in 1968 as it did in 1949. (^) In other words, five times the (^) energy for the same result. (^) Footnote 3, p. (^) 3.

One billion pounds of pesticides (^) are applied annually at the present time.

In fact, losses due to insects have doubled (^) since the 1940's although there has been a tenfold increase in insecticide (^) use. (^) Footnote 3, p. (^) 1.

This is seen by some as pplication in Canes widely favored in other "Third World tries ". Footnote

This is not seen as a be to the ordinary jes or the rural areas of Manitoba or Car Footnote 22, P.

CE ALTERNATIVE

Ordinary rural people in r collective wisversityand maintaining a (^) choice of lifes in Canada by rEOption of Family Farm and Small Town Liv. They know th;^ only^ a^ frac- tion of the research and develcnt and subsidy li^ to "hih technology ", "high chemical" aculture would al^ #culture and family farms to survive eccically.

REMEMBER TINDUSTRIAL RENT

That was when capitalism aiindustrializa' fly^ uprooted peasants living in modest povertut surviving'rted to^ rove to cities and work in incrediblynsafe dirty frncredibly unsafe dirty tenements.

It was the world of Charlesickens and aid^ iddle class of successful entrepreneurs, it s proudly ledough it^ took well over 100 years before laborworking coals at a pitifully slow rate.

LOOK OUT - THE POSTINDUSTRIAL UT

Not the continuation of the arty year ore,^ more nuclear power, more central i zatio, more poWcer/, economics and politics, more compiters and n'boCal^ fixes, more chemicalization of society. í These steady disruptions of our livesratimption, waste, conspicuous display of luxuries and nvironment by endless mega projects have given many pPme (^) but

have caused many more a "bad life' and are9 '^ ptable to an increasing number of people.

The demands that this lifestyle plac+aturp^ ability of the national system to survive. We cátinulut serious disasters occurring in the very near futútnob

In Physics we are taught that actiore egreactions.

Why should industrialists be surpri.envilon causes a huge world wide movement totalling ter of major businesses.

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It demands a whole new set of standards and goals (^) and even a completely new life philosophy that replaces (^) man as God's agent owning and controlling all creatures and the land, forests, lakes, air and (^) oceans. (^) Footnote 8 Footnote 31 Footnote 32 Footnote 33 DEEP ECOLOGY

An idea as old as written records. (^) An idea intrinsic to Christian teaching for almost the first half of the life of (^) the Christian church and common in (^) some of the great Eastern Religions around the (^) world.

Humans are a part of the natural system and (^) are interdependent on it and their reverence for God and His other creations (^) requires they do not destroy His other creations but treat the seals, (^) great whales, grass seeds, dairy cattle, ,chickens, river valleys, whooping (^) cranes and precious farm lands and forests and their inhabitants including (^) trappers and Indians with respect and (^) reverence. They have a right to live and (^) to continue their lifestyles. (^) Footnote 23 Footnote 30 Footnote 42 LIVE SIMPLY THAT OTHERS MAY SIMPLY LIVE Footnote 24

MAURICE STRONG

Maurice Strong said it and I heard him (^) at the Global Futures Conference in

1980. (^) "Businessmen are likely getting their last (^) chance to show if their business system and its ethics are acceptable in the (^) new modern world ".

Another time he spoke of the need for (^) drastic change in our attitudes. Footnote 25 Footnote 39 THE STOCKHOLM CONFERENCE -

The Stockholm Conference Report (^) on pages 78 and 79 gives an exquisite description of the philosophy and (^) understanding of the natural world (^) necessary. Footnote 26

MR. JUSTICE BERGER

Mr. Justice Berger addressing (^) a conference in Edmonton in 1981, explained it to us in basic English. (^) He quoted John Armstrong, Chairman of Imperial Oil in a 1980 speech, "The Canadian Oil Industry should (^) be moving into our most promising Atlantic and Arctic Properties like (^) an army of occupation ". (^) That was the old no longer acceptable attitude still being applied (^) in Chili, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and the Norman Wells Oil (^) Fields in Canada in 1985.

He gave the same address (^) a year later in Banff and a year later in Winnipeg and each time it stirred (^) my heart. (^) Both the USA and USSR old wasteful, consumptive, environment poisoning industrial (^) systems must be completely modified to be environmentally acceptable (^) and more humane. (^) Footnote 27.

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human relations and our holistic relationship with nature - the public and individuals sense their declining importance Insert by Author.

It is an extremely important article including demands for opening science^ and technology to full democratic public inspection and control to change its blind, undirected force.

He stresses the need for philosophical understanding of the responsibility of scientists for what they do.

He stresses the environment collapse approaching as we destroy wastefully our resources and the basic natural systems that have survived 50,000,000 years. He talks about the need to fit scientific activities harmoniously into society by citizens and decision makers.

CONTROL TECHNOLOGY - CONTROL SCIENCE

Once he opens up this can of worms we must then progress to the stage of modifying those technologies that do not fit harmoniously into society instead of always demanding society change to suit the technology that science, industry and government want.

African Bee Experiments Ocean^ Ranger^ Design^ -^ Complete^ Pesticide^ and^ Drug Testing before Use and adequate Recall Procedures Complete^ public^ monitoring and reporting of all Nuclear Power Subsidies Full^ and^ Complete^ Health^ records centrally filed on every temporary and full time Nuclear employee in every nuclear facility with full follow -up on all who leave the industry Proper full Public Hearings on all construction projects over $1,000,000 by anyone.

THIS DEMOCRACY THING COULD BE DANGEROUS IF IT SLOWED DOWN HARMFUL

ACTIVITIES THAT MAKE MONEY.

DAVID SUZUKI

He shows the depth of his humane understanding of people, an amazing quality not too common in scientists, but then he was a scientist who took half liberal arts along with his science so learned about people and society and nature.

He said this kind of mixed education should be absolutely compulsory for^ the elite 1 /10 of 1% of our population who will be its business, scientific and political leaders when he addressed us in January 1985 at the University of Manitoba "Celebration of Life and Learning ".

I say all lawyers and others who^ want^ to^ enter^ school^ board,^ city, provincial

or federal politics must take^ either^ night^ school^ or^ summer^ school courses to

qualify for office to give them this^ education^ most^ of^ them^ do not have at all now.

The article is on an interview with^ Germaine^ Greer,^ author^ of^ "The Female

Eunuch ", and what David Suzuki learned from her.^ He sees great merit in some of the fundamental points she makes.

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In our faith in modern technology we often throw out longstanding traditional methods that are far better for third world societies (including the third of Canadians who are poor including our Indians and Metis).

We develop a machine costing millions to spot Downs Syndrome Fetus and after birth let them die but we will not force industry to clean up the poisons in the environment that cause these problems.

We find it easier to manipulate poeple than to marshall the social changes needed to clear up our environment.

He mentions the poisonous air of Los Angeles caused by refusing to control technology or human population and the poisoning of the great lakes (because business will let people die to increase profits and governments do not take their responsibilities seriously).

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DAVID SUZUKI UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA

At "The Celebration of Life and Learning ", and incredibly exciting event annually put on by the Student Union, an event almost ignored by the general public, the media and á majority of students, Dr. Suzuki presented an almost two hour address in the following theme:

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ARE ALMOST COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL

1. War on People is the focus of the largest percentage of scientists and engineers, research efforts and money (The new USA Budget has $32 billion for military research and more under individual departments). Footnote 36
2. Development of products and technologies to make money or centralize power over people; regardless of whether it destroys the environment or is of any net benefit to most people or contributes to what should be the nations goals for its poeple's well being; is the purpose of the second largest group of scien- tists, engineers, research effort and money.
3. The^ percentage^ left^ over^ for^ all^ the^ important^ and^ vital^ things^ for the world's well being for nature and people is very small.

The author of this paper has come to the conclusion that present policies of increasing militarization of North American society, greatly accelerated since 1980, and the revival of the right wing business attitudes of the Teddy Roosevelt era guarantee two things in my lifetime. Footnote^37 Footnote 38

CHOOSE ONE

NUCLEAR WAR and the rapid destruction of most life, the environment and most creatures.

ECOLOGICAL COLLAPSE OF NATURAL SYSTEMS on which over four billion people depend for survival. Footnote 26

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So many believe that if we just fix the wobble on the left rear wheel or put a new red hat on the driver and go a little faster that the machine will race along the pot holed road and we will have a grand ride to fame and fortune again like the 1960's.

The Environmentalists opposition to Nuclear War, Regular Good Wars, Power Dams as presently constructed, Energy Waste, land and water pollution, Space Research for War, Excessive Chemical Application on farm land and the forests is part of a positive approach.

CLUB OF ROME - SCHUMACKER LOVINS

For 15 years documentation has been accumulating proving that a better choice for the land and most people is easily available. Footnote 43

Alternatives, choices, decentralization, greater citizen power are all taking place all over the world. Read "Megatrends" by John Naisbitt.^ Footnote^41

In a democracy the government has a duty to permit the people to make choices in lifestyle and technology and this is what peace marches and environment pro- tests are all about.

Abraham Lincoln and William Lyon MacKenzie showed us people have a right to fight to the death if necessary to force democracy on to governments and indus- try and the bureaucracy that supports them to an overwhelming degree.

A PLANET FOR THE TAKING - DAVID SUZUKI

If the CBC had spent $100,000,000 producing this series it would have been the best and most economical use of money ever seen in Canada.

It is probably 20 times more important than the Olympics, The Queen's Tour, The Pope's Tour and Brian Mulroney's Election all together.

The ideas you see presented in this article have been building up over twenty five years by thousands of the world's most eminent scholars and scientists and at exactly the same time by tens of thousands of ordinary people who sensed the increasing imbalance in our society.

This two page report in "MacLeans" Feb. 11/85 and a two page story in "The Canadian Forum" Feb. 85 describes the results of our war with man and nature and require that we change and live in harmony with nature. Footnote^46 Footnote 47

SOIL EROSION CONTROL SOIL FERTILITY PRESERVATION

The Land and Water Management Division of the Manitoba Department of Agriculture has a staff of seven, part of whose work is soil conservation. Footnote 1, Page 10

Zero Tillage is supported by the Senate Committee report "Soil at Risk" as the technique they see best suited to reduce soil erosion and preserve Soil Fertility. Other reports support this agricultural technique. Footnote 21

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Organic Farming or Ecological Agriculture has been proven to reduce soil erosion and preserve soil fertility. Integrated Pest Management Draft Report, Footnote 2, Page 2 Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides Special Agriculture Issue, Footnote 3 Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, Footnote 7 Ecological Agriculture in Manitoba, Footnote 20 Acres USA, Footnote 43

ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE

"Advanced Holistic Organic Farming"

More natural farming has been practised on a slightly increasing scale for

p thirty years in Manitoba. In almost every case it was undertaken as a method of solving problems in the advanced technology highly chemicalized farming system of mono culture.

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ó lI RGO1 (^) LOUIS L'AMOUR'S

CLASSIC OF THE WEST

There was something her father had said. "We do not

own the land, Angie. We hold it in trust for tomorrow.

We take our living from it, but we must leave it rich for

your son and for his sons and for all of those who shall

follow.'

A FAWCETT GOLD MEDAL BOOK Fawcett Publications, Inc., Greenwich, Conn.

This significant quote from a western novel was by a white woman living safely in Indian territory on a small ranch. Her father had taught her love of the land and respect for the different customs and lifestyle of her Indian neighbours who respected the natural world, and in return respected her father and her.

Similarly, Hon Justice Berger quotes from the French Canadian farmers and fishermen in "Acadia" who seemed to get along better with the Indians than any other immigrant group because of their attitude of caring for the land. Footnote 27

M(OALJJ`