Helping agriculture go green

[NoOneMan]

1. Should the focus be on making agriculture go green, or our food systems?

So far, people are approaching this question the same way they are approaching our economy: How can we continue infinitely growing exploitation of our land in a sustainable way? But is infinitely growing exploitation ever sustainable? Perhaps we really need to think about the entire way we have developed our food systems, and move toward phasing agriculture out (almost completely).

So perhaps we need to change the farming paradigm focusing on a single question: how can we maximize energy yield while minimizing energy inputs and building carbon sinks. Labor intensive agriculture has failed to do this, despite its ability to create large yields. The real answer to the problem is no-till woody perennials (agroforestry, forest gardens, horticulture), which can produce higher per acre energy yields, creates long-lasting carbon sinks and requires very little machinery and labor in comparison. And as for making animal husbandry go "green", Im not even sure its possible (my opinion: you want meat, go hunt it).

The fundamental problem is that humans only want to continue the party as they know it by making cosmetic adjustments, rather than change it for perpetual survival.