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Introduction: What Can We Learn from the Prairie?
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20076 |
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NATURAL SCIENCE
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12 / 1992 |
614 Words |
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Archaeologists who study ancient Judea, which encompasses part of modern-day Israel, say that what is a barren wasteland today was once verdant fields. Moses, as he stood on Mount Nebo looking across the Jordan Valley to the Promised Land, described it as "a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey (Deut. 8:8)."
Tragically, this story has been repeated in other lands circling the Mediterranean Sea. In northern Africa, for example, the rich agricultural lands of Algeria and Tunisia that once kept the granaries of ancient Rome bursting with plenty are today, arid.
What happened? The sad story is graphically etched on the face of the land. Centuries of poor agricultural techniques coupled with overgrazing of livestock resulted in erosion so savage that whole slopes were washed clean of soil, leaving only exposed bedrock. With the soil went the food supplies that had generously supported the existing populations.
Some students of history have attributed the resulting desolation to a progressive change in climate--a drying that forced people from their lands and created a desert. But that view is challenged by a few isolated spots where one can still find remnants of former plenty, such as a 1,500-year-old olive grove in Tunisia planted in such a way as to divert the torrential winter rains and preserve the soil. Certainly, any major climate change would have claimed this grove as its victim as well. The culprit is not climate change, but abuse of the land.
Wes Jackson feels American farmers would do well to heed these lessons from Old World earth. The plough and modern farming techniques in America have resulted in massive soil erosion in America. What if too much topsoil is washed into the surrounding waters or faulty irrigation schemes turn prime agricultural lands saline? History proves that the rise and fall of civilizations hinges as much on agricultural wisdom as on military might.
With all this in mind, Jackson is focusing attention on the native American prairies ecosystem, hoping to transfer its age-old wisdom to a broader and less-intensive agricultural setting. From the prairie ecosystem came the idea to look for a blend, or polyculture, of perennial plants that could do multiple tasks. First of all, the roots of the native prairie grasses form an interlocking mat that prevent or minimizes soil erosion. Secondly, his polyculture includes a plant that naturally
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