Due to
the high prices of groceries one of my goals is to optimize the production of
food in my backyard.
Think about the benefits of enjoying fresh,
locally grown food while supporting the earth and helping to maintain the water
and air clean. What is not to like about this? To accomplish this goal, I rely
on the principles of permaculture.
The Permaculture Transition Manual by Ross
Mars is a good resource to work toward the goal of producing more
nutrient-dense food in less space while supporting the health of the planet. In
doing so, we collaborate to sustain the ecosystems that support life, the
production of healthy food and the supply of clean water.
You don’t even need to own a garden to do so.
You can join a community garden and work to apply permaculture principles there.
Another option is to support a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) that
you trust. The options do not exclude each other, which means that you can
choose all of them.
Supporting initiatives and policies that
encourage the development and promotion of permaculture principles is a path of
health, balance and harmony with one another and with the earth. It creates the setting for an environment that is better able to
respond to the challenges posed by climate change. Furthermore, it helps to
reduce carbon emissions which contribute to worsening climate change, and it
avoids the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides that poison
our water, air and soil.
Food
sovereignty and food security. What do they mean?
The first chapter of the book is a clear
introduction to the topic. It also explains the difference between food
sovereignty and food security.
Food sovereignty has to do with the control we
have over the food we eat. Having food sovereignty means that we have more
responsibility and are more involved over the policies that apply to food
production.
Food
security is about access to sufficient food that is safe and nutritious. There
are four components of food security: availability, access, use and stability.
Access can be compromised when people cannot
afford to buy the food they need to stay healthy. The use of food can also be affected when certain foods are not
safe to be consumed. There are multiple aspects of food security and food
sovereignty that are threatened and affected by the current regime in the
United States of America. You can read about this here, and I encourage you to
share this information extensively with your networks:
Irrespective of your political party affiliation, you will be appalled to learn that the Trump regime is taking away the subsidies that supply fresh, healthy food to school children and, in doing so, it hurts local farmers who count on that income to support and sustain their farms.
I do not understand why any person in his or
her right mind would vote to take food away from children while compromising
the farmers who supply the food. It makes no sense.
Permaculture
goes beyond food production
While it is true that permaculture is about
growing enough food and having a lifestyle that will enable you to become
self-reliant—not self-sufficient-- and less dependent on the marketplace and
agencies outside of our control, permaculture is also a way of life in which we
choose to live more sustainably. It is about how we deal with water, energy,
soil and other living beings in sustainable ways. I like how Ross Mars
summarizes it through this powerful statement:
“Permaculture is fundamentally a vocation, a way of life. It is about
taking responsibility for your life and doing the things you feel are important
for your own well-being and for the wellbeing of others and to help the
environment.”
Unfortunately,
the American regime is under the control of politicians who do not believe in
sustainability. Donald Trump’s executive orders have the intention to ditch the policies that curb carbon emissions. This assault will worsen the quality of the air we all breathe,
irrespective of one’s political affilitation. What kind of “president” gets rid
of regulations that help citizens protect the quality of the air they breathe?
Air pollution is one of the biggest killers across the world.
Donald Trump’s executive orders and his big ugly bill will help to kill more people. Why? His priority is to serve the interests of the fossil fuel corporations that help fund his political campaigns. Yet everybody needs clean air and water. It does not matter what political party they belong to.
The fossil fuel corporations may satisfy his interests because they may provide funding for his political campaigns, but polluting the air and worsening climate change do not make America great, so let’s make sure we share the links in this post to help people understand the consequences of the senseless executive orders and the big ugly bill.
In the
meantime, you can also read Ross Mars’ didactic book. It contains several
suggestions, advice and information to apply permaculture principles to your
garden and lifestyle.
Supplementary links:
https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/2025/06/04/trumps-big-ugly-bill-budget-reconciliation/
https://apnews.com/article/school-lunch-usda-trump-c1485f824573913fe9a734bbf1273e26
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jun/12/trump-canned-food-price-metal-tariffs
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/12/climate/trump-ev-power-plant-rollbacks#openweb-convo
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