Environment Report 2007 - Canterbury Farmers major offenders

From: <http://www.isis.org​.uk​/mitigatingClimateChange​.php>
 
Mitigating Climate Change through Organic Agriculture and Localized Food
Systems.
 
Organic, sustainable agriculture that localize food systems has the potential
to mitigate nearly thirty percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and save
one-sixth of global energy use.
 
and:
 
On farms throughout the developed world, considerable fossil energy is invested
in agricultural production. On average in the US, about 2 units of fossil fuel
energy is invested to harvest a unit of energy in crop. That means the US uses
more than twice the amount of fossil energy than the solar energy captured by
all the plants, which is ultimately why its agriculture cannot possibly sustain
anything like the biofuel production promoted by George W. Bush [17] (Biofuels
for Oil Addicts, SiS 30).
 
and:
 
The total mitigating potential of organic sustainable food systems is 29.5
percent of global ghg emissions and 16.5 percent of energy use, the largest
components coming from carbon sequestration and reduced transport from
relocalising food systems.
 
And as I posted before:
 
<http://www.isis.org​.uk​/OrganicCubawithoutFossilFuels​.php>
 
Other information suggests that thousands of unemployed – including rural
migrants – have found employment in urban agriculture.
 
and:
 
Although urban agriculture is totally organic, the country as a whole is not.
But the amount of chemical inputs has been drastically reduced. Before the
crisis hit in 1989, Cuba used more than 1 million tons of synthetic fertilizers
a year. Today, it uses about 90 000 tons. During the Soviet period, Cuba
applied up to 35 000 tons of herbicides and pesticids a year, today, it is
about 1000 tons.
 
So I think we have a chance here to solve several of our problems.
 
A few days in “The Press” some youngsters were saying that keeping them on at
school till 18 as the govt is proposing could cause them to rebel. Urban
organic agriculture work could be a good part of schooling. Maybe school farms
could be allowed to sell their produce to raise money to help buy some of the
vacant sections in the city.
 
Oh goodness I remember seeing the hoses going in the wind at New Brighton
Community gardens yesterday – the wind which used to be sheltered by the big
macrocarpas in Rawhirti Domain which have been removed.
 
There is lots of learning to do – automatic high tech night watering and soil
moisture measurement
We need to look again at the real energy and green house gas effects of
densifying the city – removing old houses and garden space, and perhaps review
the urban density strategy.
 
 
Further:
http://www.radionz​.co​.nz​/news​/latest​/200801311903​/more​_work​_needed​_to​_keep​_new​_zealand​_green
Mr Mallard says the ministry is formulating a national policy statement which
will allow regional councils to make rules about waterways from next year.
 
Allow or empower – require?
 
Also in “The Press” was the talk of downsizing dairy farms, keeping them in
families and so protecting water. So overall it seems now would be a sensible
time to look at whether CPW should still be in front of commissioners. And
maybe South Canterbury won't be able to escape the rules by breaking away.
 
Brian Sandle