My favorite of the TED talks I watched is probably Joe Salatin’s talk
about the essence of farming. I’ve always brushed off the complaints of
animal rights activists about how horribly the animals are treated
before they get turned into hamburgers and chicken nuggets. I never
really cared—the way I saw it, my personal participation in the market
system is too negligible to affect what happens to the animals while
they’re still alive, and since the one here on my plate is already dead,
I may as well put it to good use and eat it. They were never going to
convince me to become a vegetarian with their arguments about the
welfare of the animals. Meat simply tastes too good for any
consideration to be able to induce me to give it up, so I’ve dismissed
the quality of life of the animals as not my concern. However, Salatin
illustrated how this exact factor can benefit the hungry carnivore such
as myself at the same time as it benefits the animals. By letting
chickens live to the fullest potential of “essence of chicken,” they
produced better eggs! How much better would cow’s milk taste if the cows
were provided with everything they needed to discover the “essence of
cow”? How much better would meat taste if it only came as the conclusion
of a fulfilling animal life? These are all fascinating questions worth
considering, and they might just steer me towards the organic foods
aisle the next time I go to the grocery store.
In three of the other TED talks I watched (by Mohamed Hage, Dickson Despommier, and Stephen Ritz), I could see a clear theme that farming is the key, not just to solving current and future food shortage problems, but to revitalizing our cities. Rooftop gardens and vertical farming can be an energy efficient and space efficient source of fresh food, fresh air, and employment in cities. “Edible walls” are a fantastic way to connect people (especially underprivileged kids) to each other, the earth, their community, and future career possibilities. All of these videos do away with the age-old idea that farming must be done in the open fields. It can be on top of buildings, inside them, and it can even turn sideways and run up our very walls.
It needn’t be done only by the stereotypical farmer—anyone can get involved, and they won’t necessarily end up covered in dirt and sweat. Better food can result, because we can control the very elements (as in atoms, not earth, air, fire, water) in which the plants grow. There is no need for pesticides or other harsh chemicals. The weather does not control the crop yields. Ultimately, urban farming is the bright, exciting future of food.
In three of the other TED talks I watched (by Mohamed Hage, Dickson Despommier, and Stephen Ritz), I could see a clear theme that farming is the key, not just to solving current and future food shortage problems, but to revitalizing our cities. Rooftop gardens and vertical farming can be an energy efficient and space efficient source of fresh food, fresh air, and employment in cities. “Edible walls” are a fantastic way to connect people (especially underprivileged kids) to each other, the earth, their community, and future career possibilities. All of these videos do away with the age-old idea that farming must be done in the open fields. It can be on top of buildings, inside them, and it can even turn sideways and run up our very walls.
It needn’t be done only by the stereotypical farmer—anyone can get involved, and they won’t necessarily end up covered in dirt and sweat. Better food can result, because we can control the very elements (as in atoms, not earth, air, fire, water) in which the plants grow. There is no need for pesticides or other harsh chemicals. The weather does not control the crop yields. Ultimately, urban farming is the bright, exciting future of food.
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