For the last century, many (most?) U.S. Americans have enjoyed an abundance of vegetables, fruits, grains, cheese and meat-- without knowing about the petroleum (for fertilizers, packaging, intercontinental shipping, etc.) behind grocery stores' shelves or restaurant menus.
Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz illuminates our dependence on oil and international supply chains-- and invites us to reduce them by building local sources of food. This means getting to know our watershed, developing nutrient-dense soil and supporting farmers.
As a first step or a class project that moves toward eating within our means, map your favorite meal's supply chain.
We've got so much to unlearn. For example, we've covered soil with paved roads, shopping malls, parking lots, houses, schools, weedcloth, gravel and data storage centers. We've cut down forests for solar PV facilities-- which require fossil fuels to manufacture and ship and are hazardous waste at their end-of-life. Further, our modern constructs block soil's ability to absorb and hold water. That's a problem, since we need soil that absorbs and holds water to grow food. Plus, pavement raises temperatures. Soil that absorbs and holds water is one of the Earth's primary cooling mechanisms.
Once we make it our goal to reduce dependence on international supplies and restore soil's nutrient-density and ability to absorb and hold water, we've got opportunities:
- Participate in community supported agriculture (CSAs): provide farmers with upfront capital and receive weekly or bi-weekly boxes of seasonal produce.
- Encourage every school to grow salad greens. Develop human know-how about growing food.
- Harvest rainwater and keep it on-site. Don't drain it off-site.
- Plant dense, diverse Miyawaki forests (the size of six parking spaces) at schools and in parking lots. They need watering and mulch for two years-- and then generate water themselves. (When single plants are placed every twenty or thirty feet in, say, a parking lot, the tree has a shelf-life of six or seven years. Sustainable plants need density and diversity.)
- Transform vacant lots into gardens with native plants, fruit and nut trees, berry bushes and vegetables.
- On a south-facing windowsill in your home, school or office, start an herb garden. Fill six-inch-deep pots with drainage holes and high-quality potting mix. Plant basil, cilantro, thyme and parsley.
Think edible landscaping-- even if the agricultural industry has other ideas. This industry that provides most of U.S. American food now wants "precision agriculture." Precision ag uses GPS, sensors, drones, satellites and telematics technologies to measure soil nutrient levels and moisture, then has robots decide when to apply water and petroleum-based fertilizer"in order to maximize yields and reduce costs. Of course, precision ag requires data storage centers that drain water, cause air pollution and gobble up farmland.
Anthony Pahnke reports that The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 currently in Congress includes a provision that would reimburse farmers 90% of the cost of adopting AI and precision agriculture. The tech industry-- not the USDA-- would set the standards governing those technologies. Instead, Pahnke advocates for supporting young people to get on the land and stay there-- in programs like the Local Agriculture Market Program and the Justice for Black Farmers Act.
Let Senators know that The Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026 will grow corporate profits, not food. It'll harvest data, not fruits and vegetables. The Senate's Agriculture Committee members are expected to vote in the next couple of weeks.
AI, SOCIAL MEDIA & HUMAN INTELLIGENCE
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