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How Rappahannock can help save the world
It all begins with the soil"The climate crisis is so large and so big, that if no corrections are made by 2012, it will be too late," said Dr. Timothy LaSalle – CEO of the Rodale Institute – speaking in front of 70 concerned county residents at The Link on Sunday at the annual Rappahannock County Conservation Alliance (RCCA) meeting.
LaSalle was invited to speak about "Regenerative Organic Farming: A Solution to Global Warming," and how communities such as Rappahannock County can help shift agriculture to more sustainable and beneficial farming methods.
The Rodale Institute is a non-profit research and education farm specializing in organic production located in Kutztown, Pa. LaSalle has advised former Vice President Al Gore and Sen. John McCain on the link between agriculture and global warming.
LaSalle presented his case to the group that agriculture is at the core of reversing and recovering from global warming. The big "wedge"as he calls it – as in a pie chart of all potential solutions – is not simply reducing carbon emissions (although that is critical) but to "sequester" carbon in the soil where it can be used by natural processes to strengthen the soil structure, enrich it and make it healthier.
This process is facilitated by a naturally occurring fungi – called Mycorrhizal fungi – which uses carbon to slow down organic decay. Fertilizers and chemicals destroy the fungi.
Declining, overused and mismanaged soil resources are partly responsible for the global climate crisis, he said, and there is a "declining opportunity" to "clean up our act" and "pull this out" before ecological disaster strikes.
The opportunity is moving agriculture from single crop over production – what he terms "monoculture" farming – to multi-use, crop rotated organic farming, and it all begins with the soil.
The key to healthier soil is organic farming methods which spurn chemical fertilizers and additives in favor of fostering healthier microbiology function in the soil. Soils that are managed organically convert greenhouse gases into useful carbon that is retained in the soil for many years.
It is not only the actual process of reviving soil health that is important, but the entire chain of food production and consumption, said LaSalle, and Rappahannock County is one of the few communities leading the way.
People have to consider every step, said LaSalle, from reducing the number of times a tractor needs to transit a field – to till, to plant, to fertilize, to harvest – to how food is processed, packaged and transported to stores. All of these activities have a "carbon footprint," each step of which uses energy and fuel thus creating more emissions, he said.
Local farmers are beginning to integrate more organic processes, but consumers need to play a very active role in demanding how their food is produced and delivered, said LaSalle.
This is already happening in Rappahannock with farm-to-table programs, community supported agriculture, and consumer consciousness driven by organizations such as RCCA and local media – Flavor magazine was begun this summer in Sperryville to highlight and promote the local food movement.
The Rodale Institute was also organized to help teach farmers how to sustainably and profitably farm organically, and LaSalle said the institute has courses available on its Web site at www.rodaleinstitute.org.
However, overcoming the destructive effects of large scale corporate agriculture will require more than small communities creating their own little eco-economies. One of the ways to bring about swifter change, said LaSalle, would be through government awarding organic farmers with "carbon credits," in essence paying farmers for drawing more carbon from the atmosphere into the soil.
But LaSalle also acknowledges that this requires political will, and that going up against corporate agriculture will require getting his message to Congress and the White House. Convincing Congress to spend more money at a time of huge bailouts and economic stimulus plans – in addition to the huge debt the country already has – will be difficult. However, LaSalle believes the carbon credit idea would pay for itself by reducing crop insurance (organic crops are more drought resistant) and reducing health costs.
"Obesity and malnourishment occur simultaneously in our society," said LaSalle. Fruits and vegetables farmed conventionally – meaning with chemical soil additives and non-rotation – today have 50 percent of the nutritional value those same produce had in the 1940s.
Rappahannock County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Bob Chappell has incorporated the "buy fresh, buy local" philosophy into the RCPS food services and said, "It just makes sense." "If we can get local food at a competitive price," and help the local economy while providing nutritional school lunches, "why wouldn't we do it?," said Dr. Chappell.
Alan Zuschlag, a local livestock farmer and owner of Touchstone Farm in Amissville, is leading other local farmers in a project to "brand" Rappahannock County produce, marketing the county in the region as a sustainable agriculture producer.
The RCCA also recognized Louise King Eastham and family and Gardiner and Nicolas Lapham for their contributions – together they added more than 3,000 acres into the 27,000 acres now in permanent conservation easement within the county – with distinguished service awards.
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