Good essay! I love seeing this subject being talked about. That said, the Dutch are way ahead of us.
“Almost two decades ago, the Dutch made a national commitment to sustainable agriculture under the rallying cry “Twice as much food using half as many resources.
Today, the Dutch are the “number two exporter of food as measured by value, second only to the United States, which has 270 times its landmass. How on Earth have the Dutch done it?” See link below.
In my little mountain community, we finally overcome the NIMBYs and dedicated one of our three valleys to organics only. Soon enough, the Dutch invested a fortune in building these plants here and specialty growers, like those seeking to develop high mountain vineyards followed. New ag producers quickly formed alliances with our local alternative energy producers and little town.
Within five years our frigging economy was booming. We are still growing high paying jobs, really good affordable housing projects, new schools, a new hospital and community amenities.
In a few days, I am leaving my beloved California mountains and moving to Kentucky, where their new governor succeeded in attracting the Dutch investments in this new technology. It will take a while for people to figure out how this new technology fits in their own communities, but I am certain it will spread like wildfire – and bring down the costs.
