Quote:
Originally Posted by kscherer
And that is correct. Large farms are the way they are for the singular purpose of the economics of maintenance and harvesting, a necessary evil when feeding millions of non-farmers is the goal. Far less necessary if each of us had 5 acres and a certain determination* and work ethic. Far more so in city-dominated civilization.
* Don't get all bothered by this, folks. Some people prefer city life, and some people prefer something different. I'm one of those people who would be happy on 5 acres with no property taxes.
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Each household would need at least 20 acres to be self-sustaining, and to be absolutely clear: modern urban dwellers have a lower environmental footprint than the "determined" rural folk. Large farms are the way they are because land was cheap, and damaging environmental activities weren't even on the radar as something we ought to be concerned with. Had land been more expensive, and the recognition that perpetual monoculture crops would ultimately lead to new crises, factory farm developers would have pushed towards more sustainable and higher yielding alternatives. Right now, we're playing catch up.