Climate and Food Security: Growing a Sustenance Garden
Carl Sigel
The latest report from the U. N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Climate and Land released on August 8, 2019 “warns that climate change is exacerbating pressures on the global food supply, threatening millions more with hunger, and potentially raising food prices for all.”1
“The report does not simply raise the alarm; it also recommends solutions, such as raising land productivity with more sustainable agricultural practices, reducing food waste (about a 3rd of US food is wasted), curbing meat consumption, improving soil management, diversifying crops, reducing trade restrictions, making it easier for farmers in developing countries to assess credit, and strengthening property rights.”1
While individuals can contribute to some of these solutions, in a recent article, On the Practice of Growing Food,, 2 environmental leader Alice Loyd3 encourages readers to increase their food security by growing more of their own food. On a city lot in Raleigh, NC, Alice grew most of the fruits and vegetables that she ate. Alice presents details on how she went about growing a sustenance garden, and how to prepare the food she grew.
In these times of climate uncertainty, by adopting Alice’s approaches to gardening, we can all become more self-sufficient and enjoy a more food secure future.
References and Notes:
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (August 8, 2019). Climate and Land. Retrieved from https://www.ipcc.ch/report/srccl/.
- Loyd, Alice. (September 2019). On the Practice of Growing Food. Retrieved from https://www.ecozoicstudies.org/reviews/on-the-practice-of-growing-food/
- Alice Loyd currently serves as Vice Presidentof the Center for Ecozoic Studies (CES).3 Alice previously served as Director of NC Interfaith Power & Light until 2008. When she retired she founded Food Is The Key, a project promoting home food gardening and food preservation. She has also served as Board Chair for NC WARN and is co-founder of the Care of Creation Adult Sunday School Class at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church.
- The mission of CES is to advance ecology and culture as the organizing principles of societies. The vision of CES is of full human development in a flourishing Earth Community. For more information about CES see https://www.ecozoicstudies.org/.
