It's rather an overstatement to say the gubmint caused the mechanization of agriculture. Monocultural factory farming sort of evolved, hand in hand with the industrial revolution, and the government protected it for what seemed good causes.
And still does, with the whole GMO thing, which is nothing more than agricultural imperialism.
What's not in doubt, however, is that the food distribution system in the U.S. is out of whack. Varieties are chosen for their ability to fit into that system. Flavor and nutrition are by-products, and if they sneak in it's by accident.
But who's to blame? The factory farms, who cater to the public whim? Or the public who demand "fresh" produce out of season; and are willing to sacrifice flavor to get it?
Even the widespread availability of so-called organic produce is somewhat misleading. The stuff in the supermarket, by and large, is not a product of the small, diverse organic farmer, but, rather, it comes from the organic divisions of the same factory farms that are giving us those round, red rocks they call tomatoes.
What gets me is the price of that stuff. Given the growing methods they use (which parallel, as much as possible, the methods used on conventional factory farms) there is no justification for the higher prices. They are charging them only because they can get away with it.
Same goes for heirlooms. Despite the myths, it doesn't cost any more to grow an heirloom than it does to grow a hybrid. But somehow or other they've created this concept that heirlooms cost more to produce, and, therefore, should carry a higher pricetag.
The sad part, of course, is that the small, diverse farmer; the very person who kept the concept "organic" alive, lo these many years, cannot afford the time or money it takes to get certified. Understandable, considering that the factory farms wrote the rules; and wrote them for their own benefit.  |