This Is Not Survival...It's Thrival'', but is it really that simple? In your comments you'll find many perspectives and approaches to managing our human enterprise. Here are a couple of examples to help get you thinking. The first is by a young lawyer in Australia named Jason Daugherty who is a passionate and articulate supporter of local control of land use: I am an Australian and a lawyer and I am vehemently opposed to the notion that our land is somehow "outside of society". It is very much within it, and it is important that we do so. The most important social issues are to be found in the way we treat our land, with respect and responsibility. I don't like to live in a world where the laws are made by the rich, for the rich. I think this kind of thinking needs to change. So I try, as much as possible, to avoid using products made in the western world. I think this sort of awareness is important, because the people who make our products do not have our interests at heart. The land is very much part of the problem and the solution. My thinking is, for me, all-or-nothing and I will choose nothing. If our land can continue to be used to produce for the benefit of humanity, with healthy soil, then I would consider myself fortunate. If that is not the case, then I will do everything in my power to protect the earth from the devastation that the present system is causing. There is much in common in what this gentleman says with the position taken by many on this site: that we need to manage our land in a sustainable way, and that 'sustainable' is not just a buzzword; it's a means to an end. He writes: "I think we need to redefine what it means to survive and to thrive - the 'right to exist' is not enough." There are ways that we can all contribute to more sustainable solutions; there are even some companies that do it well, and in a way that is profitable, e.g. Patagonia, and it seems that the company has a good system to ensure that their customers also have the opportunity to make their own choices. I'm a supporter of local control and if you're interested in reading more on this, here's a book to add to your library: "Land Of Promise: Greening The Desert And Building A Better Future", by Charles C. Wohlforth. I also support efforts to sustainably manage our land resources. A friend of mine who lives in Colorado runs a local restaurant that supports his family, he's a beekeeper as well and he uses that to his advantage. The bees give him delicious products for sale in his restaurant. It's great to see so many comments on this article, it's great to see that there are so many ways to eat local. I love to eat local, I love to support farmers, beekeepers and food producers and I eat organic. Our government is slowly removing support for small family farms. We are the stewards of the Earth, we live on it, we breathe it, we swim in it, we grow our food from it. We are one of the very lucky species to have such amazing power to control our destiny and impact our planet in such a way that makes us a significant part of life on this world. That's right, we are the keepers of life. If you want to improve this article or have a point to make, go to this website, it's about the 'Food Security' and the issue of global food supplies - a really informative site with an international forum about food: I enjoy reading your blogs. I also have concerns about the direction that our agricultural policies have taken. I'm not worried so much about the issues and impacts of climate change as I am about losing control of how and what we farm. I agree with the concerns in the blog post from "Food For Thought," but with the comments of this blog post. I believe that this is where the best approach to solving the root problems lies, in making local control a priority. I would say that the future is in our hands as well as those who hold the reins in the halls of power. If the current systems of political and economic control continue to govern, I'm not optimistic for the future of our species on this planet. Some comments here are not thinking clearly. I can say with a sense of certainty that the Earth will continue to provide all the necessary resources necessary for our continued survival. It's the way we have chosen to treat our planet and how we use it. Local governments are elected for local interests and must obey local laws. What good are laws if no one bothers to implement them? Your views may be correct, but when it comes to our food, one problem is that the government has forced us to accept a very small number of choices from people with an attitude of superiority. We do have control over what we eat; we do have control over how our land and sea is used. We should not assume that we have no power. If you want to improve this article or have a point to make, go to this website, it's about the 'Food Security' and the issue of global food supplies - a really informative site with an international forum about food: http://www.foodsecurity.org/articles/food-and-the-earth-s-future.html How can I be so sure, it's because of my experiences and observations in the world around me and the knowledge of people who have worked in these areas for a much longer time than I have. I've seen the effects of industrial farming first hand, and while I have no reason to doubt that the future is in our hands, I do know that our current practices have done great damage to this planet and it's ecosystems, so I don't believe in trusting others to guide us into the future. The first step is to make sure that we have clean and unpolluted water, clean air, and quality food. I strongly believe we can have that with a local focus on the above mentioned three items. Another great site I would like to recommend is: http://www.americanprogress.org I can't find any evidence that any government, anywhere, has ever been able to "force" us to eat anything or to not eat anything. Governments have managed our land, but have not always done so in a way we have liked. In the case of large government initiatives to encourage us to "eat our way" toward a more sustainable and healthier way of living, we did manage to stop that. And we have a good chance of overcoming that in the U.S. this election cycle as well. The problem here is when laws, which are all meant to be for the common good of all people in the country, are being used to further an agenda that is not in the interest of our country. What makes you think that the people in the halls of power are not doing this? The problem is that we often don't know what is really going on, and it's the people who have the ability to get the laws changed who want us to be ignorant. So, if you want real changes to be made, then start to vote for people who support those changes. For the record, if you have seen the comments of this blog, you'll find that there are many individuals here who actually do have a pretty clear idea of what's going on. Some of those in the comments make suggestions of strategies we can take toward moving toward a more sustainable future. In any case, there are ways that we can take back control of our land in some ways, and this is the key. You can't have our food supply controlled by the whims of one man. Your comments in the previous blog have been deleted by a moderator, and have been replaced with this comment: "It's nice to see that you understand the differences between government and other people, and that you believe we can still make a difference and change things." Let me be clear: I am talking about how people want the country run, who they are, how they get the majority of their funding, and how they change laws to reflect their agenda. I do not have any agenda for anyone other than what is good for the country as a whole. No one elected me to the office I hold. The people who do have those agendas (with the possible exception of the U.S. military) need to be voted out of office, and they're losing support. My blog is meant to support a new generation who have come of age knowing that something is very wrong and will affect them for the rest of their lives. It seems that you think it's "nice" to just keep our heads down and go about the business of our lives as though there were no real problems. Many people on this site believe there are real problems, and want to do something about them. I simply ask that the majority of people on this site take the time to look at all of the possibilities available to us before they decide which plan they're going to support. "But if none of these other strategies are able to work (with the possible exception of local control), than we should be ready to make changes in our society. We have the ability to do so." You're right, some strategies will work, and many won't. As I've said, we're faced with many challenges here, and I don't know if there's an answer to everything, but it's my sincere hope that we can find solutions and that