We have known for a long time that agriculture must and can be done differently. We just don’t seem to do it. With food forests my hopes glowed again, maybe things will really change now. But I fear dreams becoming nightmares and hope becoming despair.
The discussion is often made impossible in advance because of the lack of production figures per hectare. The fact that there is less attention, money, time and research for alternative forms of agriculture is conveniently omitted. It’s such an unfair fight. If organic farming barely has a right to exist, what does that mean for our food forest dreams? Is WUR as a leading institute with authority really going to take alternative agricultural systems as a research object seriously?
The WUR does have a food forest. But there is almost no information about it. The WUR doesn’t seem to share my dreams.
Meanwhile, the problems get bigger, but we carry on as if nothing has changed and without changing. I wish we would prove that dreams are not a deceit! I find it hard to stay hopeful.
Jeroen, can you give me some hope again?