In our modern times, more and more agricultural productivity is demanded and the production of monocultures has greatly increased in order to sustain food requirements; because of this, more and more is required from the soil to maximize its output. However, with every new growing season there is a need to add in more agricultural inputs into the soil in order to obtain equal or greater production. Over time this evolves into a vicious cycle, and the land that was once fertile in its own way with original amounts of agricultural nutrients, now needs twice as much as before in order to maintain the same level of production, subsequently resulting in the degradation of the soil. Today, this is a recurring problem for both primary and secondary food producers, such as soy or cattle pasture growers. Nutrients from the soil are taken up to nourish the plant and are not returned back to the soil, but are taken away with the harvest of the plant, and the nutrients of the soil must be continuously renewed with chemical or organic sources brought in from elsewhere.
“But at first it was not so.” Matthew 19:8. God left a model for us to follow, a model seen right in nature. It is found in the forests. I will explain. Imagine a completely wasted piece of land, with all organic material removed from the site and only uncovered soil remaining. We think to ourselves, how impossible it is to restore that piece of land! But God already has a perfectly working method. “And God made to spring up also out of the earth every tree beautiful to the eye and good for food...” Genesis 2:9. Some soils can recover on their own with natural vegetation that slowly returns. But others need human collaboration. “And the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.” Genesis 2:15. Over time, plants that are resistant to heat and lack of water begin to grow on the land that has been completely destroyed. Each plant has its function in the ecosystem, including weeds, and plants that are more resistant to environmental stressors are usually the ones that grow everywhere, on any piece of land, even if the soil is low quality. These tend to be the kinds of plants that are green in a dry season. They are in fact the first plants that grow to provide the right conditions for less resistant plants to develop, and so with time, the smaller and stronger, healthier plants support the larger ones until they become stable in their own development. When these supporting plants have fulfilled their role in nature, they leave the ecosystem. If there is a problem with some type of plant, it is because the ecosystem is not completely correct.
The most basic producing power of the nations of the world is agriculture. Until agricultural production in a given region stabilizes, other sectors of production will be unstable, especially when based on non-renewable resources. When talking about agricultural production systems with the aim of the development of a region or country, it is important to use a basic foundational premise, “Sustainable use of land,” which aims to an increase and maintenance of productivity and the conservation of resources—most importantly soil—with minimal input from external sources into the agricultural system.
Farmers long ago looked at nature and studied it to understand what it was trying to say. They might have asked: how do plants behave in nature? What are the roles of each plant? Why does a certain plant grow first and another type of plant later? These questions form the basics of a concept called Agroforestry, which has evidence of being used as an agricultural method even as far back as 4,500 years ago in the eastern Amazon in South America.
Agroforestry is an agricultural production system that imitates what nature does naturally. The soil is continuously covered by a wide variety of vegetation; each plant helps the other and there are no problems with “pests” or “diseases.” With this method there is no need for the use of poisonous chemicals to control issues during the agricultural process. In agroforestry systems we find a mixture of annual, perennial, fruit and leguminous crops in addition to animal husbandry, all in the same area. All physical and chemical systems are subject to entropy. Agroforestry, or Syntropic agroforestry systems (energy accumulation), are contrary to common growing methods that are entropic (energy dispersion). In the use of conventional agriculture practices, such as when forests are cut and the excess is burned, and monocultures planted until soil degradation takes place, entropy is practiced, which is a non-constructive, extractive process.
In short, agroforestry is a food forest which has economic value in its implementation, similar to the harvesting of wood over the years, and which always leaves the soil better than it was. “By [his people] the Lord planned to teach all the nations of the world how to till the land so that it would yield healthy fruit, free from disease. The earth is the Lord's vineyard, and must be treated according to his plan. Those who cultivated the soil would realize that they were doing God a service. They were as important in their work as were the men appointed to minister in the priesthood.” (NICHOL, 1953, v. 1, p. 1112).
To me, agroforestry is like planting a piece of heaven here on earth – totally profitable, yielding plenty of different foods, always leaving the soil better, not only for man, but also for plants and animals, and it looks like real gardens. “Adam had themes to contemplate in the works of God in Eden, which was a miniature of Heaven...” DA 14
If “...they would study the soil, learning how to plant, cultivate and harvest, more encouraging results would be seen. Many say, "we've tried farming and we know the results," yet these same people need to know how to cultivate the soil and apply the science to their work.” OC pg. 230. We need to understand that agriculture is not just putting seeds in the ground; it has a science behind it.
If we fenced the Sahara Desert and left only goats on the deserted land, there would then be an increase of predators, the goats would reproduce more, the cacti would grow, the area would start to turn dark green, and in a few years the desert would turn into sub-desert, then to a steppe, some time later into a savannah, and finally into a forest. We as God’s people are to be different from everyone else, and we need to improve. I am convinced that if we apply the correct techniques, having diligently studied the book of nature, we could be feeding many more people today, and be witnesses to many other nations of what God has revealed to us.
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16.
Fellipe Arantes Mendes,
Professor of agriculture and agronomist engineer.
Worked three years as an agroforestry specialist.
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