On Agricultural Modernization from the Viewpoint of soil Science

After working in soil and fertilizer experiments for more than 20 years, due to the unexpected results of two experiments and some other opportunities, my views on soil and fertilizer have changed a lot. Some materials were collected, and the article "where is the course of American Agriculture" was published in the first issue of Volume 22 of the semimonthly issue of the bumper year in 1972. The meaning is still not enough, and later published "I am worried about Modern Agriculture," suggesting that Chinese people should take the modernization of American agriculture as a warning and seek their own ways.

In recent years, the more I have seen and heard, the more I am concerned about domestic agriculture. I quite appreciate the story of the blind man touching the elephant. It was only after years of groping that I found part of the elephant, but I don't know whether it was the leg or the tail. It can be used as a reference for interested people in China, and I hope that if you put together the parts you touch, you may be able to understand most of the elephants.

Agriculture-- related to everyone

As the old saying goes, "Food is the most important thing for the people", which shows that agriculture is closely related to human beings. There is also a saying in the West: "as long as you eat, it has something to do with agriculture." there is a magazine in Taiwan, which used this phrase as a headline. "everyone eats three meals a day, so it has nothing to do with agriculture?" "Taiwan's agricultural population accounts for about 20% of Taiwan's population, and the importance of the relationship between agriculture and the people is obvious. It is generally believed that the agricultural population of the United States accounts for only 2%, but all those directly and indirectly related to agricultural production are still one of the largest enterprises in the United States in terms of capital and manpower.

Much has been discussed about the importance of agriculture in the development of human history. Guan Zhong of the Zhou Dynasty put forward as early as two thousand years ago that "granaries know etiquette and righteousness, and adequate food and clothing know honor and disgrace." "he said. In a broad sense, etiquette and honor and disgrace should be what is called culture today. If human beings do not have enough to eat or eat incorrectly, how can we talk about culture? If you look at the situation all over the world today, there are problems where you don't have enough to eat, and where you don't eat right, there are more and more problems.) French agronomist Voisin, American soil and water conservation experts Carter and Dale have profound insights into the influence of agriculture on the development of human culture in their works. Liebig, known as the founder of modern agricultural chemistry, has a famous saying: "Rome abandoned the power of Sicily into the sewers," because the wheat produced from Sicily was shipped to Rome, also carrying nutrients from the Sicilian soil, and then discharged into the sewers with Roman droppings. In the end, the fertility of Sicily declined, wheat could no longer be produced, and the Roman Empire was destroyed. No wonder an American said not long ago that when the United States sends food to other countries, it should also bring other countries' soil back to the United States.

"Agriculture is the foundation of the state", do not think that only China can build a country on the basis of agriculture. In fact, the truth of this sentence can be applied to any country in the world.

Soil-- the foundation of agriculture

The root of agriculture lies in the soil-there is earth and wealth, which is the experience of the ancestors, and the word "wealth" should refer to wealth in a broad sense. There is a Nichols doctor in the United States. After many years of medical practice, he suddenly suffered from a heart attack. After going through some twists and turns, he finally took the road of changing his diet and recovered his health. Then he wrote a book based on his own experience, and he concluded that only fertile land is the permanent wealth of mankind.

After years of work, many agronomists have realized the importance of soil in agricultural production. For example, the aforementioned agronomist Voisin has written several books on soil and fertilizer. Sir Howard, the father of modern "organic agriculture" (which is not a good term and has no choice but to use it), studied plant pathology at university. After working in India for many years, he finally advocated the use of organic fertilizers to maintain soil fertility. He has written several books, one of which is soil and Health. Coincidentally, Mr. Fukuoka, a well-known international organic farmer in Japan, has accumulated more than 30 years of field experience and created a "natural agriculture" farming method that focuses on covering and preserving soil fertility. When he was in college, he also studied plant pathology.

Some doctors advocate using food to maintain human health. Food comes from the soil, there is no fertile soil, there will be no nutritious agricultural products, there will be no healthy body. They are keenly aware that soil is fundamental. In addition to the aforementioned Dr. Nichols, Dr. Shelton said in his book: if we want to improve the nutrition of food, we must improve the soil. More than six hundred doctors in the UK have jointly published a medical contract (Medical Testament), which shows that modern diseases originate from abnormal diet and life. The author of the covenant, Dr. Picton, is the author of soil and Nutrition. Recently published (1986), the last paragraph of Griggs's book (The Food Factor) quotes a sentence from the work of Swiss doctor Bircher-Benner: (Nutrition is not the highest thing in life. But it is the soil on which the highest thing can either perish or flourish.).

"Nutrition is not the most important thing in life. Soil is the most important thing. It can make human beings die or prosper. "

Dr. Gerson, who is praised as an outstanding wizard in the history of medicine by one of the greatest figures of this century, Dr. Schweitzer, has discovered that the nutritional value of food depends on the soil and its transportation, storage and processing after many years of working on food nutrition to treat many diseases, including cancer. He original proposed that human assimilation (metabolism) should include two parts: one is internal assimilation (Internal Metabolism), which is known as internal assimilation of human body, and the other is external (External) assimilation, which should include 1. Plants (food) 2. Soil 3. Transportation, storage and processing of food. From the standpoint of human physiology, he regards food not only as a part of the body, but also as a part of the human body. If we knew what he was saying, when a medical expert was invited to attend a seminar on soil trace elements, he said to the soil scholars at the beginning (I was also here at that time): "you are working with people." it won't be sudden.

Let me quote a British economist, Schumacher (originally from Germany. After his death in the 1970s, the Schumacher Society was set up in Britain to study and promote his ideas, and there are also similar societies in the United States). In the book (Small is Beautiful) that gives play to his central idea (there should already be a translation in China), there is a chapter on land use (I suggest that friends of farmers read this chapter). At the beginning of this chapter, he said: "Land is undoubtedly the most important item of material resources." From the land use of a society, the future of this society can be predicted quite accurately. He advocated that human use of land should be guided by three goals, namely, "health, beauty, and eternity", and the fourth goal, "productivity." he said that only this goal is agreed by general experts. He added that as long as the first three fundamental goals are achieved, the fourth goal is only a by-product-it will be achieved naturally.

Where does American agriculture go?

The above explains my views on agriculture and soil, let the reader know from what point of view I look at American agriculture, and let the discerning person see which part of the elephant the blind man has touched. There is no doubt about the sheer size of the "current" agricultural productivity in the United States, but I say it is only "at present". Although many Americans still revel in this beauty, some are already worried about their prospects. How long can the current productivity be maintained?

I have collected some information about some of the problems caused by agricultural modernization in the United States, which domestic readers know more or less. I would like to start with a few points: (1) soil erosion leads to the loss of a large amount of topsoil; (2) soil and water pollution causes health problems; (3) energy problems; (4) the bankruptcy of family farms (thousands of farmers go bankrupt every week). Leading to the withering of rural cities and towns; (5) due to the inflow of the above-mentioned rural unemployed into cities, the problem of unemployed people in big cities in the United States has become more serious in recent years.

In 1972, I published an article entitled "where is American Agriculture going?" in the year of Harvest, saying that I am concerned about Taiwan's agriculture and hope that I will not blindly imitate American factory or chemical agriculture. At that time, at least I was not aware of the obvious mention of this issue in American society. I may be allergic. Where should I go? Things are different now.

In the early 1970s, government agencies and universities in the United States did not recognize the so-called "organic agriculture". They think that it is only a backward and outdated mode of agricultural production and is not worth paying attention to. Gradually, however, some farmers experienced the serious consequences caused by the implementation of chemical agriculture for many years, so some people "switched" to organic agriculture. When the Secretary of Agriculture under President Carter returned to his hometown for a holiday one year and saw his old friend "switch" from chemical agriculture to organic agriculture, he ordered the research institutions of the Ministry of Agriculture to organize a delegation to investigate "organic agriculture" in the United States and other countries. In 1998, ○ published a widely circulated investigation report, and he also planned to study organic agriculture. However, after President Reagan took office, the Secretary of Agriculture also changed people, and the organic agriculture research that was about to begin was aborted. Fortunately, some professors in American universities have gradually changed. Unexpectedly, there was a panel discussion on "organic agriculture" at the National Agronomy Annual meeting in 1981. The Chronicle of the Society was published in 1984, and the preface to this publication was written jointly by the directors of three societies (American Agricultural Society, crop Society, and soil Society) from 1983 to 1984. Among them, it is pointed out that today's agricultural production will continue to use the current intensive production (refers to the current factory chemical production mode), or the use of organic agriculture? Or a mixture of the two? This is a major problem facing today and future generations.

There is a national educational television station in the United States, which broadcasts a rigorous science program called NOVA (New Star) regularly every week. The program covers a wide range of programs, including a look at the current agricultural production in the United States in March 1984. The program first allocates amazing agricultural productivity, and then shows the current "shadow" of agriculture. The one-hour program also includes interviews with farmers, agricultural workers, university professors and government officials. This is a thought-provoking program, it can be said that listening to your words is better than reading a ten-year book, or it should be said that it is better to hear than to see. It is hoped that this program can be bought in China (the price is not expensive). It will be translated into Chinese and broadcast to our people and the broad masses of farmers. I would now like to translate the last words of the broadcaster of the programme, according to his white manuscript, as follows:

"We all need a productive and sustainable agriculture so that our children and grandchildren can share the reward of the land with them. "

"changing American agriculture to a more sustainable path is faced with a number of social problems that have been difficult to solve for a long time. "

Then he asked a series of questions:

"do farmers have the right to use their land improperly? Or should their rights be overridden by the public's right to protect basic resources? "

"is it the responsibility of scientists only to solve the current problems? Is it also responsible for long-term sequelae as a result of their research findings? "

He also asked the public the following questions:

"We only use the food prices in supermarkets this week to judge whether the gains and losses of our mode of agricultural production are fair. Should it also include the responsibility to our next generation? "

Finally, he said: "these are all difficult problems, but our future is based on these problems." "

From the articles of the above three directors of the society, as well as the words of the broadcaster, "where is American agriculture going?" "isn't it about to come out?