You may not believe that gardening can have much of an impact on the environment, especially when it comes to climate change. However, the way we as a society choose to grow and distribute our food has a direct impact on carbon emissions which are the biggest Factor contributing to global warming.
As much as 25% carbon emissions worldwide are the result of industrial food production. That’s according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The process starts with machinery used to clear land making room for large fields of crops like corn and wheat.
When these fields are cleared of trees and forests, key components in the soil are lost which hinder Nature’s ability to sequester carbon and redistribute it into the ecosystem. This results in more carbon being released into the atmosphere furthering the greenhouse effect. The problem is further exacerbated by the use of fossil fuels in farming practices, transporting food, and the use of synthetic fertilizers.
All of this results in a feedback loop of consumption causing progressively more and more damage to our health and our environment. The commercial production of food requires many additives and preservatives to get food from the fields onto your table. These unsustainable farming practices are not good for people or the planet.
The solution to these problems is quite simple. We, as a society, need to find a way to get more personally involved with how we produce and consume our food. This will ultimately limit the impacts of commercial farming practices. In short, growing your own food can mean better nutrition for you and your family, while also reducing the effects of climate change.
Following are some reasons you should consider growing your own food in your garden.
Nutrition
When people go to the supermarket they expect their produce to look a certain way. In order to get the produce to the store looking pretty and appealing to the eye, many fruits and vegetables have been modified genetically or using chemicals. But just because a fruit or vegetable looks nice doesn’t necessarily mean that it has a high nutritional value. In order for food to be nutrient dense it must be grown in healthy soils which have a microbial community.
When you grow food in your own backyard, you can ensure the health of your soil through the use of compost and organic fertilizers, which will then support healthy plants yielding the most nutrient dense food possible.
Taste
One reason that organic fruits and vegetables are so popular is simple – they just taste better. When you take into consideration all of the factors that make for a thriving and healthy garden, you can grow plants that are healthier and more robust than the factory farms. These plants will in turn produce food that tastes great!
Reduces Carbon Emissions
Factory farming techniques are extremely resource intensive. Using all of that machinery and fuel for growing and transporting food produces a lot of greenhouse gas emissions. Many people don’t even consider the logistical challenges of transporting food, as they are so accustomed to having everything just waiting for them on the shelf at the local supermarket. But that food often has to be transported a long way just to arrive at the store. Most of the produce waiting for you on that shelf travels an average of 1500 miles. Some foods even come from halfway around the world! You can see how moving all this food around can have an impact on the environment.
If you were to just grow your own food instead, you can take all of this transportation out of the equation, reducing those emissions to zero. You can even take pride in the fact that your garden is even taking carbon out of the environment.
Reduce The Use Of Fertilizers and Pesticides
Annual sales of fertilizers and pesticides to the commercial farming industry equals more than 35 billion in the US alone. All of these synthetic chemicals are ending up in our food, in our rivers and streams, and ultimately in our bodies.
Monoculture farming practices supported artificially through the use of chemicals harms healthy soil by eliminating the biome in the soil. That’s the network of fungus and bacteria in the soil that work together to help support the soil’s health, and everyone knows you need healthy soil to grow healthy plants!
When you grow your own food, you can take steps to ensure a healthy soil biome, and thus contribute to a healthier ecosystem.
Cultivate a Connection With Nature
When you grow food in your garden, you are cultivating not only food for your family, but also a deeper sense of connection with nature. Fostering a connection between the earth, your food, and yourself can be deeply satisfying and rewarding.