Recycle Utah

Nonprofit Summit County, Utah Recycling Center

farming

Regenerative Agriculture

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Food – it’s said we can live three weeks without it. We rely on farmers to grow our grains, produce, meat and dairy and like everything, technology has changed with farming, too. Climate change is affecting farmers through higher temperatures, extreme weather events, drought, and floods. Europe has aggressive bills to cut subsidies on diesel, restore native ecosystems and limit pesticide use, but they also know that farmers need to live off their land and be able to invest in the future. How do we grow food without further wrecking Earth’s climate and biodiversity?

Like European farmers, U.S. farmers are also burdened by climate in addition to inflation, debt, and lack of control over pricing from big companies. Shifting our global food system in an era of higher temperatures and need for lower emissions is challenging! People need to be fed but how do we do it without further harming our environment?

What does this shift involve? It involves climate-smart practices that help farmers store more carbon pollution in soil and trees – agroforestry. When trees and shrubs are integrated with animal agriculture, carbon is sequestered, soil health improves, erosion is reduced, water is retained and crop yields increase. Regenerative agriculture including crop-rotation, cover-cropping, biochar and reforestation has been practiced worldwide for centuries but very little in the U.S.A. Funding is required for this transition from traditional practices.  

The United States Farm Bill package is revised every five years; it provides financial support to our farmers and forest-owners covering everything from food assistance and conservation practices to crop insurance and equipment purchases. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) bill has allotted 20 billion towards the 2023 Farm Bill (extended to fall 2024) to incorporate climate-smart practices within our farms and forest. Ask your member of Congress to protect this IRA funding to protect our forests and assist our farmers with the necessary transition to climate-smart farming: https://www.utah.gov/government/contactgov.html.

By Mary Closser

Eating Locally and Seasonally

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Nowadays, food items and goods are all easily accessible. Vast improvements in food preservation, transportation, and food production have helped the world in many ways. However, many people don’t consider the environmental impact of the modern food industry. Because you can now buy food imported from foreign countries, carbon emissions from vehicles which use non-renewable energy are emitted in massive quantities. In fact, the Journal of Industrial Ecology states, “Globally, food consumption accounts for 48% of household impacts on land resources and 70% of impacts on water resources.”  

Transportation of goods is only one factor that goes into the total amount of waste and carbon emissions that come from the food industry. Mass production of beef and poultry causes significant damage to the environment in the form of methane emissions and deforestation, to name a couple.  

So, what’s the solution? Eat locally and seasonally! Eating locally is within our control and has positive impacts on the environment. Buying food from local sources means that food doesn’t have to be transported over long distances. Buying local products also helps support small businesses and boosts the local economy. Local food is typically fresher, coming from nature to your plate in reduced time, and doesn’t require preservatives, which are potentially harmful for the body.   The same thing goes for seasonal food; eating the fruits and vegetables that are in season takes away some of the strain on farms to grow food out of season which may lead to problems with water, land-usage, and strain on resources. Buying food that’s out of season also means that it’s likely being shipped in from someplace else, which creates a high carbon footprint. Lastly, buying food that is in season will be less expensive because of supply and demand. We are lucky to live in Park City where we have numerous local suppliers, from which to buy locally grown, fresh food. Try researching local suppliers in Park City and you will most definitely find what you’re looking for. 

By Grayson Rae, Sophomore at Park City High School