Jaime de Zubeldia is one of the primary stewards and residents of ReZoNation Farm. He was introduced to gardening and beekeeping as a child, and studied biology before earning a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Arizona. Jaime’s career began in land development, but his concerns over our society’s rapid consumption of resources compared with historical research of the demise of past civilizations, led him to question the long-term sustainability of cities and the rampant consolidation of food and seed industries. He believes that community-based, resource-efficient farming will be key in restoring the health of our soils, and in turn our communities.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Our Esteemed College of Agriculture

In response to this email heading and a link to an article titled "UA Partners with Saudi Arabia to Create Sustainable Farming Systems" my sarcastic enthusiasm and hope for our collective future was renewed:

Thank God for the UA College of Ag and Life Sciences....our saviors!  Where else on earth would we find sustainable solutions to our problems if it was not for them!

Fortunately for me they are still working tirelessly to "feed the people" - I'm one of those

But I wonder...if one day they see the need to look beyond the walls of academia and high technology to help the people feed themselves...to whom will they turn?  Will grassroots solutions then be repackaged under doctoral approvals with a promise of more research funding and shiny new labs?

Any day now, I'm sure, a new solution for the systemic problem of Colony Collapse Disorder will emerge out of all the microscopes and papers feverishly written on the subject.  This, without the need to change our methods.

Long-term regenerative solutions do not exist in laboratories...they're in our back yards and sanctuaries.

Unfortunately for many, the cost and profit to replicate them is extremely low by comparison.

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