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> that has been devastating to our environment

Nothing inherent to economies of scale is devastating our environment. Companion planting, soil stewardship and water management each benefit from scale.



Nothing is quite optimistic, issues such as are linked to scale (Just 5min of some random though) :

- http://encyclopedia.uia.org/en/problem/destruction-hedges-an...

- https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/encyclopedia/soil-erosio...

- https://sentientmedia.org/how-does-agriculture-cause-defores...

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_pig_fa...

- https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/11/global-s...

Edit: and if you think not just on the ecological side. The core benefice of scale is to produce more while requiring less people. Which mean lower density of people which has so many societal impacts ...


True. It’s just that so far in agriculture, economies of scale have been let loose without much governing for ecology.


> so far in agriculture, economies of scale have been let loose without much governing for ecology

Sure. But scale isn't the problem. (Focussing on its is counterproductive. Amidst falling efficiency, no population will choose long-term ecological impact over short-term food availability.)

Solve the problem directly: incentivize land owners to steward their land. Regulate where needed. Improve agricultural education.


If they are applied, yes.




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