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Conservation
Our generation has rediscovered a truth: without healthy, sustainable agriculture, much of the world's population will be at risk of malnutrition or worse yet, starvation. The current model of agriculture is an industrial model. The industrial model requires that fertile soil be inundated with chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Industrial farming requires high energy input which is becoming increasingly costly. In short, there is growing evidence that the industrial model is not sustainable. An alternative model is natural or organic farms that are smaller, more intensely cultivated, and more human labor-animal intensive. This shift in farming models has been coming for several decades. The Rodale Institute was perhaps one of the first organized, effective movements. But all of us can help make the shift. How? Consumers can help support this shift to the new model by supporting 'eat local' movement in your community. Farmers, those who must feed the world, can make the shift happen by investigating the alternative natural-organic model. We hope these pages and links will help you find your way to the new model.