The agricultural business models today which are essentially shortsighted will have to be displaced. In our attempts to extract greater and greater yields from the land the soil has been depleted resulting in an ever greater need to apply excessive plant nutrients phosphates, nitrates and fertilizers which then enter the water table. This can cause water pollution. Also with detrimental effects such as algae blooms in in shore breeding grounds of mollusks. These can lead to the obstruction of sunlight to shellfish leading to mortality rates among various sea life.
Sustainable practices of allowing fields to lay fallow and naturally replenish the nitrogen was historically the method of restoration but there is an ever increasing desire to increase yields. Soil can not be depleted endlessly or the nutrient value in foods suffers also regardless of how pretty the fruit looks. Local farming that is community based on organic and sustainable practices or hydroponic farms and advances in technology seem promising. Genetic manipulation of foods though is still highly questionable and European nations are deeply concerned. We often pay more consideration to the gas we put into our cars then the food we put into our bodies in the US. I think that realistic visions of our natural resources can be best implemented by taking a lesson from the past.
There were seasons and times when certain vegetables, fruits and seafood were available. Our insistence upon endless choices has also contributed to endless waste and depletion. We chase ever dwindling stocks of Patagonian Tooth-fish (Chilean Sea Bass) into the Antarctic and it’s clear that this is a finite resource but likewise we need to consider the soil and the earth with as equal a consideration.