(Vandermeer and Perfecto)
In reading this book, I was struck by the question ‘Who are the people that read this if not for a class?’ It seemed overly scientific for the general public, and overly political as well.
Although a lot of science was described, it is generally basic biology that is taught in most introductory classes. I suport the authors’ endeavor to educate potential rainforest activists about how rainforest ecosystems really work and why they are so fragile and stable at the same time. I spent a week in the Amazon Basin in Ecuador through an OWU Island Biology class two years ago, and much of the descriptions reminded me of my stay. Although the area we visited was used more for ecotourism than plantations, it faced similar issues; we stayed in a rural lodge with thatched roofs, mosquito nets, and cold water. The lights went off at 8:00 to save energy and there were tarantulas in the shower. However, on the two-hour motorized canoe ride to the lodge, we passed some very upscale hotels that I’m sure hosted tourists who thought they were doing good things for the environment, but needed air conditioning, internet, and cable.
I enjoyed how the authors tried to tie all aspects of rainforest destruction together; no environmental problem has just one cause or can be solved with just one solution. It is important to understand local culture, local and international politics, ecology, and corporations to face issues like this.
The description of rainforest production is especially helpful; it seems like a great place to grow things, but most nutrients are used so efficiently that anything dead does not go unused for long. Bacteria and insects will take care of crumbs in minutes; there is such a fight for all the species to survive that foreign crops, unadapted to life in the rainforest and especially as planted in a monoculture, require extensive work to survive.
Slash and burn agriculture is the most traditional form and was practiced extensively by the Mayan culture. However, as the authors describe, growing populations require growing amounts of productive land and so little land is left fallow. In ‘Dirt, ‘ Montgomery argues that soil can only support a growing population for so long; major civilizations generally show a decline within about a thousand years because they face famine and drought. So as we try to portect as much of the forest as possible, we know this system is inefficient. Farmers must learn to use already farmed land in the most productive way, including planting several crops together, allowing fields to lie fallow, and using legumes to return nitrogen to soil rather than synthetic fertilizer.
The authors argue that corporations making goods in places other than where they will be sold have no interest in paying workers well because they will not be potential consumers. This is true; Ford gave his factory workers a new car every year so that they could advertise and become a part of the new America they were helping to build. Workers that have no investment in their product are less efficient and more costly overall.
On page 85-86, the authors are critical of recent programs to ‘rebuild the rainforest.’ How does one go about doing this? I have been led to believe that many such organizations are simply buying up pieces of the forest that have yet to be turned to agriculture and keeping them safe, but it would be interesting to know how fast the forest ‘reclaims’ land that has been damaged.
