Medieval Ideas for a Modern World: Haiti and Three-Crop Rotation*
I was watching "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" the other day, and it seems that one of the common themes of 'recent' science fiction films is the end of the world as a result of man's actions. In the movie, "Totenkopf" is a mad German scientist who has predicted the end of the world, and decided to do something about it. Man had become a poor steward of the world he has been entrusted with, so Totenkopf decided to basically destroy it and build the world anew.
Other movies, as those by "Hell Boy" also allude to man's destruction of the natural habitat and its kin. Benicio del Toro's "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" also posits the possible end of the world by those who would be doomed to extinction by the ignoble wrath of men. In spite of their great power, the elves inevitable fail, but in their path leave a powerful questioning as to viability of man's relationship to nature and his very own existence.
¿Will humanity fail it its ability to curb its drastic population growth and never-ceasing pollution? The historical record so far does not point to promising outcome in the near future.
But, how can we viably 'save the world?' without falling into a proposal that is so preposterous that it merely turns into another science-fiction docu-drama. Carrotmob is a good idea (see previous article), but inevitably too incoherent and disorganized to be but a passing fad. (I hope I am wrong on this one.)
It occurred to me that one that has actual been practiced since the medieval age: three crop rotation.
Prior to the advent of 'synthetic nitrogen' by Fritz Haber in 1908, agriculture tended to deplete the soil of important constituent elements, as nitrogen and phosphorous, thereby rending the respective soils 'infertile'. The farmers of medieval Europe, by various modifications, realized that three-crop rotation would allow a limited area of land to be 'eternally plowable'. Two fields would be planted, leaving the third one either fallow or sowed with particular crops which replenished the soil with nitrogen and other nutrients previous crops had sucked up. 1-2/3, 2-3/1, 3-1/2. It worked to a comfortable degree, in absence of industrial processes that operate at various hundred of atmospheres per square inch.
Why not apply the same general concept to our modern world? Like the medieval period, it might provide enough of a 'relief' while more sustainable viable technologies are developed. Let me explain.
Humans, like 'crops' tend to deplete the natural sources that surround them. For all the 'sustainability' we might publicly preach, in fact we are a very 'rotten' species who ruthlessly monopolize the resources around us. Its just the way it is, as science fiction movies 'factfully' point out.
Why not, then, use the 'three crop rotation' concept to leave vast tracts of land 'fallow' of human populations, so as to allow nature to replenish and restore these lands to their original 'fruitful' bounties? Why not remove the entire citizenry of Haiti, which was ruthlessly destroyed by an earthquake in 2010, and allow what little forests are left to regrow and replenish its lands. To allow fish to breed and repopulate its surrounding waters once more; allow lobsters to reform family groupings in the surrounding coral reefs; and young seedlings to become robust 'robles' prior to being cut down at the very beginning of life to become mere chunks of fire charcoal?
Certainly, to viably implement such an idea, would require some apparently drastic changes.
For such an idea to take place, for example, one would have to set 'aside' the period of around 100 years to really allow a place to 'spring back to life'. That, in turn, would require the creation of a type of institutions that do not currently exist: watch-guards that transcend human generations, but which would mediate the potential impact of human 'intruders' who violate previously stated agreements.
Another issue that would arise would be the settling of property rights by previous landowners, who obviously would no longer be alive. Their descendants would be, if they had any, and the question would arise as to how to variably and justly redistribute the properties between different claimants.
(I never said this would be easy, but it is a logical outcome of the proposition.)
A comparison of three-crop rotation is insightful. The sheer fact that it previously exist means that it could viably be also applied at a much larger scale. Certainly, however, some of this land was privately held, and some was owned by powerful lords who controlled vast territories. However, since all the land plots were owned by a given social entity, a three-crop rotation was merely an extension of his own personal land-management. (Do not quote me on this.) Certainly the application of the concept would also entail possible redefinitions of property at a relatively major paradigm scale.
Food for thought, but hopefully not too 'science-fictional' for your taste.