Agriculture Quote by Michael Pollan
“When a livestock farmer is willing to "practice complexity"-to choreograph the symbiosis of several different animals, each of which has been allowed to behave and eat as it evolved to-he will find he has little need for machinery, fertilizer, and, most strikingly, chemicals. He finds he has no sanitation problem or any of the diseases that result from raising a single animal in a crowded monoculture and then feeding it things it wasn't designed to eat. This is perhaps the greatest efficiency of a farm treated as a biological system: health.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Omnivore’s Dilemma, 2006
Integrating diverse species in farming creates a self‑regulating ecosystem that reduces reliance on external inputs.
In simple terms: Diverse farms self‑regulate.
Key Takeaway
Promote polyculture for sustainable agriculture.
Themes
sustainability
ecology
food systems
Mood
optimistic
pragmatic
Type
environmental
practical
When to use this quote
- farm planning
- policy making
- educational programs
Key Concepts
systems theory
biology
Questions to Reflect On
- What barriers exist to adopting polyculture?
- How can markets support diversified farms?
A Different Perspective
Transitioning from monoculture can be economically challenging.
![“Industrial processes follow a clear, linear, hierarchical logic that is fairly easy to put into words, probably because words follow a similar logic: First this, then that; put this in here, and then out comes that. But the relationship between cows and chickens on this [Polyface] farm...takes the…” quote by Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/57b/michael-pollan-408_biological-farming_industrial-processes-follow-a-clear-line_381840.jpg)
