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Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2000 10:09:55 BST
Subject: Re: draft lttr to ed NYTimes - rice polyculture article
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Just=20wanted=20to=20let=20you=20know=20I=20have=20forwarded=20the=20letter=20to=20Darrell=20Posey=20-=20so=20no-one=20else=20does!

Best=20wishes,
Gemma=20Burford

>=20Hello=20again=20IndKnow-L=20denizens=20-
>
>My=20thanks=20to=20those=20who=20have=20sent=20encouragement!=20However,=20I=20have=20yet=20
>to=20receive=20any=20nice=20examples=20or=20other=20chunks=20of=20text=20to=20use=20in=20the=20
>letter=20to=20the=20editor.=20<nudge=20nudge,=20hint=20hint=20;)>=20Perhaps=20a=20more=20
>fleshed=20out=20draft=20will=20make=20it=20easier=20for=20folks=20to=20make=20such=20
>contributions.=20You=20will=20find=20draft=200.1=20below=20as=20well=20as=20some=20more=20
>well-defined=20requests=20for=20assistance.=20Please=20send=20me=20your=20comments,=20
>criticisms,=20and,=20preferably,=20usable=20chunks=20of=20text!
>
>I.=20Draft=200.1=20(disclaimers/apology=20follow=20below)
>
>It=20is=20wonderful=20to=20see=20you=20report=20on=20the=20latest=20agricultural=20research=20
>demonstrating=20that=20planting=20different=20varieties=20of=20rice=20together=20
>drastically=20reduces=20the=20need=20for=20pesticides=20and=20produces=20much=20larger=20
>yields=20("Simple=20Method=20Found=20to=20Vastly=20Increase=20Crop=20Yields",=20
<Science=20Times=3F=20Page=20#=20anyone=3F>=20August=2022,=202000).=20It=20is=20not=20often=20
>that=20the=20world=20is=20presented=20with=20such=20win-win=20situations,=20and=20the=20
>researchers=20involved=20should=20be=20greatly=20lauded=20for=20documenting=20this.=20
>One=20important=20aspect=20of=20this=20story=20seems=20to=20have=20been=20overlooked,=20
>though:=20The=20benefits=20of=20planting=20different=20crops=20or=20varieties=20
>together=20("polyculture")=20are=20*not*=20the=20latest=20discovery=20of=20modern=20
>agronomy.=20Rather,=20this=20research=20may=20be=20the=20most=20*ironic*=20discovery=20in=20
>the=20history=20of=20agronomy.=20Polyculture=20is=20what=20pretty=20much=20all=20farmers=20
>practiced=20until=20recently.=20<insert=20indigenous/trad=20ag=20examples=20
>here=3F>=20These=20complex,=20management-intensive=20systems=20have=20largely=20been=20
>replaced=20by=20more=20fragile,=20fossil-fuel-dependent=20monocultures=20thanks=20
>to=20the=20advances=20of=20agronomic=20science=20and=20its=20derived=20technologies,=20
>along=20with=20changing=20political=20and=20economic=20contexts.=20You=20have=20
>reported=20on=20the=20amazing=20story=20that=20some=20new=20way=20has=20been=20found=20to=20
>reduce=20environmental=20damage=20while=20still=20producing=20lots=20of=20food.=20But=20
>there=20is=20another=20amazing=20story=20to=20be=20told=20as=20well:=20that=20a=20group=20of=20
>scientists=20have=20done=20something=20incredibly=20subversive=20and=20
>extraordinary.=20They=20have=20shown=20that=20not=20all=20Progress=20is=20really=20
>progress.=20They=20have=20demonstrated=20with=20beautifully=20hard=20numbers=20that=20
>modern=20agronomy=20may=20have=20taken=20a=20wrong=20turn=20somewhere=20along=20the=20way.=20
>They=20are=20reminding=20us=20that=20there=20are=20valuable=20lessons=20to=20be=20learned=20
>from=20the=20past=20and=20from=20other=20less-industrialized=20cultures.=20It=20is=20rare=20
>to=20see=20such=20humility=20in=20today's=20Gilded=20Age=20buzz=20of=20"we=20won=20the=20Cold=20
>War"=20dot-com=20permanent-boom=20futurology.=20Indigenous=20farmers=20worldwide,=20
>and=20the=20ghosts=20of=20Mayan,=20<insert=20other=20familiar=20examples>,=20and=20
>countless=20other=20long-dead=20cultures,=20should=20salute=20these=20scientists=20
>for=20validating=20within=20academia=20something=20that=20they=20have=20known=20in=20
>practice=20all=20along.=20<Hmm,=20I=20think=20this=20makes=20the=20scientists=20look=20
>dumb=20when=20I'm=20*really*=20aiming=20at=20academia=20and=20Progress.>
>
>Sincerely
>
<Someone=20the=20NYTimes=20would=20be=20interested=20in=20hearing=20from>
<Somewhere=20the=20NYTimes=20would=20be=20interested=20in=20hearing=20from>
>
>II.=20Disclaimers/apology/questions
>
>I=20am=20trying=20to=20make=20the=20letter=20palatable=20and=20reasonable=20by:
>
>a)=20=20not=20attacking=20the=20reporter
>not=20=20attacking=20the=20researchers.
>
>I=20may=20not=20have=20succeeded=20in=20doing=20so.=20Suggestions=20on=20how=20to=20do=20so=20
>would=20be=20more=20than=20welcome.
>
>I=20praise=20the=20researchers=20for=20doing=20something=20that=20maybe=20they=20really=20
>aren't=20interested=20in=20doing:=20being=20"subversive".=20This=20may=20be=20a=20bad=20
>tactic=3F
>
>I=20tried=20to=20walk=20the=20fine=20line=20between=20dead=20academic=20prose=20on=20one=20side=20
>and=20romantic=20rebellious=20rabble-rousing=20on=20the=20other.=20I=20think=20I=20spent=20
>most=20of=20my=20time=20falling=20off=20the=20line=20to=20one=20side=20or=20the=20other.=20Please=20
>suggest=20where=20things=20should=20=20be=20livened=20up=20or=20toned=20down=20(and=20how=20to=20
>do=20it!).
>
>Does=20anybody=20have=20any=20comments=20on=20letter-to-the-editor=20appropriate=20
>style=20and=20grammar=3F=20(E.g.,=20is=20it=20appropriate=20to=20refer=20to=20the=20editor(s)=20
>as=20"you"=20as=20I=20have=20done=20in=20the=20first=20sentence=3F)
>
>III.=20=20Specific=20requests=20for=20help
>
>Below=20I=20have=20listed=20the=20names=20of=20some=20profs=20and=20an=20institution.=20I=20
>suspect=20that=20these=20people=20might=20be=20interested=20in=20pursuing=20(or=20at=20
>least=20advising)=20this=20letter=20to=20the=20editor=20"project".=20If=20any=20of=20you=20
>know=20any=20of=20them=20and=20think=20it=20would=20be=20appropriate,=20would=20you=20be=20kind=20
>enough=20to=20pass=20along=20one/some=20of=20my=20messages=20with=20a=20brief=20explanation=20
>of=20what=20we=20are=20trying=20to=20do=3F=20I=20have=20met=20some=20of=20these=20people,=20but=20
>only=20briefly,=20so=20any=20message=20*I*=20send=20to=20them=20will=20have=20to=20spend=20a=20
>lot=20of=20my=20and=20their=20time=20explaining=20who=20I=20am=20and=20generally=20trying=20to=20
>evade=20their=20random-unsolicited-email=20filters.
>
>
>Nabhan,=20Gary
>Pimentel,=20David
>Posey,=20Darrell
>Salick,=20Jan
>Thurston,=20H.=20David
>
>Indigenous=20Knowledge=20and=20Development=20Monitor
>=20=20=20=20Nuffic=20-=20the=20Netherlands=20organization=20for=20international
>=20=20=20=20cooperation=20in=20higher=20education=20CIRAN=20-=20Centre=20for=20International
>=20=20=20=20Research=20and=20Advisory=20Networks=20=20
>
>********************************
>
>Thanks=20for=20your=20help!
>
>Isidor
>=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
>Isidor=20F.=20Ruderfer=20/=20Consrvtn.Ecology=20&=20Sustnbl.Devlpmnt.Prgrm=20
>Inst.=20of=20Ecol.;=20U.of=20Georgia=20/=20***currently:Las=20Cruces=20Biological=20
>Station;Sn=20Vito;Coto=20Brus;COSTA=20RICA=20/=20phone:506.773.4004=20
>fax:506.773.3665=20/=20**Personal=20Fax=20-->=20email#:=20815.377.3028=20(USA)
>**Please=20reply=20to:=20ruderfer@iname.com
>=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
"Igneous=20rocks=20+=20acid=20volatiles=20=3D=20sedimentary=20rocks=20+=20salty=20oceans"
>Siever=2074=20in=20Schlesinger=2097

---------------------------------------
Gemma=20Burford
Administrator,=20Global=20Initiative=20for=20Traditional=20Systems=20(GIFTS)=20of=20Health

Tel.=20(07808)=20751103=20or=20(01865)=20726873

--------------------
talk21=20your=20FREE=20portable=20and=20private=20address=20on=20the=20net=20at=20http://www.talk21.com

.