Water!

Rain, it may actually fall. The past three weeks, we have had an endless succession of bright sunny days. There were mornings when it looked and felt like rain, but as the day progressed, the clouds vanished and Father Sun dominated the scene. Today, the sky is grey and rain is in the forecast. We need it and we need it now. Not the violent storms that bring high winds and lightening along with torrential downpours which race off the land before they can sink in and stay. We are heading into a serious forest fire season and lightening only adds to the problem. While, I enjoy the terrifying beauty of lightening, it is the most frequent cause of fire in the region. Lightening is a natural process that enables some trees to reproduce, and only becomes a problem when human incursion into the ecosystem also causes fires. Careless campers cause forest fires.

In previous articles, we have explored seeds and their importance within the food system. Seeds can have a long life expectancy and may lie dormant in the ground until they encounter water. Water is essential to the food system right from the beginning, not only do the animals and plants we consume need water to thrive, seeds need water to begin the growing process. Water brings Life. Remember this simple sentence.

How the grower delivers this water to the crops that we eat or use as fodder varies. Irrigation is necessary when the rainfall in an ecosystem is insufficient to ensure a viable crop. Of course, you may want to ask yourself why you are growing a crop that requires large amounts of water in a system that does not naturally provide this water. A well is one way to tap into the water supply. Agriculture, especially industrial agriculture, is a water intensive activity. When you visit the grocery store or otherwise buy your food, you do not see the role that water plays in food production. Water's role only emerges when you grow your own food, or when you share the risk with a grower through a community shared agriculture project. This means you take some of the risk that is involved in getting food to your table. Water shortages can cause serious consequences and high risk.

I know that those of us, who get water, by turning on a tap, may think that water is a limitless resource. If we begin to realize that the earth's fresh water supply is only 3 per cent of the water on our Blue Planet and that in many parts of the globe, drought is a common occurrence, we may then begin to understand that our water supply has limits. We need to educate our selves on the vital role that water plays. We need to practise water conservation and treat this resource like the precious element that it is. We need to do this now.

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