[mikekchar]

> It is the difference between having a crop to sell, and going out of business and selling off your farm.

Thinking outside of the box, I think this is the problem we should aim to fix.

[FlyMoreRockets]

A simple out of the box solution is intercropping. The loss of a single crop in a multi-crop system is not a ruinous loss compared to monocropping. It also reduces the requirements for pesticides and fertilizers if done well.

[artificialLimbs]

Yep. See Sepp Holzer's mountain farm for an egregious example of this.

[icebraining]

I'm not a native speaker, but generally "egregious" means "particularly bad", is that what you meant?

[ovi256]

Is this solution compatible with contemporary mechanized agriculture ? Seeding, spraying, harvesting by machines ?

Otherwise, it's like finding an automobile manufacturing improvement that can only be used with hand assembly. Besides Rolls-Royce, it won't help anyone.

[FlyMoreRockets]

Yes, depending on the particular intercrop. It's an area that could benefit from the application of robotics.

[bluGill]

Somewhat, but 180 bushels of corn at $3.50/bushel is worth more than 60 bushels soybeans at $10/bushel. Farmers only grow soybeans because they are a source of fertilizer for their corn and so it works out in the long run.

[FlyMoreRockets]

This is why farmers spend so much money on insurance.