The buzz of the honeybee may soon be a thing of the past.  Colony collapse disorder (or CCD) is a fancy term to refer to the recent decline in honeybee populations, a decline which has been scientifically documented but which stems from causes that are less well understood.

Although scientists aren't quite sure what's causing this sudden decline in honeybee populations, they are united in the opinion that loss of the honeybees will have profound implications on our agricultural system.  Approximately a third of our food crops --- ranging from canteloupes to almonds --- depend on the honeybee for proper fruit set.  Without the bee, flowers will wither unpollinated on the stalk and the farmer will have nothing to harvest.

I am concerned about CCD, but I am more concerned that this disorder is a symptom of the failure of America's industrial agriculture system.  Our current system is built upon the pipe dream that we can have unlimited supplies of cheap food, that the finite capacity of the earth can be stretched with pesticides and synthetic fertilizers to feed an ever growing number of people on a dwindling expanse of arable land.  Read more....

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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.



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