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Abstract:
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The character of Chesapeake region – more specifically, the Eastern Shore – is
that of a rural, estuarine culture within a deep colonial tradition. Bioregional theory
advocates an appreciation and reorganization of society according to its unique biological
and cultural properties, in order to redress, and prevent, environmental damage, in the
spirit of local proactive efficiency. The history of the Chesapeake region has resulted in a
heavy reliance on agriculture for economic prosperity, as well as harvest of the Bay and
its vast resources, as well as a history of degradation and deforestation. However,
agriculture and its associated processes are resulting in eutrophication, sedimentation, and
pollution of the Bay, and yet agriculture is struggling to sustain itself. Agroecology seeks
to realign agricultural processes with natural process, so that they can work
complementarily instead of against one another. In these integrated systems, agriculture
is more successful, environmental degradation is lessened, and more of an opportunity
exists to preserve the landscape. In the same vein, the principles of sustainable and
organic agriculture, as well as specific practice of Community Supported Agriculture and
vegetarianism are all alternatives to conventional agriculture which embrace the tenets of
bioregionalism and environmental conservationism. |
