We are involved now in a profound failure of imagination. Most of us cannot imagine the wheat beyond the bread, or the farmer beyond the wheat, or the farm beyond the farmer, or the history beyond the farm. Most people appear to assume that when they have paid their money for these things they have entirely met their obligations. Money does not bring forth food. Neither does the technology of the food system.
Food comes from nature and from the work of people.
If the supply of food is to be continuous for a long time, then people must work in harmony with nature. That means that people must find the right answers to a lot of hard practical questions. The same applies to forestry and the possibility of a continuous supply of timber. One way we could describe the task ahead of us is by saying that we need to enlarge the consciousness and the conscience of the economy. This is revolutionary, of course, if you have a taste for revolution, but it is also a matter of common sense.