We need fresh air and clean water. Waste materials have to be disposed of and so on. It has been calculated that for the average American, the area of land required to sustain each individual is 7-8 ha. The average New Zealander consumes less than the average American, but our ecological footprint still takes up about 5 ha. In other words, every New Zealander needs a minimum of 5 ha to sustain ourselves in the present day lifestyle.
Simple mathematics reveals a sobering fact.
There are 9 billion ha of productive agricultural land on this earth and 6 billion human beings, so each individual in the world can only be allocated 1.5 ha, so already each New Zealander uses far more than their fair share of the earth's resources. It is simply not possible to bring every person up to the standard of living of the western world without increasing the size of the earth. There is no alternative but to reduce our impact on the earth and one of the most significant ways we can do this is by reducing our demand for energy, for agricultural chemicals and for high technology. Organic agriculture is not just about absence of chemicals or earning high premiums for our products. It is not just about maximising our income from exports.