Resident to discuss Peak Oil at conference

Bill and Sydney Blackwell, founders of Harvard Local, have been working to create community awareness of issues related to fossil fuel depletion, as predicted by Richard Heinberg and other leading experts on the subject.

Sydney said, “As global production of oil and natural gas declines, their costs will increase, making fossil fuel-based agriculture prohibitively expensive, and eventually impossible. We will once again turn to locally-produced food.”

Bill will help get this message out to organic food practitioners at the 20th annual winter conference of the Massachusetts chapter of the Northeast Organic Farmers Association Saturday, Jan. 20, at The Bancroft School in Worcester. Blackwell was invited to do a workshop at the conference because of his knowledge of the issues around declining oil and natural gas resources, gained through extensive reading and participation in related conferences around the country.

“During the course of the 20th century,” Sydney said, “our agriculture has become increasingly dependent on oil and natural gas for fertilizer, pesticides, farm equipment, packaging and transportation.” She added that the trend has been accelerated in recent years with the increase in agricultural imports from all over the globe.

Bill’s workshop, “Why We’ll Need 50 Million Farmers,” will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the conference. He said he plans to discuss “Peak Oil . . . the point at which global oil production starts its inevitable decline,” and will present data for “the timeframe in which Peak Oil is likely to occur, the implications, and the positive strategies for transitioning to a world that has far less fossil fuel.” By Heinberg’s estimate, he said, the U.S. will need 50 million farmers by the year 2030.

For more information about the conference and its 35 workshops on crops, gardening, farm management sustainable lifestyles, organic land care, livestock, renewable energy and more, visit the Web at www.nofamass.org.