The idea that the world's human population could be devoting a lot of time in the future growing vegetables, berries and fruits in back yard gardens or on small holdings within their communities seems unimaginable when there appears to be plenty of everything in local stores. However, the gradual failure of industrialized agriculture brought on by climate change and unsustainable practices will leave them with no other option.

The globalization of food production with its dependence on genetically modified seeds, and vast quantities of insecticides, pesticides and chemical fertilizers to ensure crop yields is coming to an end because it is no longer practical.

Growing food close to where it is consumed using organic soil building techniques makes a lot of sense and is gaining popularity for practical reasons. Small, independent farmers and household gardeners know the soil and its microorganisms, local climate, water resources and the local culture.

In a recent book called Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet, Bill McKibben, a scholar in residence at Middlebury college in Vermont advocates local food production, but mainly for the reasons that climate change will leave no other option.

McKibben is recognized for his thoughtful approach to the problems that climate change presents. He is author of more than a dozen books, a writer for Harper's Magazine, National Geographic, the New York Review of Books and founder of the environmental groups Step It Up and 350.org.

Twenty years ago McKibben wrote a book called The End of Nature in which he developed the idea that true nature had been replaced by an artificial nature. He warned us then about the negative impacts of human activity and, had we taken him seriously, we may not have been in the mess we're in. Now, when he tells us that the world is reeling because of the actions of its human population, we should pay attention to what he is saying.

It is well known that the planet that has supported a human population for thousands of years is being changed in irreversible ways. There is no lack of information on the impacts, but for the most part they appear to be of little concern. Anyone over 50 years of age should remember when Apollo 8 circled the moon in search of a landing spot. The astronauts aboard that space ship took a picture that shows the Earth as a blue and white coloured marble. Jim Lovell, one of the crew, called it "a grand oasis."

The Apollo moon landing took place in 1968 and much has happened on the blue and white ball in the 42 years since then. Today the image would be significantly different.

McKibben says that humans will have to be resourceful and clever as they make their way on the tough new planet because there is no way of predicting what it will be like. Ways of being resourceful are: to grow food, make a gradual shift away from fossil fuels; conserve natural resources, and individually produce energy.

Another major challenge will be to build communities that are more resilient and less vulnerable to climate fluctuations than those that have their origins on the gentler planet.

If the members of the Kettle Valley Food Cooperative show themselves to be resourceful and clever in the long term they will surely convince us that we can live healthfully without foods that have been grown in the United States, Australia, Chile, China or Mexico. We surely can, and we should.