I originally wrote this the day you posted the question, but lacked pie, but now have pie, and want to post. I could edit this but don't have time. Ah ha...that's part of the problem with this whole endeavor. It takes so much time.
i think the answer is "it depends" as it so often is. The consumer in the suit eavesdropping the conversation is not likely gonna care one way or the other once he reaches his cubicle, and Purdue paid too much to have his mind changed in the elevator. The 10-second love story must be quickly fine-tuned by the crafty permaculturalist who has given enough long and thoughtful observation to the landscape of zombies (derogatory term for a group of people we actually deeply want to care about - alternative please?) to know which soundbite to pull from their own special bag of experiences that will appeal to the particular breed of zombie they are facing.
I think that the argument of feeding the world can be reframed to fit the context that the first respondent mentions. I think it's less about food produced per acre and more about food produced per human. One of the tenants of permaculture, as taught to me by Brad Lancaster, is to replace Petroleum with People. The deep implications of this statement are not lost on the earth-sensitive listener, but are quite possibly lost by the Consumer on the way to the cubicle, and trained out of Purdue. One permaculturalist can feed their own family and perhaps their block with healthy food and less impact to the earth . One conventional farmer can feed hundreds, with significant negative impact to people, place, and planet.
I also think that conventional ag farmers are a distant (and misguided?) offshoot from what was probably once a very earth-focused practice. The desire to develop technology outpaced the desire to eat healthy, and the individual farmer became less useful relative to the farmer that could feed the entire village. (I guess). I think the permaculture movement represents humans evolution back to a more meaningful existence.
I like the sound bite of replacing petroleum with people....but it is hard hard work. But its happening. Slowly.
And finally, I also agree with the post above that people create a belief system that allows them to do something they value. This is why a single formula or script is so difficult. So, "it depends" is my answer.
