I LOVE this piece and want to engage with the author. I found it on Popular Resistance. I should say first that I am white, living in rural West Virginia; I'm a homesteader and grow maybe a bit more than half of the food my household (of two) consumes.
I agree that food is central. Too often city people miss this, thinking vaguely that food comes from the grocery store, congratulating themselves for having a lower footprint that rural people because they can bike or use public transportation, because apartment buildings can be heated more efficiently than many suburban or rural homes. Ignoring the reality that their food comes into town in an endless stream of trucks.
I also advocate that people grow at least some of their own food--but maybe for a different reason. I think collapse is inevitable, probably within the next decade. Those who have tried gardening, at least, will have gained some skills, some tools, which can be expanded more easily than someone who has never grown a thing. But I don't think big cities can grow much of their food. They can grow some, and should--but BIG cities likely won't be sustainable in the long run, once the fossil fuels are gone. My vision is of hubs around cities, like a CSA except that it's not a single farm but a whole network of farms supplying a network of city people who care about the way their food is grown and are willing to pay a bit more for it--sometimes, perhaps, in the form of labor.
A book and blog i recommend is Chris Smaje's Small Farm Future. He's a Brit and an academic but what he says applies just about as much to the US. One thing he says that I agree with is that it works better if farmers own their own land, usually as family farms. If I put years of labor into building a house, a barn, a root cellar, getting certain cropfields or pastures fenced, setting up a water system, I ought to be able to own that, not have someone say, "I'm appropriating this." They say a high percentage of the food in the USSR was in the little private gardens, not the communal, government-managed farms. And some things, like managing livestock, don't work well as group endeavors (they MIGHT, if you get the right group of people, but the situation is rife with opportunities for conflict and mismanagement.)
But we need a solution to how to transition from the current situation where a few monopolized agribiz corps dictate and ruin farming, to one where there are at least twenty times as many farms, most much smaller, and virtually all polycultural. Notably, we need to find a way to put young aspiring farmers on the land without their having to spend years working to afford the land, the livestock and equipment. Maybe a rule that says no-one can own more than so many acres...
Good morning! Thank you so much for reading and reaching out. I have a response from the Article’s Author below:
Thank you so much for your thoughtful response!
“grow maybe a bit more than half of the food my household” that is a huge amount of labor, mad props! Even understanding the percentage of food that you grow is an achievement, but I'm writing for a mostly urban audience to try to bridge that divide. So hey urbanites that's a huge deal FYI!!!
“I agree that food is central. Too often city people miss this” Yes! I tried to set the goal of growing what you can while learning the ecosystem because we're so alienated from our food that even just that first step could be radical. It's not just the carbon footprint of the food delivery trucks, it's the trucks that bring the labor force for harvesting, it's the petrochemical fertilizers, it's the food processing plants overseas… it's bigger than people realize and city people are conditioned to dismiss rural concerns and just doordash.
“I think collapse is inevitable” yep. I don't want people to panic but I do want people to get moving now please.
“will have gained some skills, some tools, which can be expanded more easily than someone who has never grown a thing” Yes! I see people buy massive prepper kits of seeds but if you've never worked with the plants then you're setting yourself up for failure. Experience is invaluable. Food storage is half the battle and it's hard to even start the conversation unless storing your food is urgent.
“BIG cities likely won't be sustainable in the long run” Technology is gonna play a huge part here, vertical farming failed here because of labor costs, not technology so I honestly don't know what cities are capable of if food production is the priority instead of just profit.
“a whole network of farms supplying a network of city people who care about the way their food is grown” I absolutely love this. I definitely see CSAs as a stepping stone and I'm always on the lookout for other stones like allotment gardening and municipal groceries and whatever else I can find. 100% this.
“sometimes, perhaps, in the form of labor” Yes! Strengthening community ties by bartering and exchanging labor builds community and culture. We're in an “isolation epidemic” and the remedy is right there!
“Chris Smaje's Small Farm Future” I'm excited to check this out!
“I ought to be able to own that, not have someone say, "I'm appropriating this.”” This is an excellent point. If collectively we leave individuals on their own to do all of the work that goes into farming and land stewardship, then they absolutely deserve full recognition for that labor, but I want to see the farms that are only possible because the community took the initiative together. And I want communities that plan to let elder farmers rest and retire even if their kids don't choose farming. There are communal food forests that haven't been tended in decades that are still producing in some places so it's very possible. Also I think ranching is very different because of the relationships with those animals but I didn't want to dive into that mid bird flu so I hope to expand on that later.
“find a way to put young aspiring farmers on the land without their having to spend years working to afford the land” this is my love language and why I wanted to shout out wwoof for the mentorship! Okay so I think the easiest way to do this at scale is by integrating municipal food forests into school systems. This is not my idea let me find a link https://thelastfarm.substack.com/p/municipal-food-forests
“But we need a solution to how to transition” oof! Yep. I agree completely and my approach is to try to get as many people experiencing gardening as possible instead of trying to come up with something that's one size fits all. Maybe there is a one size fits all plan but I don't know it so I want as many people brainstorming as possible.
For part II I'm looking into “basket programs” from other countries that focus on creating a locally grown grocery basket that's affordable to everyone. I know Mexico and China have had these programs but I'd like to study as many as possible.
If you're on Twitter find me @SettleIt and if not lmk where I can find you (if you want to, no pressure, but discord is great for writing collabs) and thanks again for the response. I appreciate it, I appreciate you. Keep growing and know that Appalachian concerns should not be silenced. 💚
I don't do any social media as I think they're all controlled by evil madre-humpers--I prefer email and you can find me at my last name, which actually is Wildfire, at my husband's website, spectrumz.com . I also have a page, Wildfire Words, on his website but I don't post regularly there. I do have some book reviews and essays on the resilience website.
I am skeptical of vertical farming, but I think community gardens are a good thing, and that when cars become impractical that will free a significant amount of space in cities--but it will require energy-intensive ripping up of pavement--and I always wonder how safe and clean the soil in cities is.
As for allowing elderly farmers who either don't have kids or their kids have no interest in the farm to retire, I think the solution is what I call the Step Family Farm. Sorta like taking WWOOF to the next level--a young couple (or similar group) moves in and works with the aging farmer/s, learning the ropes and gradually taking over as they gain the skills and experience and the older farmers lose vigor. Maybe they also care for the older farmers in their last years. Then they inherit the farm. But in the currently capitalist context, it's hard to earn a living even when you are the child of farmers and inherit the land, the livestock, the infrastructure and equipment, and have grown up helping and have the skills--because of the domination of monopolistic agribiz companies.When things collapse, hopefully people moving onto the land will not have to worry about deed-holders living far away--the local authorities will likely prioritize the people actually living on the land and working it over someone who shows up eventually waving a piece of paper.
This perfectly encapsulates my thoughts recently on cities not providing food for their populace like we used to. I completely agree we need more local farms and gardens, and education we’ve lost. I’m reminded of a quote from Red Help ATX: “The revolution that feeds the people, leads the people.”
its wild i was just talking today with my son about the challenges of rural struggle and, being mexican, he correctly pointed out the importance of migrant farm workers. what you wrote is exciting in that regard and you outline a promising programme. solidarity!
I LOVE this piece and want to engage with the author. I found it on Popular Resistance. I should say first that I am white, living in rural West Virginia; I'm a homesteader and grow maybe a bit more than half of the food my household (of two) consumes.
I agree that food is central. Too often city people miss this, thinking vaguely that food comes from the grocery store, congratulating themselves for having a lower footprint that rural people because they can bike or use public transportation, because apartment buildings can be heated more efficiently than many suburban or rural homes. Ignoring the reality that their food comes into town in an endless stream of trucks.
I also advocate that people grow at least some of their own food--but maybe for a different reason. I think collapse is inevitable, probably within the next decade. Those who have tried gardening, at least, will have gained some skills, some tools, which can be expanded more easily than someone who has never grown a thing. But I don't think big cities can grow much of their food. They can grow some, and should--but BIG cities likely won't be sustainable in the long run, once the fossil fuels are gone. My vision is of hubs around cities, like a CSA except that it's not a single farm but a whole network of farms supplying a network of city people who care about the way their food is grown and are willing to pay a bit more for it--sometimes, perhaps, in the form of labor.
A book and blog i recommend is Chris Smaje's Small Farm Future. He's a Brit and an academic but what he says applies just about as much to the US. One thing he says that I agree with is that it works better if farmers own their own land, usually as family farms. If I put years of labor into building a house, a barn, a root cellar, getting certain cropfields or pastures fenced, setting up a water system, I ought to be able to own that, not have someone say, "I'm appropriating this." They say a high percentage of the food in the USSR was in the little private gardens, not the communal, government-managed farms. And some things, like managing livestock, don't work well as group endeavors (they MIGHT, if you get the right group of people, but the situation is rife with opportunities for conflict and mismanagement.)
But we need a solution to how to transition from the current situation where a few monopolized agribiz corps dictate and ruin farming, to one where there are at least twenty times as many farms, most much smaller, and virtually all polycultural. Notably, we need to find a way to put young aspiring farmers on the land without their having to spend years working to afford the land, the livestock and equipment. Maybe a rule that says no-one can own more than so many acres...
Good morning! Thank you so much for reading and reaching out. I have a response from the Article’s Author below:
Thank you so much for your thoughtful response!
“grow maybe a bit more than half of the food my household” that is a huge amount of labor, mad props! Even understanding the percentage of food that you grow is an achievement, but I'm writing for a mostly urban audience to try to bridge that divide. So hey urbanites that's a huge deal FYI!!!
“I agree that food is central. Too often city people miss this” Yes! I tried to set the goal of growing what you can while learning the ecosystem because we're so alienated from our food that even just that first step could be radical. It's not just the carbon footprint of the food delivery trucks, it's the trucks that bring the labor force for harvesting, it's the petrochemical fertilizers, it's the food processing plants overseas… it's bigger than people realize and city people are conditioned to dismiss rural concerns and just doordash.
“I think collapse is inevitable” yep. I don't want people to panic but I do want people to get moving now please.
“will have gained some skills, some tools, which can be expanded more easily than someone who has never grown a thing” Yes! I see people buy massive prepper kits of seeds but if you've never worked with the plants then you're setting yourself up for failure. Experience is invaluable. Food storage is half the battle and it's hard to even start the conversation unless storing your food is urgent.
“BIG cities likely won't be sustainable in the long run” Technology is gonna play a huge part here, vertical farming failed here because of labor costs, not technology so I honestly don't know what cities are capable of if food production is the priority instead of just profit.
“a whole network of farms supplying a network of city people who care about the way their food is grown” I absolutely love this. I definitely see CSAs as a stepping stone and I'm always on the lookout for other stones like allotment gardening and municipal groceries and whatever else I can find. 100% this.
“sometimes, perhaps, in the form of labor” Yes! Strengthening community ties by bartering and exchanging labor builds community and culture. We're in an “isolation epidemic” and the remedy is right there!
“Chris Smaje's Small Farm Future” I'm excited to check this out!
“I ought to be able to own that, not have someone say, "I'm appropriating this.”” This is an excellent point. If collectively we leave individuals on their own to do all of the work that goes into farming and land stewardship, then they absolutely deserve full recognition for that labor, but I want to see the farms that are only possible because the community took the initiative together. And I want communities that plan to let elder farmers rest and retire even if their kids don't choose farming. There are communal food forests that haven't been tended in decades that are still producing in some places so it's very possible. Also I think ranching is very different because of the relationships with those animals but I didn't want to dive into that mid bird flu so I hope to expand on that later.
“find a way to put young aspiring farmers on the land without their having to spend years working to afford the land” this is my love language and why I wanted to shout out wwoof for the mentorship! Okay so I think the easiest way to do this at scale is by integrating municipal food forests into school systems. This is not my idea let me find a link https://thelastfarm.substack.com/p/municipal-food-forests
“But we need a solution to how to transition” oof! Yep. I agree completely and my approach is to try to get as many people experiencing gardening as possible instead of trying to come up with something that's one size fits all. Maybe there is a one size fits all plan but I don't know it so I want as many people brainstorming as possible.
For part II I'm looking into “basket programs” from other countries that focus on creating a locally grown grocery basket that's affordable to everyone. I know Mexico and China have had these programs but I'd like to study as many as possible.
If you're on Twitter find me @SettleIt and if not lmk where I can find you (if you want to, no pressure, but discord is great for writing collabs) and thanks again for the response. I appreciate it, I appreciate you. Keep growing and know that Appalachian concerns should not be silenced. 💚
I don't do any social media as I think they're all controlled by evil madre-humpers--I prefer email and you can find me at my last name, which actually is Wildfire, at my husband's website, spectrumz.com . I also have a page, Wildfire Words, on his website but I don't post regularly there. I do have some book reviews and essays on the resilience website.
I am skeptical of vertical farming, but I think community gardens are a good thing, and that when cars become impractical that will free a significant amount of space in cities--but it will require energy-intensive ripping up of pavement--and I always wonder how safe and clean the soil in cities is.
As for allowing elderly farmers who either don't have kids or their kids have no interest in the farm to retire, I think the solution is what I call the Step Family Farm. Sorta like taking WWOOF to the next level--a young couple (or similar group) moves in and works with the aging farmer/s, learning the ropes and gradually taking over as they gain the skills and experience and the older farmers lose vigor. Maybe they also care for the older farmers in their last years. Then they inherit the farm. But in the currently capitalist context, it's hard to earn a living even when you are the child of farmers and inherit the land, the livestock, the infrastructure and equipment, and have grown up helping and have the skills--because of the domination of monopolistic agribiz companies.When things collapse, hopefully people moving onto the land will not have to worry about deed-holders living far away--the local authorities will likely prioritize the people actually living on the land and working it over someone who shows up eventually waving a piece of paper.
This perfectly encapsulates my thoughts recently on cities not providing food for their populace like we used to. I completely agree we need more local farms and gardens, and education we’ve lost. I’m reminded of a quote from Red Help ATX: “The revolution that feeds the people, leads the people.”
its wild i was just talking today with my son about the challenges of rural struggle and, being mexican, he correctly pointed out the importance of migrant farm workers. what you wrote is exciting in that regard and you outline a promising programme. solidarity!