Glad to hear you insist on society, the community, looking after members
who cannot, for whatever reason, care for themselves. It can be something
as simple as ignorance.
The problem, as you briefly allude to it, is one of distribution, not
production, of food. In our valley we have two small stores distributing
mostly organic foods. Both are connected to farms, one large and just
getting off the ground, the other well established and demeter certified.
Both stores operate weekly box programs. One store has customers come in
each week to pick up their box of fresh organic produce. This has created
a social side because customers have gotten to know one another and often
stop to share a cup of organic coffee or tea with baked goods fresh from
the farm's ovens. They also carry a lot of locally produced processed
products.
The other operation delivers all their boxes and they cover a considerable
area. They have a catalog that covers the food spectrum from whole grains
to processed foods. They are just beginning to market pork and beef. They
have an acreage a little larger then yours Mike and are an important
experiment for our valley. It is a former dairy farm. We have about 46
dairy farms left. Because of our supply management system these are all
family sized farms, milking from perhaps 30 to 150 cows. The "quota" or
supply management system has allowed us to build up a very healthy,
decentralized dairy industry. Here on Vancouver Island the dairy
processing plant is owned by a co-op of dairy farmers. But the whole
system is under seige by NAFTA and WTO and is headed off the cliff. We are
very concerned what will happen to the 100-200 acre farms when the dairy
farmers sell out or go broke. The land is protected by the Agricultural
Land Reserve but the developers will be nipping at the Land Commission's
heels to get it out. The farm mentioned above sold it's milk quota and,
with three generations living and working on the farm, are trying to make
it a completely organic operation, growing everything from berries to beef.
Both of these box programs are ideal for people who can't or would rather
not produce their own. For me producing our own and sharing, swapping, and
selling to neighbours (like wine for salmon) is part of the spiritual
aspects of a sustainable life style. Ideally the "community" should
include everyone and have a place for everyone. But we probably shouldn't
let the chemical crowd bleed away our energy contesting their silly
arguments. Better to stick to our busy and positive lives.
Don Maroc
Vancouver Island, Canada
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