>I think we keep getting closer and closer back to discussing the biggest
>obstacle to sustainability on American farms--Profits--especially on a small
>scale. In the midwest pigs and dairy were always a good way for farmers to
>support a family. Up until the last couple of years it didn't even require
>any marketing skill. I'm afraid those days may be over. They may not be
I believe one problem with the earlier discussion is that the output
of an ecological farm is being measured (remember that term? "if I
can't measure it, it isn't real") in terms of $$$. In a way, this is
another unfair criterion because the prices of farm products are being
pressed down by state-subsidized corporate mega-farming.
Considering the downward trend in agricultural prices, an income
target (like the $60,000 mentioned) is a moving target. Even if you
attained it today, it will again be out of reach when farm-gate prices
continue their downward spiral.
If the human-scale farm were compared to mega-farms in terms of energy
and edible biomass productivity, (energy and biomass outputs per unit
energy input) I will bet that smaller traditional farms will actually
turn out to be more productive than industrial mega-farms. I've seen
literature showing this for energy productivity. Mega-farms are
actually very energy inefficient.
By the way, I've also come across high-income claims (but not reaching
$60,000 -- $30,000 maybe) by some Philippine farmers but this is
achieved unecologically -- by concentrating on niche cash crops which
currently enjoy high prices. Such a strategy won't work for the
majority of farmers; as farmers shift, the supply increases and the
niche disappears. It is also a riskier strategy, because it requires a
certain sophistication in anticipating market trends. Most farmers,
especially subsistence farmers, tend to be risk-averse and will choose
a less risky option.
Roberto Verzola
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