Around here, you don’t have to drive far out of any community until you get to farms gone to suburbs. I’m talking about land that used to be part or all of a big farm, some of which had been in a family for generations, now sold and covered over with houses and streets. Sometimes there are nice houses, but too often what goes up is the cheapest the developer can get by with building.
We’ve lived on our little farm for less than a decade, and there are no less than 4 new subdivisions within a very short distance. One adjoins the back property line of our farm. Where once there were fields of soybeans or corn or cotton, there are now over 45 houses.
Just a couple of years ago we could look towards the back of our farm and see nothing but land with grass and trees and maybe a few animals.
Now just over our back fence line it's houses, houses and more houses.
I know people need a place to live, but they also need to eat. I’m left wondering, “Who’s going to feed everyone when the big farms are all gone?”
Something to think about.
Well, if the big farms are all paved over, what about the little guys? There’s a lot to be said for eating locally grown food. The fresher food is, the more nutrients it retains.
There’s more and more of a movement towards Sustainable Agriculture. It integrates three main goals—“environmental health, economic profitability, and social and economic equity.” The scope of what exactly Sustainable Agriculture entails is beyond one little blog entry, but if you want to learn more, just search the web, and websites like the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, will pop up, along with many others.
You can also join an email group such as Sustainable Ag, and chat with people who are interested in, or actually practicing Sustainable Agriculture.
And last, but not least, check out farm websites of people who farm using the Sustainable Agriculture method, such as Seasons Eating Farm.
A lot of big farms are disappearing. We’d better come up with a substitute if we want to keep eating.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Does this make me famous?? =)
If everyone person who eats included information on sustainable agriculture in their blogs it might make a big difference. Thanks for doing this.
Who'll feed us? China! When reading labels we should be reading "manufactured by" instead of "manufactured for." It's an eye opener.
Eating locally and supporting farmers is extremely important.
Robin
Seasons Eatings Farm
Maine
Eating local is certainly a great way to support local farmers, but it doesn't necessarily support sustainable agriculture. Is every local farm practicing sustainable agriculture? How does a consumer know the great things a farmer is doing to support sustainability?
Is every local farm using SA? Of course not. Consumers should know where their food comes from, how it was grown and raised, how it was handled after harvest, how old it is. If you're buying locally that's very easy to do. Visit the farms. Talk to the farmers and people working on the farm. Ask questions. Ask grocery stores who grew and raised their local fods. We can walk away from foods that don't meet our standards. I am a self admitted food snob. I want my food fresh and of the best quality. I want my meats raised on pasture eating what their bodies are designed to eat. I want my plant foods grown naturally. I wouldn't hesitate to ask a lot of questions and I hope my customers do the same. It's important.
I doubt there are many people who can eat 100% locally, but I bet most people can find more locally grown food than they know.
The loss of farmland makes me very sad. Across the road from the land my dad farmed is now a waterpark and casino. I can't drive by it without getting sick to my stomach. It's all about money today.
Of course all local farmers do not support SA, but it's more likely to happen then with the huge "agribusiness" farms.. If the farmer doesn't advertise the fact, the consumer will have to ask questions. I think most farmers are happy to talk about their farms!
We just heard about an interesting farm around here from a friend, thinking of signing up. Basically what you do is buy a share of the year's crops, and then every week you get your share's worth (lots of depots in the city to pick it up from). That method gives people a better feel for how weather, etc, affects farmers, since what you get is determined by what they were able to grow. Anyhow, thought it was an interesting/good idea…
I agree, buying a share of a year's food crops is a great idea and way to get fresh food. This is Community Supported Agriculture – see post of 9/2 for more information!
FoodTrust is a marketing/branding company that promotes sustainable agriculture. We have recently launched a blog trying to connect consumers with the people who produce their food. Some of our largest farms are doing more for the environment and sustainability than smaller farms.
CSAs are an excellent way for consumers to know about their food if the farm is open to its customers.
It's encouraging to hear about large farms working sustainably. What are they doing? And how many are farming naturally?
I'll be posting more about the specifics on our blog in the future. In a nutshell all of our farm partners must have and act on Environmental Farm Plans, use Integrated Pest Management protocols, and meet all current federal and provincial food safety regulations.
Because the products we market for them are higher quality than typical commodity product they receive a higher price at the retail level.
I've added your blog to Google Reader so that I don't miss anything. It's always encouraging to see consumers willing to pay a sustainable price for better quality. I hope that's eventually the standard and that it's no longer worthy of making note.