Comments on: Closing the Farm to Plate Knowledge Gap

By: SaticoyRoots

SaticoyRoots — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:58:34 +0000

The point that many farmers are all too aware of is that many of the problems with today’s food system got their start not from the big corporations, but by deliberate and well-meaning policies adopted to benefit both farmers and consumers. More cheap calories sounded great, but eventually the unintended consequences came to light as the system reached its absurd limits. The question is, what absurdities are we about to unleash upon ourselves with the next round of well intentioned farm policy? The skepticism of farmers derives from the fact that they know they will be affected greatly, yet there is even less confidence that today’s policymakers are any wiser than those of years past. For the record, I’m a CA sustainable farmer (as I understand the term.)

By: Rob Smart

Rob Smart — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:57:38 +0000

Kathy: You asked about intermediaries and local food providers.

I cannot envision farmers and consumers dealing directly with one another on any sort of large scale. To that end, there must always be a “middle” that is occupied by processors, distributors, and retailers. But the current middle is dominated by commodity crops converted to cheap ingredients used to make “edible foodlike substances.” That needs to change.

Along the same lines, and especially in heavily populated regions, “local” farms and processors will not likely ever be able to exclusively supply those markets, and will need to import food from other regions.

Finally, I am advocating for sustainable food in general, which doesn’t require it be certified organic or otherwise, or come from local sources. Once local/regional consumer demand grows enough, and the infrastructure is in place, then it will be feasible for local suppliers to shift capacity to supplying that demand, as well as for new suppliers to come on line.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:00:26 +0000

the next time you see the farmers who grow your food (soon, i hope), try asking them about subsidies for (the USDA’s definition of) “sustainable agriculture,” or about food safety legislation. you might be surprised at what you hear.

most of the farmers i know – and i’m talking pastured poultry and heirloom tomatoes here – fear the policies pushed by urban foodies more than death itself. it saddens me that the people who will be most affected by these policies – and the people who will supposedly benefit from them – have next to no voice in the discussion.

seriously, try asking one of us what we think sometime. you might be surprised.

By: Sophy

Sophy — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:10:27 +0000

Thanks for all the info everyone. I was confused about which farmers Rob was referring to as there are so many different types; big ag, big family, local, sustainable, organic, beyond organic, etc. but I get what he was after now.

Zacary – I would love to see a blog post on some of the twitter arguments, very “new media meets the farmers.” I also completely agree with you that many are scared to be put in the “evil conglomerates” box when they definitely should not be. Most are just trying to make a living for their family, and with a bit more information on the topic, might be interested in making the switch.

Margie – Def. going to check out the #foodinc debates.

By: Barbara Rose

Barbara Rose — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:28:32 +0000

I am sympathetic to farmers who feel threatened. There is a big cost to converting to organic growing. Land must be set aside to recover, subsidies are lost, etc. We must encourage government subsidies to support farmers who wish to convert from commodity to diverse crops and organic farming.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 11:36:04 +0000

Rob,
What would make you feel better about intermediaries handling the food? Do you ever see a situation where local people being fed by only locally grown food is not feasible?

By: Dee

Dee — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:15:25 +0000

Rob,

Thanks for this most thoughtful analysis. I live on the rural edge of a major metropolitan area in NC where new sustainable farmers and old time family farmers sometimes find themselves at odds, even though we all want the same thing. Realizing how little the conventional farmer gets from Big Food, while farmers are going under and Big Food is prospering, is a real eye-opener. That’s why I’m excerpting and linking to it from my blog http://sustainablegrub.wordpress.com

We’ve lost more traditional farms in N.C.than just about any state in the nation. The good news is that the smaller, sustainable farms are multiplying like rabbits as the demand for real food exceeds the supply in our area. And some of the conventional farmers are going organic and loving it.

Best,
Dee
Pittsboro NC
Twittering as: sustainablegrub

By: Another reason to ‘buy direct’ from our farmers « sustainable grub

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:09:01 +0000

[...] the “Food for Thought” department, here are two salient points reported by Rob Smart at Civil Eats, underscoring why we should ‘buy direct’ from our local farmers– better for us [...]

By: Margie

Margie — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 03:18:21 +0000

Sophy & Lee … if you want a great example of the fight between farmers and sustainability advocates, go to twitter.com and search for the harshtag #foodinc. The debate today got pretty vicious, with many farmers on the list accusing the sustainability folks of trying to bankrupt their families for the sake of unrealistic idealism. I am paraphrasing, but tempers were quite high and it was a good, unfiltered example of this tension in action.

By: Zachary Cohen

Zachary Cohen — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:15:22 +0000

Sophy, As a twitter user like Rob, I have witnessed and engaged in dozens of, lets call them tiffs, with commodity farmers. They feel extremely threatened by advocates of local, sustainable farming. I am not sure why this is. I think part of it is that they are simply scared to change, which they surely must. When the writing on the wall is as clear as it is, one would think they would get educated and reach out to organizations and other farmers that can help them make the transition to better farming practices. But they really just think that local sustainable types want to lump them in with evil conglomerates, and take their lifestyles away from them. This is exactly wrong. In fact, I think many farmers would be able to turn a higher profit while at the same time taking less of a bite out of their environment, and producing healthier saner food. I am going to write a blog post with some of the comments and arguments that have popped up on Twitter. There is a great conversation going on, but sometimes the two sides just talk past each other.