Comment by 🚀 Pollard

=> Re: "The Unsettling of America" | In: s/farming

"We continue to suffer loss of community, the devaluation of human work, and the destruction of nature under an economic system dedicated to the mechanistic pursuit of products and profits."

I followed a few market gardeners thinking "this is the way" but finally came to the realization that they're all in metro areas with affluent foodies who eat a lot of salads and will pay a good price for organically grown. $8/lb for lettuce? No problem.

I doubt even Joel Salatin has customers that are making near minimum wage.

Grass fed beef is all the rage, for those that can afford $40/lb.

The solutions would require a great societal/economic change and millions of small farmers.

=> 🚀 Pollard

2024-10-21 · 3 months ago

2 Later Comments ↓

=> 🐐 satch [mod] · Oct 21 at 14:19:

@Pollard

As someone who grew up in a low income family in a rural part of Western MA packed with organic small farmers, we could afford to eat fresh organic produce and grass fed meat and we did so. Our family of four with $30k annually spent $10k on food each year and grew more ourselves.

I still live here and now as a college student eat almost as well on even less money. We are very lucky to have some of the best access to local foods in the country.

So while it’s not easy for low income families to afford high quality food, it’s possible. Programs like EBT and HIP help a great deal and I think improving/expanding them is part of the solution.

=> 🚀 digler · Oct 22 at 01:47:

This is on my list, and I'm interested in Wendell Berry from reading The Memory of Old Jack. Can anyone tell me a little bit of what they liked about the book so I can decide whether to read it next?

Original Post

=> 🌒 s/farming

The Unsettling of America — Just finished reading The Unsettling of America by Wendell Berry. Probably the most important book I've ever read.

=> 💬 winduptoy · 6 comments · 2 likes · 2024-06-20 · 7 months ago