In doing some research for my upcoming post about food inspired by my recent vacation, I have been reading “The Locavore’s Dilemma: In Praise of the 10,000 Mile Diet” by Piere Desrochers and Hiroku Shimizu.  It does a good job looking at the downside of the growing push for more local food and less big agribusiness.

From the perspective of individuals caught in the urban rat race, small-scale farming and the promise of a simpler life looks appealing.  But the harsh reality is that agricultural production has never been all that enjoyable, as working outside not only meant fresh air but also burning sun, rain, insects, snakes, large dangerous animals, mud, and dust–all for a typically meager and uncertain return.  As one African rural migrant observes: “My mother still sleeps in a mud house, drinks from polluted streams, and walks for long distances carrying heavy loads of cocoa… This is not because it is idyllic to do so, and neither is it because it is part of her culture; it is because she has no choice!”

I grew up on a small farm and I can definitely agree with this quote.  My grandfather kept at one time a small herd of dairy cows and later, after he could no longer keep up with the regulations for dairy production,  he kept beef cattle as well.  My grandmother also kept a vegetable garden.  We were not any where near self sufficient and there was precious little time left over from just keeping things running and tending the animals and garden.  If my grandparents had not also received Social Security, I am not sure they could have kept the farm going.

If we had to rely on only what we could produce or even what we could have traded for from other area producers, assuming we had any significant surplus to trade, we would have had a much much lower standard of living and likely would have been pretty hungry before the end of the winter.