I think that the kind of cooperative relationship described in the article *is* the successful economic paradigm in the long run. It's not a new one, either; the Cooperative Grange League Federation Exchange or GLF -- later Agway -- started operation around 1920 and was a major factor in the success of farms in this area for decades. Sharing resources in an organized way always makes economic sense. All I'm saying is that organic farming in general is going to be sailing into an economic headwind for the next few years. I think it very likely that farmers will eventually return to their historical place as among the most prosperous citizens if they can just hang in there while food prices regain their historical domination of the average budget.
That won't be so nice for the rest of us, of course. Jon Katie Quinn-Jacobs wrote: > I think during times of transition like ours there is always the danger > of slipping into the old paradigm for what appear to be solutions. > Well-known patterns, like growth economics, however won't work in the > end if systemic change is underway. Boutique food production designed to > tap into the discretionary income of the upper tier to pull a > municipality out of economic decline certainly falls into this > category. Ultimately, it's a dead end since the discretionary income is > dependent on the waning economic paradigm. Some - but not all -of what's > happening in the VT town featured in this article seems to fall into > that category of commerce. What I found interesting, however, was the > example of collaboration between the vendors and farmers in the piece. > > I still haven't encountered a well-tested, successful economic paradigm > that isn't based on growth that can serve in the stead of capitalism as > we know it. So it feels like our moorings are coming undone without a > viable alternative to pursue. As we begin to develop local markets, how > can we relocalize goods and services without an economic model to guide > the exchanges? Is there one? Bartering? Co-operatives? How do we > handle credit? Even in the land of Ithaca Hours economics seems to be > the missing link. > > -- Katie Q-J > > > > Jon Bosak wrote: >> [Karl North:] >> >> | These initiatives are all good food for thought, but we need to >> | bear in mind that Vermont is a special case. >> >> Yes, but so is Tompkins County. >> >> | In recent decades it has been transformed by the invasion of >> | permanent residents from moneyed classes that represent the upper >> | tier of the two tier US economy that has emerged in these >> | decades. Without their money flowing through the local economy, >> | and particularly the food economy, the kinds of changes that this >> | article describes would be much more difficult. >> >> Granted. >> >> | I have farmer friends in Vermont who can do things that are >> | unimaginable in most other places in the US. We can take ideas >> | from what is happening in Vermont, but we should be careful not to >> | be misled by how easy it is in Vermont to put those ideas into >> | practice. >> >> If any place can do that, we probably can, if we want to. >> >> I think the real problem is that the local stuff is way more >> expensive than what you can get at Wal-Mart. Up till now, that >> "upper tier of the US economy" has been able to afford the >> difference, but recent hits to stock prices and looming widespread >> unemployment will likely push most of those people into buying the >> cheap factory-farm stuff along with everyone else. So the >> question is whether a local farm cooperative of the kind described >> in the article can hang on until the cost of fuel finally levels >> the playing field by making Wal-Mart food more expensive than >> locally produced food. >> >> Jon >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, >> please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ >> >> RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: >> [email protected] >> http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins >> free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org >> >> > _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
