In part 1 of this article series, I wrote in general terms about an alternative paradigm for conceptualizing the relationship between economics and ecosystems, between the sustainability of human livelihoods and landscapes. It is not a new paradigm, by any means, but one that we seem set on relegating to a less-civilized past. Indeed the march of civilization has systematically rooted-out (or is still in the process of doing so) every example of self-reliance that it has encountered. Nevertheless, it stands as the only paradigm in history that has successfully mediated a concomitant relationship between people and ecosystems. I followed this up with some anecdotes of how capitalist ideals have come to take precedent over our democratic cultural and political ideals. To paraphrase E.F. Schumacher, the modern perception of prestige tends to vary in inverse proportion to one’s closeness to actual production; so pervasive is this notion that we sadly forsake the hard-won principles of solidarity and self-determination that we built this nation, on in the name of “looking out for number one.” Inevitably, this ego-centricity and preoccupation with the accumulation of wealth has spelled disaster for our communities and ecosystems. Read the rest of this entry »

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Read part 1 first here

Once upon a time there was a modest, unsuspecting Canadian corn farmer who had the great misfortune of happenstance having conspired with a strong gust of wind. Unbeknownst to the farmer, corn seed containing patented genetic material blew from a passing truck into his fields. Now, the gentle farmer had been saving his own seed for many seasons, perfecting his own special, local variety of maize, continuing one of the oldest North American traditions. However, clever agents of the company who owned these patented seeds serendipitously materialized one morning in their dark suits and dark glasses on the gentleman farmer’s land, to test his crop for evidence he had stolen their trade secret. Just as they suspected, their precious genetically-modified germplasm had indeed infiltrated the farmer’s bounty – or booty – as the man was clearly not an honest farmer but a thieving pirate! He was surreptitiously growing the company’s secret species without ever having paid for their seed. “No no,” pleaded the farmer, “it is their seed that has contaminated mine!” But the wisest and most powerful courts of the land saw through his humble guile, and the farmer was found guilty and ordered to pay reparations for his heinous crime. Read the rest of this entry »

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A recent hubbub in the Fairbanks city council about banning the much-loved pass-time of dumpster diving has got me thinking about self reliance: about the economics of self reliance, its relationship to environmental stewardship and sustainability, and of obstacles like this silly ban that governments and businesses so frequently put in the way of achieving it. If there has been one unifying theme behind the articles of my column Outpost Agriculture, it is the importance of building self reliance back into our communities. In this three-part series that our editor has so graciously offered to publish, I will explore the concept of self reliance, not just to define it but to justify it as a strategy that everyone can participate in for making positive impacts on their communities and local environments. The pursuit of self reliance is an inalienable right of every person and community. We need to come to understand that, and learn to recognize the many obstacles that both we and other people have placed in its way, so that we may discard them and change our lives for the better. Read the rest of this entry »

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“Reducing this nation’s dependence on foreign oil” is nearly as common a political platitude as my other favorites “crossing the aisle” and “fighting the war on terror.” But the politics of energy are of particular interest to me, not surprisingly because of their relationship to food. This column, however, is neither about eating local nor farming practices that can eliminate chemical fertilizers as strategies for reducing the oil addiction (at least not explicitly). Instead, I want to spend some time speaking out against the most popular oil alternative: ethanol. Read the rest of this entry »

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