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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Local Food fact Sheets

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  • From: STEVE GILMAN <stevegilman AT verizon.net>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Local Food fact Sheets
  • Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2007 12:51:16 -0500

Actually, the local food concepts presented at:
www.environmentalcommons.org/

have to do with the overall idea of Food Democracy, which is also presented at their website. 

While I've seen an enhanced local business support consciousness in your nearby Austin, including the "Keep Austin Weird -- Support Local Businesses" campaign, many local economies and the growers that serve them remain in the dark how the oligopolistic players in the big food and every other major industry have colonized our localities  to extract consumer dollars, taxes and resources (with the help of their special interest political powers.) Their size and economic clout enable them to buy low (the farmers' share of market basket sales is around 5%) and sell high (consumers are actually paying much more than the touted 12% of their "disposable income" on food), with the result that many local economies are on the ropes and farmers are down to less than 1% of the population.

To the contrary, local food producers have one of the highest multiplier effects in the economy, helping to raise all (local) boats and increase local food security and independence.

As citizens and farmers we all have many good reasons to promote local food production. Whether the Food Democracy viewpoint is objectionable is up to you, but I don't think its reality can be denied...

best,

Steve Gilman
Ruckytucks Farm

On Feb 16, 2007, at 12:00 PM, market-farming-request AT lists.ibiblio.org wrote:

Message: 2
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2007 12:08:06 -0600
From: Willie McKemie <mf AT austinfarm.org>
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Local Food Fact Sheets
Message-ID: <20070215180805.GK28976@c25>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

On Thu, Feb 15, 2007 at 12:58:22PM -0500, Pat Meadows wrote:

This was on another list.  The fact sheets may be of use to some list
members here.  You can send for (free) paper copies (with color) if you
want to.

The fact sheets are now available nationally through Environmental  
Commons. They can be downloaded from http:// 
www.environmentalcommons.org/LocalFood/ and are available free of  
charge, by order, in full-color hard copy as well. Please help  
distribute these far and wide!

I believe these links cropped up here before, fairly recently?

At that time, I took a look; I am all in favor of promoting local food 
production.  However, these handouts take a, to me, objectionable 
anti-corporation, anti-profit-motive, corporations-are-evil bent.  I 
would be pleased to distribute literature that clearly and objectively 
states the case for local food production.

-- 
Willie, ONWARD!  Through the fog!




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