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Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Jill Bussiere" <jdt AT itol.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: RE: [Market-farming] Re:Food quality
  • Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2004 11:39:32 -0600

Pat,
This is an excellent list - I would add to it, "Buy fair trade
products".
Jill Bussiere, Wisconsin


Inform yourself on the issues, then VOTE. Write to your
senators and congressional representative and tell them
*why* they will/will not have your vote. Keep writing!

Also write to your state legislators and tell them that you
support efforts to aid small farmers within your state. Ask
them what, specifically, they are doing to help.

Protest if any relevant protest marches are held near you.
Organize a protest if you can.

Oppose GMO crops.

Support organizations that are working to change this
situation.

One really good place to learn about the issues:

http://www.foodfirst.org

More places to inform yourself:

http://www.factoryfarm.org/

http://www.newfarm.org

Buy local food whenever you can. Buy directly from farmers
whenever you can.

Request that your supermarkets carry local food - talk to
the managers. Get all your friends to request that the
supermarkets carry local food. Request that health food
stores carry local food and get your friends to request this
also.

Patronize farmers markets. Grow what food you can. Cook
basic foods from scratch (thereby giving less of your money
to the giant corporations that make and sell highly
processed foods).

Join a food coop if there is one near you. Start one if
there isn't.

Educate others.

Stop buying meat or eggs produced on factory-farms. I think
most Americans can locate a local egg producer.

Consider becoming a vegetarian if you can't locate or can't
afford locally grown meat that is NOT produced on factory
farms.

If you're a church-goer, try to involve your church in your
efforts - maybe organize a mini-farmers market at your
church for local gardeners to sell and swap their products.

Get your church or your public schools or your town to start
'community gardens' if you can.

Try to get your church, town, and schools to 'landscape'
with edible plants: shrubbery, fruit trees, etc.

It all comes back to 'globalization' and control of our
economy and our government by giant multi-national
corporations. This is especially easy to see in the field
of agriculture.

Free your mind from no-longer correct 'facts' about the free
market and capitalism. Globalization has *broken*
capitalism as we knew it: historically, capitalism depended
upon a balance of power between workers and management. Now
companies are engaged in a 'global race to the bottom' -
seeking the lowest wages, lowest safety standards, lowest
environmental standards around the globe.

When we had that balance of power, the free market economy
worked well for the citizens, the ordinary people. Now that
all the power is in the hands of the giant multi-national
corporations, unregulated capitalism is no longer working to
the advantage of the citizenry.

The standard of living of *all* countries will be driven
down to the lowest possible common denominator if we, the
people, don't take back power from the giant corporations.

Pat


--
"Rats and roaches live by competition under the laws of
supply and demand. It is the privilege of human beings to
live under the laws of justice and mercy." - Wendell Berry
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