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  • From: Matt Cheselka <cheselka AT freestateproject.org>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Globalization / Food Quality / What to do?
  • Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2004 16:18:06 -0500 (CDT)


I forgot to thanks Pat Meadows for the great discussion (and her list of
"What To Do") about a month ago about all these subjects.

There is SO MUCH here that it's very difficult to get my head around it,
and I admit I haven't yet although I keep trying. Right now my thoughts
on all of this are way to scattered to make myself sound intelligent, so I
won't.

Concerning veggies specifically, I do observe that it's (collectively) all
our fault that we're in the mess we're in. The problem is that going back
to a situation where our supermarkets only have "in season" and locallly
grown veggies isn't going to happen. We've gotten too use to buying
cantaloupe in January -- and in general we *like* it! It doesn't matter
to a consumer that what they're buying came from somewhere else. It
doesn't even enter their thoughts. All they know is that they can get a
cantaloupe at a good price. All it has to be is "good enough" for a
consumer to buy it. Free market economists talk about consumers wanting
"the best product possible for the cheapest price" and here's a perfect
example of that. The producers are just giving us what we ask for. It's
actually fascinating to me to study the supply chain for such a thing and
to consider the trip that cantaloupe in January has made to get to me!

But now I'm beginning to talk to much and get into areas I know little or
nothing about. I do, however, have some comments about your suggestions,
Pat:

> 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.

IMO, any government involvement in trying to improve the situation will
only make it worse and is a recipe for disaster. Asking for government
(i.e., taxpayer funded) help is the wrong road. Plus, IMO it's not
morally right for small farmers to be supported with any kind of public
money. If a grower can't afford their own costs throught either on or
off-farm income, then they're too big for their own britches and need to
get smaller for a while.

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

The best protest I can give to industrial veggie production etc is having
my 'Vegetables' stand up and running every week, or more often if I have
the stuff to sell. Yelling and chanting in a protest march is
grandstanding and misdirected.

> 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.

It's my understanding that local supermarkets aren't in control of what
veggies they get. A big truck rolls in, they unload, and that's it. I
haven't talked to my local supermarket, but maybe in smaller towns the
produce mangers can get away with having *some* local stuff. Smaller
stores, like health food stores and co-ops seem to be a more likely
clients.

> 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.

IMO, consumers are ALWAYS in control. There is no point where we're not.
It's our dollar. Part of the problem is that we've abdicated that
control. I'm not saying that companies don't try to "trick" us becuase
they certainly do (pretty much every commercial on TV has some kind of
disclaimer, which is their way of trying to get out of a lie or a
half-truth). What I'm saying is that the solution to our food problem is
literally in our backyards.

If I'm misguided or saying something stupid, please let me know. These
discussions are very helpful and educational to me (and I hope to others).

Matt Cheselka
Cosmic Lettuce





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