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  • From: "Jill Bussiere" <jdt AT itol.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: RE: [Market-farming] Globalization / Food Quality / What to do?
  • Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2004 16:32:29 -0500

I am glad to see you are continuing the discussion, Matt. Responses below,
with stars next to them...


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.

******Matt, then perhaps you would be willing to work to get government
subsidies cut to corporate farms - then, it would be more of a "free market"
system, if that is what you favor. But currently, the largest percentage of
subsidies by far go to corporate farms, which makes it a bit unfair for
folks such as yourself when you try to sell your vegetables.

> 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.

****I agree that growing a garden, and making the fruits of your labor is a
revolutionary act all in itself today, and worth while. However, protesting
can help too - when your legislators are beholden to corporate money -
protesting is one way that you can get their and the media's attention. I
have seen the effectiveness of such marches. If it isn't your cup of tea -
then you can sit them out - but I support any and all means of grass roots
expression that could possibly result in change.

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.

*****Our store, which is local, does indeed buy local produce - but the
prices they pay for it are very low, and of course, influenced by the
subsidized bigger farms, etc. and also because they have to resell.

> 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.

****Yes, its our dollar - and our individual choices have influence, I agree
with you - but those who have many, many dollars have more influence. I
think it is a mix of consumers' dollars, and corporate dollars - our
legislators must listen to both the people they represent and to the
corporate dollar - in our current system, as they need both to get
reelected. Most times, the people are not aware of how and why decisions
are made - when they are, and take action - by buying appropriate foods, by
writing to their legislators, by writing letters to the editor, by holding
public demonstrations, by holding public educational events - they can have
a great influence. At the same time, corporations work hard to lobby, and
to write legislation, or influence others to write it, that favors their
interests.

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).

*****Jill Bussiere, Wisconsin

Matt Cheselka
Cosmic Lettuce

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