Subject: Latest TCLocal article: Visioning County Food Production, Part Six
Date: Sun, 01 Aug 2010 09:59:45 -0400
Karl North's TCLocal series on Tompkins County food production
continues this month with Part Six, "Rural Agriculture." This
installment envisions a system of feeder farms associated with
village-size population clusters located in the rural areas around
the City of Ithaca -- the third of the three agroecosystems upon
which we will rely in a future of declining energy inputs (the
other two systems being Urban and Peri-urban, described in parts
Four and Five of the series).
As Karl notes in the article, "Only rural farms have the space to
grow enough of the starchy staples like potatoes, grains, beans,
and rice that have historically supported urban population
densities. Moreover, only rural farms can supply enough of the
materials like oils, fibers, and wood that are basic necessities
in our cold climate. Agrarian villages, not the urban center, will
again become the heart of a relocalized county food system in the
coming years."
Parts One through Five of the series are available at locations
listed below.
People who wish to comment on TCLocal articles or engage their
authors in discussion should note that the TCLocal web site is
specifically designed to get feedback on these ideas as they are
developed. Please use the comment form at the bottom of each
article so that we can keep all the input in one place.
SUMMER VACATION
TCLocal will be taking a break during August, but we'll be back in
September with new material and a live panel on "Local Responses
to Energy Descent" at the 17 September Back to Democracy meeting
in Trumansburg. Keep an eye out for announcements as we approach
the date!
ABOUT TCLOCAL
Each month (approximately) TCLocal brings you another in our
series of articles addressing various aspects of energy descent in
Tompkins County. Contributors to TCLocal are members of the
community committed to helping prepare for a future with less
available energy. Articles that have appeared so far in this
series can be found at tclocal.org. They include:
Burning Transitions: How Planned, Localized, Sustainable
Non-food Biomass Utilization Can Help Ease Energy Descent and
Mitigate Global Climate Change
by Krys Cail (October 2009) http://tclocal.org/2009/10/burning_transitions.html
Articles appearing at tclocal.org are published under the Creative
Commons license and are owned and managed by the contributors as a
group. People interested in becoming TCLocal contributors should
first read "How to Contribute" at