Growing Food in The Emergency

[PJ Dooley]

With imminent global economic collapse, how are going to feed ourselves? 

 

All the signs are there that an emergency is threatening: the collapse of the euro, which is now only a matter of time; rising fuel prices coupled with likely fuel shortages; galloping climate change; resource depletion (soil, forests, etc.)  Indeed some, such as Richard Douthwaite in the opening article of 'Fleeing Vesuvius', would argue that we are already in an emergency.

 

Not only is there no plan to deal with an emergency but there is widespread denial and inertia.  Asked in a TV interview recently did he think the euro will collapse a government TD said 'no, because the consequences would be too disasterous'.  This shows a total lack of preparedness or serious intent at governement level to deal with the real issues facing the country.   

 

It is interesting to contrast this with what happened during the last Emergency in Ireland, from 1939 to 1945 during the Second World War.  Unlike today, the government - and presumably the general population - recognised that there was, in fact, an emergency.  A rationing system for foodstuffs such as tea and sugar was introduced and a Compulsory Tillage Order was put in place whereby every farmer had to devote a proportion of his land to growing food crops.  Modern media and culture likes to portray these times in Ireland as backward, inefficient and unproductive.  Yet, the country, despite undoubted hardships, managed to survive the Emergency and few, if any, died from starvation.

 

There were a number of factors which, in addition to having an emergency plan of action, enabled Ireland to feed itself during World War II.  

 

• In the 30's and 40's there was mimimal dependency on imported foods.  The bulk of food was grown/produced a short distance from where it was consumed.  Farmers could quite easily respond to demands for more food because they were already feeding themselves and the local community anyway!
• There was a large agricultural population. Farms were generally small and most had several family members available to work the land.  Moreover, farmers helped each other out at peak work times, the Meitheal system.
• Farms were not dependent on imported fossil fuels and large machinery.  Therefore, fuel shortages had little impact on food production.  The horse was in his heydey!
• Likewise there was no dependency on artificial fertilisers, herbicidies or pesticides.   Food production was essentially organic.

 

Virtually none of these factors, which fed Ireland during the last Emergency, exist today.  Farms have become much larger, highly mechanised, oil-dependent, using copious toxic fertilisers and sprays, and farmers are usually operating on their own and in isolation.  Food is mainly grown for processing for the 'market', whether export or Irish supermarket, and is unlikely to be consumed locally.  At the same time, a huge amount of the food we eat is imported.  All of this is a consequence of the much-lauded Common Agicultural Policy of that Abomination known as the European Union.

 

The coming Emergency is likely to bring about both severe food shortages (less imorted food available, high fuel prices etc) and much reduced capacity of people to buy food due to currency collapse, widespread unemployment etc.

 

So what can we do now to deal with this situation?  As suggested above, it's a waste of time looking to the government (or the EU) to do anything.  The answer must come from people at local level mobilising to grow food.  This is where the Transition Movement can play a significant role.  While a proportion of food can be grown in people's back gardens, window sills, community gardens etc. there will not be enough food if we dont convert a significant amount of farmland into food growing projects.

 

The capacity of conventional farming, including organic farming, to respond to the imminent food crisis, is to put it mildly very poor.  This is not the fault of farmers but of a system described above.  There is too much dependence on oil and not enough people to grow food in a post-fossil fuel scenario.  What I believe is needed is for people with an interest in food-growing to enter into arrangements with farmers to acquire land to produce food sustainably for local need. 

 

Speaking for myself, I own a small farm which I am converting to organic.  I am interested in devoting a portion of the farm to local food production and am seeking a number of people to farm the land based on a cooperative model, using permaculture principles if possible.

 

Obviously food is only one aspect of the major transition that will be required.  But food is central. 

 

In the absence of or restrictions on money, alternative models will be needed to enable people to 'buy' the food.  Local currencies and, more importantly, the Gift Economy may come into play here.

 

I would very much welcome thoughts and comments on the topic of feeding ourselves in the Emergency.

 

 

 

 

[theresa omagh]

Andy I agree with so much of what you said. The consumer society is definitely going green and trying to sell everything at bright shiny prices, not really what my idea of eco is, not against people making money but would prefer to go eco with a home made compost bin then a super heated one that spins and costs around £100. The farmers get big subsidies to produce cheap food and that may come to an end soon with the way the markets are.

I thought growing food would be easy, I have now come to the conclusion the way to go is to find an alien invasive species which is edible, has no predators and will grow like a weed, these types of plants grow wild  unrestricted (do not know of any edible ones which is a problem) but I think I would be in trouble if I was serious (may get serious if the food chain collapses)

I think gardening programmes need to show the mistakes and the amount of food that does not grow successfully so that people enter the growing arena with realistic expectations.

The co-op I posted a link to is asking £50k for a plot, land must be expensive in their area! That is way out of my reach, I would be looking for a co-op to join that buys canners or shares info on how to bottle store food, no money for expensive gadets.

Expensive items could be bought and shared.

[theresa omagh]

This is a link to a programme if anyone is interested in how possible food growing for the (smaller) population was in the 1940s.

We know more now so maybe we could do better, as in aquaponics?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01mrdmh/Wartime_Farm_Episode_2/

[Andy Wilson]

Yeah much of this 'green' thing is just another consumer fad that in many cases is even worse than the throw-away culture it claims to replace. I think its better to ignore the things that wave their self-proclaimed 'green'  or 'eco' status, and  maybe even  (to a point) the purist 'organic' or 'veggie' thing and just assess things individually on their own merits.

I would challenge any veggie in Ireland to live well  solely on what they can grow themselves or from what can be produced sustainably from within a 50km radius. That's not to say it can't be done, but actually, when the land resource is properly assessed, it turns out that a greater size of population could be fed by utilising some of the non-tillage land for meat or dairy production. So while a graIn-based diet  supplemented with other  crops (including tree crops) makes sense, an exclusively veggie diet for everyone most certainly does not.

'Organic' is a label, a concept, but it doesn't either frame or define 'sustainability'. It could be argued that much of contemporary organic food  is no more sustainable than a hamburger, or maybe less, if the hamburger is locally produced and the feedstock locally grown too. Sustainable, as in something that can be continued for many years or generations, needn't necessarily imply totally 'organic' (which in any case is a somewhat elastic term subject to commercial forces and political right-on-ness). Copper sulphate, which is used by many 'organic' farmers, is an interesting example of how a chemical can be 'approved' when it suits a purpose.

I think shop-bought food, being heavily subsidised by fossil fuel energy and also by debt and environmental destruction passed on to future generations, is ridiculously under-priced. If these other costs were actually factored in,  shop food would become so expensive that overnight hundreds of thousands of people would demand the opportunity to grow their own food. While its unlikely that external costs will suddenly be internalised, some costs won't be postponable. As the price of food rises, then so will the imperative to grow it.

I think one of the reasons that allotments haven't always turned out well is that many people started them with unrealistic expectations of what they could produce with x amount of effort (and maybe starting from a position of little or no prior experience). So some people got a bit burned by the experience. The second wave, when it comes, will probably do better!

[theresa omagh]

I think settings were changed on this site? when I tried posting links before they never came up but that one did! I found the link on a facebook page, Low-impact Living Initiative I think it is a great page.

I have not yet read the link but thought it may be of interest.

I agree, so many people are sick of the never ending "must have latest gadget" culture, time to work for yourself not for the banks repaying loans for fancy gadgets.

I never was a gadget person. Funny that going greener has turned me into one, I want a canner and a bottler and an apple press, me with a shopping list oh and a windmill!!!!!!!!!!!

[theresa omagh]

http://ecologicalland.coop/ 

[PJ Dooley]

Theresa, I think you are accurate in saying that it is difficult right now to get people involved in working the land.  This may be particularly so if a medium to long term commitment is involved.  But I reckon that in the near future there will be the start of a rapid movement back to the countryside and a growing demand for access to land.  This is because of decreasing opportunities in other parts of the 'economy' and an increasing need for food to be grown locally with low to zero fossil fuel input and, consequently, with a higher input of human labour. 

Kate, looking forward to discussing the presentation with you.  I think I know the land sharing group you are talking about and I intend to speak to them.

[Kate Park]

Hi PJ re preparing some talk at the co-op we can put together a presentation. I will ring you to look at a schedule and make a proposal to various potentially interested parties I have already talked around the subject. I feel the time is really ripe there for this topic ie. a multiplying and widening of the food co-op as a independent nation wide  co-op of small local producers net work providing everything from fish to seeds to grains .At the moment the co-op as stands is strictly vegetarian and was set up 30 years ago with different priorities, it's a sensitive issue and there are a lot of politics. However I have the most amazing conversations every Saturday with people from all walks of life. It's a hub.

I am wary of the pressure bearing down on me at the moment to ensure food and roof are secure at the moment so scarce time would have to be stolen but it's soooo important and I feel it will be more a case of bringing like minded people to a focus and act.

Also re land sharing I can't find it now but I came across an Irish group that have set up a legal structure for land sharing

the address is probably here on the Ning .

[theresa omagh]

I agree, a local co-op to produce and store food (learning how to store ie in glass jars or cans etc.) would be great if it could be done.

I have a large garden which I have been trying to interest people in sharing for about 2 years now, and so far no one is interested, I also hear that allotments in Omagh were not a success.

I do think a co-op may be more successful as it would have a more social attraction, more so then sharing a back garden or an allotment were the others may want privacy.

Another important note about staying close to the food you grow, think of all the sheep that are stolen nowadays and in the past the little huts in fields that were there so a man could watch over the crop at night to prevent crop theft.

A local farmer tells me that animals were not kept in a room at the end of the house for heat but to stop them being stolen!

[PJ Dooley]

Theresa, your questions are very pertinent and ones which Ive been mulling over for a while.  At present I see three options regarding those who may get involved in working the land: they come from other places and live in the farmhouse, they come from other places and live locally (possibly in houses nearby that are currently empty), they come from the locality.  I agree that it would not be feasible for people to commute long distances, especially as fuel gets dearer and scarcer.   

I think there will be a growing interest among people, including young people, in moving to rural areas and working the land.  There will be fewer and fewer conventional jobs but there will be a mountain of work to be done in restoring the land, growing food, planting trees etc.  A key challenge will be how to organise and reward this work.  One possible way is a land-based co-operative where everyone involved shares the work and the rewards. 

In any case, it will be important to match those who want to produce food and dont have access to land with those who have land and are willing to make it available for local, sustainable food production.

[Andy Wilson]

Just a further thought - maybe Mondragon Corporation isn't the best example to look at when considering starting a small, local, land-based cooperative. With 90,000 or so members/employees and an annual turnover in multiples of billions, spread through several hundred different  active  subsidiary companies, its not an organisation that lends itself to easy analysis. While the early years (from 1955 to 1970) might be of interest, there are not many  obvious parallels between the  industrialised but very poor Basque regions of that time and Ireland of 2012.

From a perspective of setting up a food growing cooperative, I think there might be more recent examples much closer to home.

However, for anyone interested in the history of worker's cooperatives and collectives in the various Iberian regions (Andalusia, Asturias, the Basque provinces and Catalonia among others) I can recommend 'Anarchist Collectives: Workers' Self-management in the Spanish Revolution, 1936-39' and also 'The Anarchists of Casas Viejas'

The former does not concern itself especially with food production, but captures the  contagious atmosphere of that revolutionary period. The latter looks at the story of the illiterate and unbelievably poor  Andalusian campesinos, and how they attempted improve their  desperate living circumstances (imposed by the large land owners) through self-organisation at local level.  Theirs is a  poignant  and deeply moving story of children dying from malnutrition or from what might nowadays be considered minor illnesses, of  hungry people trapping small birds for food while the rich lived in opulent  mansions and enjoyed the best trappings of the modern era. It gives something of a flavour of what Ireland might be like in the future, if the powerful are left to call the shots.