The democratic and sacred nature of agriculture |
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Authors: | Evaggelos Vallianatos |
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Institution: | (1) 675 W. 10th Street, Claremont, CA 91711, USA |
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Abstract: | ‘Sustainable’ agriculture is a relative recent invention. It is a salvage operation designed to undo some of the harm of agribusiness,
which nearly wiped out farming as a way of life. Sustainable agriculture tries to restore methods of farming and values that
satisfy present needs for food without compromising the food for future generations. Sustainable farming, however, remains
experimental and on the fringes of society and science. It includes all kinds of farming practiced by peasants, small-scale
family farmers, organic farmers as well as large farmers. In what follows, I am showing, first, farming is or becomes sustainable
when two things prevail: First, it is democratic, spread throughout the land in the form of family farming while the difference
in size among farms is modest at best. Second, farming is sustainable when it draws its inspiration and methods not merely
from the most advanced ecological science but from ancient agrarian cultures. I briefly highlight the case of ancient Greek
farming as having the virtues of sustainability: that of equity and democracy. In our times, however, agribusiness and animal
farming fail the criteria of sustainability. |
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