#Copacogeca claims to speak for “over 22 million European farmers and their family members.”

There’s just one problem with that assertion: It isn’t true.

https://www.politico.eu/article/copa-cogeca-farmering-lobby-europe/

#Europe #CAP #Farming #Agroecology #JustTransitions #SmallFarms #SustainableFarming

This week we had a mama pig give birth for the first time - which never grows old.

These babies will grow up as pigs should; with their mama and rooting around in the dirt for goodies.

#RegenerativeFarming #PastureRaised #SmallFarms #FarmLife #Pigs

Photo by my friend Lyrica, about a year ago.
I enjoy #supporting our local #SmallFarms a lot. #Bouquet bought at #roadside #FarmStand for my Mom.

#Wsanec #Saanich #VictoriaBC #yyj #vanisle #VancouverIsland #PNW #PacificNorthwest #flowers #happiness

Just published my latest #blog - a reflective exploration about #SelfSufficiency, needing help, and the role that #SmallFarms and #Homesteading can play in building resilient communities. It's a bit memoirish, i.e., long. 😆 All feedback is welcome!

PS: If you prefer audio, you can hear yours truly reading the blog in my decidedly low-tech version of a #podcast - the link is on the blog.

https://traciraymond.com/2023/03/25/expanding-concepts-of-sustainability-hiring-help-on-the-homestead/

#WritingCommunity #Agroecology #Sustainability #Farming #Permaculture

RT @buy_betterfood: Kicking-off the 2-day event at the @ICLEI_Europe office in Brussels!
This morning session with @Franc_Bogovic, @SlowFoodHQ, @ecoruralis (+ many more) addresses the question of how #localgovernments can support #smallfarms. 👩‍🌾👨🏾‍🌾
A warm welcome to all participants and speakers! 💚

🐦🔗: https://n.respublicae.eu/Franc_Bogovic/status/1638472401171120128

I love the concept of “ecological debt.” Truly a special approach to farming. #agriculture #regenerative #SmallFarms #environment #solutions #sustainable #organic
https://modernfarmer.com/2023/02/sustainable-farmers-see-promise-in-new-financing-options/

My latest story: Sustainable Farmers See Promise in New Financing Options. Some small farms are rejecting expansion pressure by investing in long-term value. Will funders follow suit? #agriculture #financing #regenerative #sustainable #farmloans #smallfarms #bcorp #banking #organic #familyfarms
https://modernfarmer.com/2023/02/sustainable-farmers-see-promise-in-new-financing-options/

There was a soft drink distributor called Slades that had local bottlers in each area. They’d take empty bottles back, clean them and reuse them without having to recycle them into new bottles — which is way more energy intensive and complicated, and done in very few locations, which means high transport costs too.

I know of one dairy in the state that does returnable milk bottles, but what about things like yoghurt, hummus, or vinegar? Yeah I could (and do, on and off) make my own yoghurt and hummus and even apple cider vinegar. But we shouldn’t all need to make *everything* from scratch. More to the point, we *can’t* if we’re dealing with the exigencies of living under late capitalism and don’t have at least one person per household working full time on that stuff.

I don’t know where I’m going with this. I still want to do as much as I can individually, within my own means and energy levels, because that’s the sort of home I want to live in. But I also want it to get easier for everyone (including me), and that means #SystemicChange.

In practical terms that means stuff like:

- Advocating for bottle return/reuse schemes (if your state doesn’t have one)
- Limiting the power of the supermarket duopoly (Coles and Woolworths)
- Deep systemic support for #SmallFarms, food processors and retailers
- Policies that support work/life balance
- Reducing #IncomeInequality so more people have access to all this

Anyway I should get back to my Sundar arvo cooking.

#FoodSovereignty

As Grocery Stores Get Bigger, Small Farms Get Squeezed Out

Will a Kroger-Albertson’s merger put more money in the pockets of retailers, making it even harder for small and mid-sized farms to access markets?

#BigAg #BigGrocery #FoodPolitics #LocalFood #SmallFarms #EatLocal

https://civileats.com/2023/01/17/grocery-stores-consolidation-kroger-albertsons-small-farmers-supply-chain-market-demand/

“There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace.”

― Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac

Support #smallfarms