While the mono-crop producers are digging their talons into the flesh of government, our health and the environment, small farmers are beginning to spread their wings for independence and prosperity.
It is well known in the liberty communities that farming is a key part of freedom, but are we doing the right things to take full advantage of the tools available today?
A lot of people, like my family, get into farming for reasons such as more humane treatment of animals, control over what the animals eat and other similar minded reasons having to do with quality of life and the quality of food that is produced. Those are great reasons and are likely to have positive ramifications for the farmers and the area they operate in, but there are still more reasons that I suspect less farmers consider a priority. These reasons have more to do with liberty and creating even better markets.
Historically, farmers are the engine of freedom and they are also the victims of annihilation as governments know that food often holds the greatest tactical power. As governments always try to mold society in as controlled a fashion as possible, farm markets are often highly controlled. This is were we have some real opportunities today.
With the tools available now such as decentralized information, transportation, and financial tools (i.e. blockchain), it seems we could eventually render the tentacles of control obsolete - or at least small enough to drown in a tub. These tools are particularly suited for a more peer-to-peer market system. My question is; will this change the culture enough to strengthen the markets naturally?
Is that even what many farmers actually want? Farmers probably would want this, if they knew it, but many are just trying to improve their lives without necessarily considering liberty at its essence. Liberty needs more/ better marketing.
I think humans should spend less time growing grass and more time growing perennial crops. I think our #1 "crop" in the USA is grass.
No doubt about that! I couldn't agree more. Lawns are really very wasteful.
You don't self upvote? I'd upvote your reply but it wouldn't count due to the .02 earnings threshold. I think it might be cool if some people grew chives grass. I do like eating chives. lol I am growing some but it's not taking over my yard like I heard it would and I hoped it would.
Usually not on comments, unless I feel it's worth it to push my comment above the spam. I usually do on my posts.
It's funny you mention that, because we have so much chive growing in our fields and lawn. At one time that was pretty much all there was in our fields. It was the strangest thing. I suspected neighbors of playing a joke on me a few years back, but now I think that it was because our soil was so poor that chives were best suited to that. Our goats love them!
If people with upvotes .02 or lower upvote you you should probably self upvote so their votes count.
Do you eat them? Sometimes they taste better than other times. Someday I want to try eating a salad full of them. It's a little weird eating grass. lol
That last sentence hits hard bro, good way to wrap it up.
Personally, I say we should decentralize all the things. I hadn't thought of how my little garden did that, I just thought it would help me be less dependent on a grocery bill.
Thanks! It's a problem I would like to do some work on.
That is exactly the answer, I think. I believe that if what you were the norm and there were more markets supporting that concept, we would naturally be a more robust and more free society.
Definitely a progressive notion. Gives me an idea.
I'm wanting to incorporate crypto into my side hustle more. I think I'll put crypto QR codes on my next batch of business cards.
The county farmer's market meets across the street from our new house. It's now a crypto evangelism ground, as well as a place to participate in the local economy.
That is cool.
I offer my farrier clients 10% off if they pay in bitcoin. It seems to be a win-win because I just hold it and it continues to go up. There are a couple of point-of-sales software systems that people can use now (such as vendors). If you don't beat me to it, maybe I'll look into that for post.
Ooh, a farrier! Not every day you see one if them. I'm a welder.
A crypto point of sale you say? Research is needed. Though I don't imagine it could be as convenient as a smartphone could it?
I would say putting the smaller farms on an equal footing in terms of money with the larger ones is vital. Farm subsidies are a huge talking point with politicians talking about the subsidies helping the small farmer. Yet most of the money goes to the major corporations (no surprise there). In fact, the small farmers get an unequal PERCENTAGE of the total.
Cryptocurrency might be a solution. How about starting a token that is used by small farmers...a way to fund their operations while giving people who support them a method of payment.
Just an idea off the top of my head.
So what do we do? Buy a GPU for our local farmer? Ask to pay him in crypto?
Take SMTs for example. They can be used for almost anything and don't need much in the way of processing like other coins do. But the markets I'm thinking of could resemble OpenBazaar with contracts mixed with Chasyer (there are others).
Whats Chayser?
You're proposing a token specifically for acricultural use on the steem blockchain? Make it happen bro. Sounds like the ICO market is gonna go nuts on here.
That is the tough one, I think. My suspicion is that we (small farmer, anarcho-minded) need to ignore the old system and just create our own new one. Fighting the beast in the face seems to just make it more nasty. The beast needs to be starved, which your suggestion could help with.
I've seen some movement with that in the permaculture sphere. It doesn't seem like it has gone very far. Though, I don't know why any existing blockchain such as bitcoin or whatever isn't used.
Farmers have always been facing these problems but the decentralization will surely help them as they can independently control their production ,that would pretty much make the best out of their lands..
Surely crypto can get into the game and get the whole thing tokenized..
I hope that crypto and other decentralization could also make farmers a more difficult target. The current system incentivises them (though the threat of violence) to self report.
The government will always try to control everything, it is part of wanting to have power always, the decentralization that blockchain provides us with could help us to get out of this control, but maybe we need to change the chip to many people who resist the changes, mostly young people can open their minds, but there will be people who will continue to bet on the old practices.
True. I think we are beginning to see a growing divide between those that will and those that won't. It will be interesting to see if we can have it both ways. I think we can, but we have to try these things to see.
the main problem is the fear of change, we focus on always doing the same thing, always having the same results, we must bet on change! the blockchain is a great leap, a great change and has not been bad, thanks for your kind comment, if I have some mistakes, is that I do not speak English, use translator, happy day
Ha. You seem to have good english. Probably better than many natives. Thanks for being part of the discussion.
Local farming is where it’s at. Fresh, organic and in season foods. The cardboard food world is not for me anymore. It kills you.
Farmer's markets are more fun, too. It takes more effort to get to them, but I think it is worth it.
Farmers' markets are becoming more popular again in my area. It's the only way to get affordable organic food and you talk to the person that produced your food - kind of cool. Some of the vendors have found their niche in very tasty heirloom vegetables.
i wish you would elaborate more with this topic... more details please:) i had not at all thought of the implications of blockchain in direct relationship to farming. MOAR. and ty for kickstarting my brain on this
Thanks. I would love to. I often find myself trying to figure out how it could work for CSAs and other coop style markets. I have some ideas, but more intelligent people than me need to be the ones to do the actual work.
Thank you for posting quality content!
My pleasure. I hope to keep growing.
if implemented this could really help on a great level
Only time will tell.
great post and amazing concept Followed!
Thank you!