From this week’s Just Food CSA Newsletter:
As a CSA member, you are probably lucky enough to know your farmer, how they grow their crops, and you can be confident that your payments are helping a small farm to be both environmentally and economically sustainable.
But what about the large-scale farms that produce most of our food in this country? Where does the money for this kind of agriculture come from, and how well is that system working?
The environmental news & commentary blog Grist recently posted a podcast featuring an interview with “local food economist” Ken Meter to discuss this issue. In the podcast, Meter and host Tom Philpott look at the history of agricultural loans and subsidies, government programs for farmers that have been lost, and lessons that we should have learned from previous economic disasters. The second part of the podcast, in which Meter and Philpott will discuss alternatives to this system (like CSA) that help keep wealth in our communities, will be posted next week.
To listen to Part 1 the podcast, click here.