No Bar Code

**Ferre** · Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 10:11 pm Post subject: No Bar Code

I just finished reading this excellent article and recommend reading it too...

No Bar Code
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payitforward · Cannabis Sacrament Minister Joined: 12 May 2006 Posts: 20

Excellent article. I just read an interview with the author and it's available at:

http://www.truthdig.com/interview/item/20060411_michael_pollan_interview/

It's another good read...

Localized food supply is a great idea and it even works in urban settings. The Cubans have rearranged their food supplies after they lost the majority of thier oil flow due to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Here's a good article that covers what it takes food wise to survive the other side of Peak Oil: http://www.globalpublicmedia.com/articles/657

payitforward...

**Ferre** · Posted: Fri May 12, 2006 5:50 pm Post subject:

Welcome to our community payitforward. You'll find this video very interesting too:

http://www.thc-ministry.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6612

.
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█ I hereby declare Peace on war!
█ Please read the Board Rules and Posting, and you
█ Radio Free Amsterdam
People who know truth, speak truth.
Those who don't, quote scriptures.

LiamS · Posted: Mon May 15, 2006 1:01 am Post subject:

Greetings, everyone. This article was a very informative one, and certainly provides much food for thought. Bad pun certainly intended.
My wife and I reside in rural Pennsylvania, and for some time have been putting in crops as part of our own effort to avoid commercially produced foods, be they animal or vegatable. Other efforts have included purchasing free range beef from relative farmers, eggs from local producers, and patronizing local farmers markets. Luckily, in our area, it's so rural that such items haven't become highly priced; it's just rather a standard of existence. It is an interesting thing. Most people who farm around here do so as a sideline only; it's not economically feasible otherwise. When I was a lad, I worked on a dairy farm in the summers, and back then, there were many family farms, all over the place. Over the years working there, in the eighties, we watched as one by one, the farmers folded, forced out by industrial farming in other areas of the country. The farm that I worked on folded shortly after I turned 18.
A farm which relies on a small family for operation, with a few hired hands in the summer season, just cannot make ends meet. It was a domino effect that took place in less than a decade.
These days alot of people regret much the failure of the family farms in this area, when forced to shop at the local Save-Alot, or BiLow. And we've seen in this area somewhat a return to the grassroots approach, though it's slow in forming, as far as an overall trend. There's been much talk of co-ops lately from farmers once forced out by corporate efforts.
As far as urban utilization of such notions, indeed, there is much to be said as to the concept of sustainable agriculture for persons living with very limited, or even no land space for crops. We have some space here, for regular crops by standard methods, but not much. Some of our soil, where we reside personally, is clay laden, due to the river valley. So, over the years, we've been experimenting with raised beds, boxes, and just this year, we're trying out those Earth boxes, courtesy of Mother Earth News. These boxes are amazing, never seen anything quite like them. They aren't at all large, though they hold a good bit of soil, and they have their own very rudimentary moisture utlization system, though it seems very effective, thus far. Other methods we used in the past were using those small plastic kiddie pools, filled with top soil and punched with holes in the bottom for drainage. Those little things will grow you a freezer full of tomatoes for the winters, and some hot peppers as well. That ideas came from Mother Earth News as well, I think. People in urban areas could easily use such methods on a personal level. Suburban efforts with farmer's markets and co-ops are also highly effective to propogate food flow into the cities.
Very cool article.

Liam S