The romance vs the reality of farming
I'm in the middle of a visit to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. It's a tremendously scenic place and the people here are amazingly friendly and welcoming.
It is also a place that historically has send many of its sons and daughters away to find work elsewhere. Buildings have fallen to ruin and once-cleared farmland has reverted to woody perennials. Which reminded me of a quote one of my Caper friends gave me.
Too many, I'm afraid, have a view of agriculture and food production that's more romantic than realistic. Folks who can afford to move back to the country, plant a garden, tend an orchard, and raise a few animals are blessed. But they aren't the same as folks who are doing that for a living. Nor is their life and the lives of their family members dependent upon what they produce. Subsistence farming is NOT secure.
There's a difference between farming WITH money and farming FOR money.
I'm hoping to get back to posting more regularly ...
Edits: 1. Corrected title of Leacock's book; 2. Corrected error in second to last sentence (thank you, @OnlookerfrTroy !).
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| Near Whale Cove, Nova Scotia |
It is also a place that historically has send many of its sons and daughters away to find work elsewhere. Buildings have fallen to ruin and once-cleared farmland has reverted to woody perennials. Which reminded me of a quote one of my Caper friends gave me.
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| Romance vs Reality (quote from My Remarkable Uncle, 1942 ) |
Too many, I'm afraid, have a view of agriculture and food production that's more romantic than realistic. Folks who can afford to move back to the country, plant a garden, tend an orchard, and raise a few animals are blessed. But they aren't the same as folks who are doing that for a living. Nor is their life and the lives of their family members dependent upon what they produce. Subsistence farming is NOT secure.
There's a difference between farming WITH money and farming FOR money.
I'm hoping to get back to posting more regularly ...
Edits: 1. Corrected title of Leacock's book; 2. Corrected error in second to last sentence (thank you, @OnlookerfrTroy !).
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