Gaia Community: leensylus' Blog

Radio Equals Bioregion?

http://culturalsustainability.gaia.com — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:44:17 GMT

This is a post I recently made on a different blog: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Bioreg/

It occurred to me tonight that perhaps the distance that any particular radio frequency covers is indicative of a region, specifically a geo- and hence bio- region. Tonight I traveled from the foothills of the White Mountain's Presidentials, east to my home on a large cove beach in southern Casco Bay. As I crossed out of the curvy dark hills and valleys and up onto the rolling coastal plain, the weather shifted (as it so often does) and I had to change my radio from setting 2- NHPR to setting 1- MPBN. These two stations have noticeable overlap, where as the Maine station never makes VT nor VT speak to the coast. The mountains running down the center of the state of New Hampshire are the divide. They cut off the frequencies that would otherwise travel east to west, west to east. The biomes, and culture of these regions seems to be divided likewise. The landscape of Vermont is slightly different than that of New Hampshire, and a bit more from that of Maine. The weather man from Maine speaks more directly to my father's weather patterns just east of the mountains in NH than does the Vermont weather man much closer - as the crow flies - to the west across the mountains. At his home the Maine NPR comes in clearly, that from Vermont is virtually impossible to get.

I know this is much discussion on a fairly banal phenomenon. But I wonder that such a recognition does not speak directly to some of the most rapid transformations and pressing concerns of our day. As our nation-state takes it upon itself to institute ubiquitous digitally transported television, I think it wise for us to consider what old ways of transferring knowledge we would like to hold on to. I think it ungrounding not to hear regularly and often about the news from my local region. The awareness of my immediate eco/cultural landscape will keep me focused on the needs and resources closest at hand. This sort of connection might make us not only more sympathetic to our own neighbors and landscape, but more sympathetic those people, creatures, and landscapes we so readily learn about with the many-other digital forces of our day.

"Cultivating and conserving diversity is no luxury in our times: it is a survival imperative." - Vandana Shiva

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EO Wilson: Sustainability, Stewardship, and Protection of Spirit

http://culturalsustainability.gaia.com — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 02:41:40 GMT

6/14

Natural philosophy has brought into clear relief the following paradox of human existence. The drive toward perpetual expansion – or personal freedom – is basic to the human spirit. But to sustain it we need the most delicate, knowing stewardship of the living world that can be devised. Expansion and stewardship may appear at first to be conflicting goals, but they are not. The depth of the conservation ethic will be measured by the extent to which each of the two approaches to nature is used to reshape and reinforce the other. The paradox can be resolved by changing its premises into forms more suited to ultimate survival, by which I mean protection of the human spirit.

EO Wilson

“The Conservation Bible”

Biophilia

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Comment Reply 6/2

http://culturalsustainability.gaia.com — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:42:45 GMT

Zephyr commented on Entry "Change in Food quote 6/2"

i thiink we should consider carefully, the bird flu first then swine flu, are factory farms a breeding ground for new pandemics?

http://www.ciwf.org.uk/farm_animals/pigs/swine_flu/default.aspx

Zepher,

Yes, I believe this is a huge issue. There are so many components to it- human health (both nutritional and disease), animal welfare, the safety of our food supply. With the swine flue scare of last month, I grew incredibly frustrated with the government and US pork industry, as they worked to officially declare that the outbreak should not be referred to as "swine" flu. They said that it would scare people away from eating pork and deface the industry, when the flu (in their minds) was not related to either. But, of course, the flue was a direct result of both. Sure, a person's pork-chop on the plate was not going to infect them, but the industrial production of the meat was the cause of the new disease. The pork industry should have lost more face in that situation than it did, and I was incredibly disappointed in the Obama administration and the global media for not doing a more effective job of letting the public know that it was their food choices and the methodology of the meat industry that put us all at risk and killed so many people.

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Change in Food quote 6/2

http://culturalsustainability.gaia.com — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:55:19 GMT

Eric Schlosser:

“Our food production has changed more in the last 40 years than it did in the previous 40k, through the industrialization in particular of livestock”

I got this quote from the author of "Fast Food Nation" out of a PBS Nature film. I like it and believe that it speaks an important truth. However, it is somewhat inaccurate, in my view, because I believe that the domestication of plants and animals (about 10k years ago) was surely the most significant shift in man kind's history of food acquisition.

"Holy Cow" 

Narrated by EDWARD HERRMANN

Produced by LAURA MARSHALL ANDIE CLARE

Written and Directed by HARRY MARSHALL

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Final Thesis Proposal

http://culturalsustainability.gaia.com — Sat, 30 May 2009 19:15:25 GMT

Reexamining Adaptive Traditions:

How the Historical Vision of the Maine State Grange Might Support

the Modern Sustainable Agrarian Shift

Thesis Proposal by

Nikkilee Carleton

28 May 2009

University of Southern Maine

Honors Program

Major: Geography-Anthropology

Minor: Environmental Sustainability

"It is not necessarily those lands which are the most fertile or most favored climate that seem to me the happiest, but those in which a long stroke of adaptation between man and his environment has brought out the best qualities of both." ~T. S. Elliot

Abstract:

This research investigates the role of adaptive traditions in the ability of societies to be socially and ecologically sustainable. This will primarily be examined through the comparative case studies of the Maine Patrons of Husbandry (Grange) and modern sustainable agrarian communities. I will research the historical role of Maine Granges to determine how understanding them as a precedent can assist the efforts of current agricultural communities. At one time the Granges served as centers of community life and as an impetus for sharing knowledge and technology between isolated farmsteads.[i] What impact did the Grange’s efforts have on farming practices, the farmer and his/her community? The Grange’s popularity saw significant decline with the inception of modern mechanization and agribusiness. For today’s farmers who are reapplying techniques from before the Green Revolution, what aspects of the Grange system might still be applicable? An ethnographic, oral history and archival examination of two Maine Granges and the agrarian communities they supported – the Cumberland County, Maine towns of New Gloucester and Brunswick – will provide insight into these questions. Concurrent to this oral history research, information about the Grange will be anecdotally shared with sustainable and small scale farmers in Maine to gain insight into what aspects of the Grange might support modern farm communities. The result will be an historical and contemporary ethnographic examination of agrarian Maine that explores scientific and global socio-economic references. I hope for this work to inform both regional and global shifts in agrarian cultures.

A Theoretical Introduction

Do generations of working within a landscape lead to adaptive traditions in human culture? Can traditions of the past be re-implemented contemporarily when they have not been used in generations? These questions along with many aspects of the social and cultural history of agriculture and culture in Maine will be the focus of this thesis. Eight weeks of ethnographic fieldwork combined with theoretical research of socio-economic history and cross-cultural examples will provide the data for examination of these topics.

Ecological Adaptation and Resilience

True sustainability, both social and ecological, is not simple to establish. It has taken millennia for the Earth’s diverse ecosystems to develop, and research shows that it is this diversity that supports the resilience of the biomes.[ii] Resilience means the community as a whole is able to withstand stressors and shifts.[iii] Stated directly, we see that diversity leads to sustainability.

At the root of the evolution of diversity is adaptation. As a species adapts to a specific niche it is able to most effectively and efficiently use a set of available resources. As more and more species develop to usurp specific niches, every resource is taken advantage of, and the “waste” of each process becomes a new resource[iv]. This is the root of sustainability: a community that is well adapted to the site and to one another.

Human Social Adaptation

This dynamic can be transferred to human communities. As a human society adapts to a specific landscape, it gains the ability to effectively use each resource. This adaptation manifests as cultural traditions. Communities have traditional practices that are based on generations of trial and error; generations of learning how to most effectively live in a local landscape. This is one of the most significant adaptive advantages of humankind: the ability to pass on learning. This makes the human ability to adapt much swifter and pliable than the genetic adaptation upon which all other species depend exclusively.

The ability to share acquired understanding is, in many ways, what makes us human. It also can be at the root of the ability to live sustainably upon the land. Over generations, a community passes on a growing understanding of how to use resources and manage waste. The inherent test in this system is that if a society does not find a sustainable balance, their culture will no longer have the ability to persist. But sometimes generations of adaptation are disrupted by outside forces. Maine’s agricultural system is a fine example of this.

Maine’s Farming Tradition

Close to four hundred years ago settlers entered New England with a primary focus on farming. The Maine landscape, in many ways, was an ideal setting for an agricultural society.[v] Families spent nearly ten generations adapting to specific locations. Each farmer learned his soil, his sun, his rain. He established crop systems and husbandry models that were low-input, and low-impact. There were many ecological missteps, as we see them today, and the people surely struggled in their survival. We must recognize, though, that four hundred years is not very long in establishing a completely balanced culture.

On the whole, early New England farmers had a primary consideration for the sustainability of the land, for it was the land that directly provided sustenance for the family and future generations. Rural people focused on cooperation, kinship and family rather than individual profit or high production for the markets.[vi] Farmers came to understand their land in a way that would ensure the sustainability of his life’s work. Each husbandryman had to know what crops would provide a balance between production and ensuring soil fertility for coming years, he had to find effective pest strategies for his particular issues, and develop crop varieties that worked in his fields and kitchen. All of this was slightly different for each farm, and even more unique between bioregions. Each landscape required individual adaptation.

Industrial Displacement of Tradition

In the past half-century or more, these local adaptations have been, for the most part, disregarded and left unpracticed. In an effort to increase production and decrease the cost of food, agriculture has become an industry of monoculture and mechanization.[vii] This has had significant implications not only for the farmers, but also for the land. The pliability of local adaptation is lost with universal mechanization and commodity mono-crop production. We have seen the number of U.S. farms reduced to less than one-third the peak numbers before WWII and the autonomy of the farmer has been lost.[viii] Powerful forces have pushed the average farmer into making decisions that are not only unsuited to her land, but unsuited to her family and community.[ix] The past fifty years of agri-business have disrupted the three centuries of adaptation that came before. Where once a farmer would have grown up on a farm and in a community that was rooted in the adaptive traditions of agriculture, today very few have this advantage.

How we get our food is one of the most fundamental aspects of society. Problems and changes in this vital resource acquisition have considerable and extensive repercussions. Modern agricultural methods are having a serious and detrimental impact on the health of individuals,[x] society,[xi] biodiversity,[xii] and the environment as a whole.[xiii] The small family farm - local and diverse - is one alternative approach that seems a likely source of a more broad-based social and ecological sustainability. [xiv]

The Modern Shift Away from Agribusiness

Recently the USDA published census data showing that the number of farms in Maine is increasing at a rate of 13 percent. This is nearly three times the national average.[xv] It is clear through empirical observation that the farmers who are establishing new farmsteads today are not investing in industrial farm systems. Instead, these farmers seem to be leaning toward a low-input, low-impact, family and local community focused methodology – something more akin to what was in place before the Green Revolution. But these farmers do not have the benefit of having grown up immersed in the traditions of small-scale agriculture. Fifty years of agribusiness have created a “generation gap” in farming traditions.

Reconnecting with the Past

To reestablish sustainability, it seems it would be beneficial to try to regain some of the localized adaptations established in the first three centuries of New England settlement by Europeans. New farmers could benefit from learning what came before. Reconnecting modern farmers with those who remember the methods in place at the beginning of the twentieth century could be a way of preserving the culture. Within this culture are generations of adaptation to Maine’s landscape and the inherent sustainability that they can impart.

Ethnographic Field Work

Introduction

For over one hundred years the Maine State Grange was a primary cultural and organizational center for agrarian communities.[xvi] The Granges brought farmers together for education, cooperative dissemination and purchasing of goods, a common voice against corporate and legislative powers, and support of community in isolated rural areas.[xvii] The Grangers sought to “reinvest the farming class with a sense of dignity and pride in the value of husbandry, in contrast to the morally bankrupt livelihoods of Gilded Age “speculators and middlemen.””[xviii] Doctrines of the Grange acknowledge some of the biggest concerns of contemporary small farmers, who I have come to understand personally through immersion as part of the community.

Participation in the Granges declined precipitously at the establishment of industrial farming.[xix] During this same period the number of farms and farmers declined.[xx] In contrast, today the number of farms in Maine is rapidly increasing[xxi] and most are re-instituting low-input, low-impact practices more typical of pre-industrial agriculture. As a result, many of the struggles of modern small farmers are akin to those faced historically by the Grange.

This research is to examine the current state of farming in Maine and the momentum toward a more sustainable and community-focused food system. My understanding is that the farming system in place during the heyday of the Grange is akin to the “alternative” system currently emerging in Maine: the trend is toward regional innovation that fits the demands of the land and local community. Farms are shifting to a smaller scale and greater diversity (economic, in the crops being grown, and in the value-added adjustments) than their industrial counterparts of the past fifty to eighty years. Rather than focusing on fulfilling a limited, commodity-based objective, these farms are directly serving the surrounding communities and the farmer. This evolution (or as some would see it, regression) can potentially be supported through understanding what was historically known about the land and methods of small-scale, locally-focused agriculture here in Maine. By examining the history of the Granges I hope to better understand what role these institutions played in the agrarian communities and what potentials there are that such a system could support current farmers and their communities.

Objectives

· Explore the history of the Granges through examination of archives such as the Annual Proceedings of the Maine State Grange, visiting of Bethel Historical Society’s Exhibition on the Grange, and discussion with State Historian Stan Howe. Focus on priorities of the Granges and what their efforts were toward accomplishing these priorities.

· Locate informants that have historically participated in the Grange in New Gloucester and Brunswick. Conduct 8-10 interviews about the impact of the Granges on farming practices and communities. Focus specifically on what the informants feel the benefits and problems were with the Granges, what they feel was the major impetus for the collapse of the Grange’s use, and what aspects of the Grange they feel could benefit contemporary small farmers.

· Gather anecdotal ethnographic information within the small farm community surrounding Brunswick Farmer’s market. Focus on sharing information about the Granges and recording farmers’ views on whether the Grange system correlates with their own needs and efforts.

· Create a report about the Granges historical role in farming communities. In this report take into consideration the conditions and responses of current farming communities and what aspects of the Grange system might apply to the contemporary agricultural culture. This report will be distributed through the Granges and Brunswick Farmer’s Market, as well as provided to the leaders of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA).

Locations

The locations this research will focus on, New Gloucester and Brunswick, have personal significance to me: the former is the site of my family’s homestead, farmed for over two hundred years but now unplowed, and the latter is where I farm today. I have family members in New Gloucester who are life-long members of the Grange and will provide an inlet to that community. In my farming community of Brunswick I am regularly faced with how little we know about historical farmers and their methods. Both these towns have significance in the history of the Grange and embody an interesting dichotomy of farm communities. New Gloucester represented a relatively isolated, highly agrarian community. Brunswick was agrarian, but had the temper of a busy mill and fishing economy. Brunswick is significant in the history of the Granges because the first Master of the Dirigo Grange (in Brunswick) was an organizer of the Maine State Grange. New Gloucester stands out as a community with three Granges, and is adjacent to Lewiston, where the Maine State Grange was formed.

Methods

Initial research will focus on examination of historical documents, contemporary publications, and discussion with pertinent experts. I have been in contact with Dr. Stanley Howe, Historian for the Maine State Grange, who has offered to support my research; he is an expert and key informant for this ethnography. With an initial understanding of Grange history, I will undertake an ethnographic examination of the Grange communities in New Gloucester and Brunswick, including field interviews, collection of oral history, and participant-observation at Grange activities. All interviews will be digitally audio recorded for eventual transcription. I will also undertake participant-observation in the contemporary farming community through the interactions of the farm cooperative I am a part of establishing and my regular presence at local farmer’s markets. Conversations with farmers will share information about the research I am conducting and gather ideas about what aspects of the Grange seem to be applicable currently.

Work Plan

While the informal gathering of information and resources is currently on going, the first official effort of this project will be to garner IRB approval for the research. The first two weeks of the SURF session (June/July 2009) will be spent examining historical archives, visiting the Bethel Historical Society, as well as in discourse with experts such as Dr. Howe. Visits to the Granges and local historical societies as well as conversations with on-site historians will direct me toward appropriate informants for ethnographic interviews. I will begin field interviews no later than the last week of June. Throughout the summer I will have the opportunity to hold informal conversations with today’s agricultural community (some to be recorded).

[i] S. Howe, A Fair Field and No Favor (Augusta, Maine: The Maine State Grange, 1994).

[ii] D. Tilman, “Causes, Consequences and Ethics of Biodiversity” Nature 405 (2000): 208-211.

[iii] Tilman, “Causes, Consequences and Ethics of Biodiversity”

[iv] Tilman, “Causes, Consequences and Ethics of Biodiversity”

[v] R. M. Thorson, Stone by Stone: The Magnificent History in New England’s Stone Walls (New York: Walker & Company, 2002).

[vi] E. Brown, “Ritual and Community: The Maine Grange” Unpublished Masters Project (University of Southern Maine, New England Studies), 1992.

[vii] M. Troughton, “Fordism Rampant: the model and reality, as applied to production, processing and distribution in the North American agro-food system,” Rural Change and Sustainability: Agriculture, the Environment and Communities, Ed. S.J Essex, A.W. Gilg, R.B. Yarwood (Cambridge: CABI Publishing, 2005) 13-27.

[viii] Troughton, “Fordism Rampant”

[ix] Troughton, “Fordism Rampant”

[x] “King Corn” Dir. Aaron Woolfe; Writers Ian Cheney and Curtis Ellis; Co-prod. Mosaic Films Incorporated and The Independent Television Service, 2006.

[xi] B. Kingsolver, Hopp, S., and Kingsolver, C. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. New York: Harper Collins, 2007.

[xii] “Pastures Unsung” Ideas, Host: Paul Kennedy; Journalists: Regina Writer and Trevor Herriot; Naturalist: Stuart Houston; Producer: Dave Ridel, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Regina and Edmonton, Canada, 2005.

[xiii] United Nations Environment Programme/GRID-Arendal, “Impacts on Biodiversity and Ecosystems from Conventional Expansion of Food Production,” Rapid Response Assessments: The Food Crisis, Acessed 29 May 2009 from http://www.grida.no/publications/rr/food-crisis/page/3569.aspx

[xiv] Kingsolver, B., Hopp, S., and Kingsolver, C. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life.

[xv] B. Quimby, “Farming in Maine a Growing Business: Demand for Organic Foods Help Spark a Surge in Production and Sales Since 2002” Portland Press Herald 6 February 2009, Retrieved on 6 April 2009 from http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story_pf.php?id=237359&ac=

[xvi] Howe, A Fair Field and No Favor.

[xvii] Howe, A Fair Field and No Favor.

[xviii] Brown, “Ritual and Community,” 24.

[xix] Howe, A Fair Field and No Favor.

[xx] Troughton, “Fordism Rampant”

[xxi] Quimby, “Farming in Maine a Growing Business.”

References:

Aberley, D. “Interpreting Bioregionalism: A Story from Many Voices.” Bioregionalism. Ed. Michael Vincent McGinnis. London and New York: Routeledge, 1999. 13-42.

Brown, E. “Ritual and Community: The Maine Grange.” Unpublished Masters Project (University of Southern Maine, New England Studies), 1992.

“Golden Rice.” Living on Earth. Journalist: Julie Grant. Exec. Producer: Steve Curwood. Public Radio International, Somerville, MA, 30 January, 2009.

Howe, S. A Fair Field and No Favor. Augusta, Maine: The Maine State Grange, 1994.

Howe, S. “History of the Grange.” Maine State Grange. 2006. Retrieved 3 April 2009 from http://mainestategrange.org/grange/index.php?q=node/4

Kemmis, D. “Foreword.” Bioregionalism. Ed. Michael Vincent McGinnis. London and New York: Routeledge, 1999. xv-xvii.

“King Corn.” Dir. Aaron Woolfe. Writers Ian Cheney, and Curtis Ellis. Co-prod. Mosaic Films Incorporated and The Independent Television Service, 2006.

Kingsolver, B., Hopp, S., and Kingsolver, C. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. New York: Harper Collins, 2007.

McGinnis, M. V. “A Rehearsal to Bioregionalism.” Bioregionalism. Ed. Michael Vincent McGinnis. London and New York: Routeledge, 1999. 1-10.

McKibben, B. Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future. New York: Macmillan, 2007.

“Pastures Unsung.” Ideas. Host: Paul Kennedy. Journalists: Regina Writer and Trevor Herriot. Naturalist: Stuart Houston. Producer: Dave Ridel. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Regina and Edmonton, Canada, 2005.

Quimby, B. “Farming in Maine a Growing Buisness: Demand for Organic Foods Help Spark a Surge in Production and Sales Since 2002.” Portland Press Herald 6 February 2009. Retrieved on 6 April 2009 from http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story_pf.php?id=237359&ac=

Robinson, Guy M. “Stewardship, ‘proper’ farming and environmental gain: contrasting experiences of agri-environmental schemes in Canada and the EU.” Rural Change and Sustainability: Agriculture, the Environment and Communities. Ed. S.J Essex, A.W. Gilg, R.B. Yarwood. Cambridge: CABI Publishing, 2005. 135-150.

Thorson, R. M. Stone by Stone: The Magnificent History in New England’s Stone Walls. New York: Walker & Company, 2002.

Tilman, D. “Causes, Consequences and Ethics of Biodiversity.” Nature 405 (2000): 208-211.

Troughton, M. “Fordism Rampant: the model and reality, as applied to production, processing and distribution in the North American agro-food system.” Rural Change and Sustainability: Agriculture, the Environment and Communities. Ed. S.J Essex, A.W. Gilg, R.B. Yarwood. Cambridge: CABI Publishing, 2005. 13-27.

United Nations Environment Programme/GRID-Arendal. “Impacts on Biodiversity and Ecosystems from Conventional Expansion of Food Production.” Rapid Response Assessments: The Food Crisis. Accessed May 29, 2009 from http://www.grida.no/publications/rr/food-crisis/page/3569.aspx

Annotations:

Aberley, Doug. “Interpreting Bioregionalism: A Story from Many Voices.” Bioregionalism. Ed. Michael Vincent McGinnis. London and New York: Routeledge, 1999. 13-42.

Primarily a history of the bioregional movement, Aberly discusses the various players who have been formative in the creation of the theory. With roots in the counter-culture movement of the 1960s, bioregionalism was a response to the growing awareness that natural resources were being extracted at accelerating rates with no corresponding improvement in social or environmental quality of life. The initial effort was to balance industrial-driven economic progress with cultural and ecological sustainability. Two of the most important leaders of this movement were Peter Berg –founding member of the legendary Haight-Ashbury, anarcho-political publication “Diggers” – and Gary Snyder – the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet. Many other writers and thinkers were incremental in establishing the philosophy and tenets of bioregionalism over the next few decades. In the 1980s Jim Dodge began writing significantly on the topic, and contributed what is arguably the most compelling explanation. He wrote of three central values to the vision: the importance of using natural systems as the base of reference for directing human decisions, reliance on a system of government based on “interdependence of self-reliant and federated communities”, and rediscovering the connections between nature and the human mind. In a publication in the 1980s, Peter Berg notes the importance of having or establishing customs that adapt human society to the limitations and opportunities of the natural processes around them. Another leader in the movement, David Haenke, describes some of the important areas that bioregionalism encompasses: permaculture, appropriate technology, renewable energy sources, cooperative economics, land trusts, ecologically-based health policy, and aggressive “peace offensives”. While Aberly is diligent in describing the work of these important thinkers in bioregionalism, he also emphasizes that the theory is best understood by taking part in the practices and gatherings of bioregionalism. Finally, Aberly does his best to synthesize all of his research and experience into a list of tenets of the theory, which include edicts on world-view, culture, governance, and economy.

Brown, E. “Ritual and Community: The Maine Grange.” Unpublished Masters Project (University of Southern Maine, New England Studies), 1992

Elspeth Brown conducted her Masters Research Project for the New England Studies program on the Granges in Maine. Her particular interests were the rituals they used and the atypical (for the period) inclusion of women in the organization. Her writing covers many interesting social and organizational aspects of the Grange. She discusses the late 19^th century ideas of the “rural mentalite” and “agrarian republicanism.” These were the loose terms set on the ideas that rural people were motivated by strong belief in cooperation, kinship and family, rather than individual profit. Brown compares this with the more typical vision of the Gilded Age of “speculators and middlemen” whose rapid concentration of economic power threatened the personal autonomy of the average citizen. The Grange, she says, sought to reinvest the farming class with a sense of dignity and value. Brown also discusses the balanced and important role that women played in the Grange. This was generally seen as a way to ensure the moral fiber of the Grange, where male power had failed to do this on the national level. She describes in detail the various offices and symbolic titles within the grange, as well as the demographics of who joined the early Granges. The architecture and organization of the Grange halls is described and explained. Lastly, Brown describes the conditions of the decline of the Grange.

“Golden Rice.” Living on Earth. Journalist: Julie Grant. Exec. Producer: Steve Curwood. Public Radio International, Somerville, MA, 30 January, 2009.

Golden Rice is a genetically engineered food, designed to supplement the dietary intake of vitamin A in regions of the world, such as India and China, where eye degeneration resultant from Vitamin A deficiency is rampant. Vandana Shiva says, however, the people should not need this, “You can add a few micrograms of vitamin A to white polished rice, and be thrilled that you have added nutrition. But, again, food is not just rice. And definitely for anyone who has even a kindergarten knowledge of nutrition, polished rice is not where you turn to for meeting your Vitamin A needs. You turn to your greens, you turn to your coriander, to your curry leaves, something very very central to our eating.” Since the Green Revolution in the 1960’s farmers no longer grow food for their families, but focus on commodities for the market place, such as rice and cotton. Shiva says they need to be reeducated to grow and eat those green vegetables and leafy greens.

Howe, S. “History of the Grange.” Maine State Grange. 2006. Retrieved 3 April 2009 from http://mainestategrange.org/grange/index.php?q=node/4

This history describes the origins of the national Grange (officially known as the Patrons of Husbandry) and the subsequent formation of the Maine State Grange in the 1870s. The Grange was created to represent the views of agricultural communities, which were often less than prominent in politics because of the rural and remote location of many farmers. The primary focus of the Grange was cooperative activities for farmers, such as offering insurance, promoting group purchasing, and supporting the regulation of railroads and banks. The Granges were a place for adults to better educate themselves as well as debate issues of significance in the communities. The Grange worked hard to improve the livelihood of rural farm residents through efforts such as the promotion of Rural Free Delivery, advocacy for strong local schools and increased funding for UMaine, and promoting and educating farmers about modern scientific farming methods. By the 1960s the Grange’s membership levels had fallen significantly. Today the Granges are still active in some areas, but primarily as a community service center.

McGinnis, Michael Vincent. “A Rehearsal to Bioregionalism.” Bioregionalism. Ed. Michael Vincent McGinnis. London and New York: Routeledge, 1999. 1-10.

A healthy relationship with place is displayed through aspects of culture: languages, rituals, food, textiles, medicine and so on. McGinnis explores the various ways a bioregional approach to life has been exploited. One of the earliest manifestations of the idea was in response to the environmentalist concept of the ‘Tragedy of the Commons’ or the idea that common resources are inevitably over-exploited as a result of the lack of oversight. McGinnis points out, however, that many societies over time have held common resources, under shared regulations, and the resource was conserved. Bioregionalists also disdain the move toward mechanization and away from manpower, as well as the shift to large-scale formal economies rather than the traditional local and community-based economies.

McKibben, Bill. “Introduction.” Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future. New York: Macmillan, 2007. 1-4.

Throughout the history of mankind the acquisition of resources created an improved circumstance for individuals and society. McKibben describes this as the “birds” More and Better roosting side by side on the same branch, and when an individual threw “the stone of your life” it was likely to strike both. This led to an economic and industrial system where the primary focus was on producing ever more because, it was believed, this could only make our lives better. But we now are beginning to see that at some point in the development process the correlation between more and better begins to disintegrate; despite a continued increase in wealth and production we do not see a persistently continued increase in happiness. As a result, the majority of people in the modern world must choose between focusing their lives on augmenting their wealth or fostering their own contentment. McKibben explains that in order to begin to focus more attention on human satisfaction we must endeavor to rebuild our local economies. Because local economies build richer relationships they are more durable and, overall, better able to provide for human satisfaction.

McKibben, Bill. “After Growth.” Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future. New York: Macmillan, 2007. 5-41.

In this chapter McKibben begins to describe in detail the disintegrating correlation between wealth and human satisfaction. The focus on growth has created inequality and insecurity rather than prosperity and progress. Median wages for Americans are the same as they were thirty years ago, and the real (adjusted for inflation) income of the bottom 90 percent of taxpayers has declined steadily. A further failing of the persistent growth focus has been the depletion of resources and overwhelming increase of pollution. These problems not only mean that the growth is not sustainable, but may also be at the root of many individual’s lack of contentment: desecrated back yards and wild lands and miles of monotonous suburbia to commute through are not what bring most people a sense of satisfaction or joy. McKibben offers compelling evidence comparing increases in wealth with falling happiness indices for developed nations over the past half century. Nations described include the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Japan, and many others. He observes that in these places alcoholism, suicide, and depression have increased with the development of capital-building industries and economies. He also emphasizes importantly, that it is not necessarily getting richer that caused these problems, only that it clearly did not alleviate them. Perhaps the most incredible statistic he offers is the clear evidence that money only buys happiness up to the point of $10,000 per capita income, after that the correlation between personal satisfaction and income disappears. Overall, McKibben proposes that perhaps the actual methods of pursuing so much “stuff has turned us ever more into individuals and ever less into members of a community, isolating us in a way that runs contrary to our most basic instincts.” [page 37]

Quimby, B. “Farming in Maine a Growing Buisness: Demand for Organic Foods Help Spark a Surge in Production and Sales Since 2002.” Portland Press Herald, 6 February 2009. Retrieved on 6 April 2009 from http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story_pf.php?id=237359&ac=

This article describes some of the trends found in the latest five-year census released in February, 2009 by the Department of Agriculture. The primary focus is on the fact that the number of farms in Maine is on the rise, and the number of organic farms is rising even more quickly. Despite this trend the number of acres in usage is decling. Russell Libby, executive director of Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association describes an influx of new young farmers, as well as an increase in farmer’s markets. The overall assessment of the census by experts is positive, and the image of agriculture’s future in Maine is seen as promising.

This piece focuses on the ideas of “stewardship” and “environmentally friendly farming” contained in the Ontario Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) and some of the contrasts between this and the ideas within the European agri-environmental schemes. The EFP system was set up to financially and educationally support farmers through a six stage process of identifying environmental strengths and concerns on their farms, and then creating goals to improve environemental conditions. Approimately 24% of farmers in the province (covering 1/5 of the farmland) took part in the project in the first ten years, though the drop out rate after the initial workshops has been especially high. Farmers surveyed reported that the primary positive impacts of the project have been increased awareness of farm conservation issues, education, and identification of potential environmental risks. Most of the farmers in the project are not associated with conservation-related organizations, suggesting that most see the scheme as a way to ‘better management’ over the ideal of environmental benefits. This contrasts with the EU scheme that focuses on reducing farm inputs and outputs and moving away from industrial-style farming methods and adhering to traditional cultivation or pasture management practices. The EU is geared more toward a new model of farming, where the Ontario farm plans are set up to support the current farming system in shifting toward more environemental stewardship. The EU system is based on a strong regulation-compliance basis, something the Ontario farmers explicitly said they would be strongly against, fearing that enforced standards by the government would be the antithesis of ‘proper’ farming methods.

Troughton, Michael. “Fordism rampant: the model and reality, as applied to production, processing and distribution in the North American agro-food system.” Rural Change and Sustainability: Agriculture, the Environment and Communities. Ed. S.J Essex, A.W. Gilg, R.B. Yarwood. Cambridge: CABI Publishing, 2005. 13-27.

Prior to WWII the farming sectors in North America were at their peak number of individual farms. With the Fordian mechanization that was broadly integrated during the war and post-war boom, farming became a highly specialized, capital-intensive enterprise. The agro-food systems began to work under the industrial paradigm of the commodity chain and economic efficiency. The generation of food became highly mechanized at every level, on the farm and through the food processing and distribution systems. Powerful economic, technological and political forces integrated these systems into corporate structures. The result has been a drastic reduction in the amount of farms and the farm labor force, to numbers less than one-third of the peak totals seen before WWII. The remaining farms are geared to mass-produce only a few varieties of uniform products, which conform to strict standards of size, weight and consistency allowing for easier processing, storage, marketing and shipping. All of these mechanisms have created a farm system where the ‘farmer’ is at the mercy of major corporate forces, bearing both low prices and essentially being reduced to the roll of managers on their own land. Government and agricultural organizations have supported agribusiness focusing solely on increasing the output of farms, even at the expense of the individual farmer or the family farm. The result has been research and legislation that serves the interests of agribusiness rather than farmer’s needs.

Tags:

Request for Internal Review Board Exemption

http://culturalsustainability.gaia.com — Sat, 30 May 2009 19:14:24 GMT

Research Proposal Summary

“Maine’s Historical Grange and How It Might Inform Modern Farm Communities”

A. Introduction

This research project is the center of a USM Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship and will also be a primary base of my honors thesis. The study investigates the historical role of Maine Granges to determine how understanding them as a precedent can assist the efforts of current agricultural communities. At one time the Granges served as centers of community life and as an impetus for sharing knowledge and technology between isolated farmsteads. What impact did the Grange’s efforts have on farming practices, the farmer and his/her community? What aspects of the Grange system might be applicable today? An ethnographic, oral history and archival examination of two Maine Granges and the agrarian communities they supported – the Cumberland County towns of New Gloucester and Brunswick – will provide insight into these questions. Concurrent to this oral history research, information about the Grange will be anecdotally shared with sustainable and small scale farmers in Maine to gain insight into what aspects of the Grange might support modern farm communities. The result will be an historical and contemporary ethnographic examination of agrarian Maine.

B: Specific Aims

· Locate informants that have historically participated in the Grange in New Gloucester and Brunswick. Conduct 4-10 interviews about the impact of the Granges on farming practices and communities. Focus specifically on what the informants feel the benefits and problems were with the Granges, what they feel was the major impetus for the collapse of the Grange’s use, and what aspects of the Grange they feel could benefit contemporary small farmers.

· Gather anecdotal ethnographic information within the small farm community of southern and central Maine. Focus on sharing information about the Granges and noting farmers’ views on whether the Grange system correlates with their own needs and efforts.

· Create a report about the Granges historical role in farming communities. In this report take into consideration the conditions and responses of current farming communities and what aspects of the Grange system might apply to the contemporary agricultural culture. This report will be distributed through the Granges and local farming communities, as well as provided to the leaders of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) or other agricultural organizations expressing interest.

C. Methods of Data Collection and Analysis

Initial research will focus on examination of historical documents, contemporary publications, and discussion with pertinent experts. I have been in contact with Dr. Stanley Howe, Historian for the Maine State Grange, who has offered to support my research; he is an expert informant for this ethnography. With an initial understanding of Grange history, I will undertake an ethnographic examination of the Grange communities in New Gloucester and Brunswick, including field interviews, collection of oral history, and participant-observation at Grange activities. I will also undertake participant-observation in the contemporary farming community through the interactions of the farm cooperative I am a part of establishing. These conversations will share information about the research I am conducting and gather ideas about what aspects of the Grange seem to be applicable currently.

D. Description of Subject Population, Research Setting, Subject Recruitment Procedures

All subjects of formal interviews will be Grange members. I will write an initial contact letter [See Attachment A: Initial Grange Contact Letter] to the Grange Master of Sabbathday Lake Grange #365 in New Gloucester and Dirigo Grange #13 in Brunswick, requesting their permissions to research their Grange through participant observation and interviewing of members. I hope that this introduction will be the start of relationships that will be the source of interviewee contacts. Additionally, I will attend Grange meetings and activities and meet Grangers directly. I will also be conducting informal interviews with local farmers. These are all farmers that I know personally.

Interviews will take place at the Granges, at private homes, public places, or any other location that is agreeable to both the interviewee and researcher. All interviews will be digitally recorded for eventual transcription.

E. Informed Consent Procedure

Informants whom I request to be involved in formal interviews will be verbally explained the reason for consent procedures. Whenever possible I will provide a copy of the consent form to the participant for review before the day of the interview. Interviews will not be conducted until the informant has 1) completely heard and/or read the consent form 2) had a chance to ask questions and 3) formally agreed to the consent by signature on a paper form. [See Attachment C: Informed Consent]

F. Provisions for Subject Data Confidentiality

All interviewees will be informed that the information they provide should be public and of a nature that can be shared with anyone. He/she will be encouraged to only provide information that is acceptable as such. Before transcripts or audio files of interviews are made available to anyone aside from myself and my advisor, the documents will be offered to the interviewee for review. Should the interviewee consider any data inappropriate for release, this data will be removed from the final transcripts/audio files. I will not disclose to any outside party an interviewee’s desire not to speak on a subject, to speak off the record, or to have data removed from a transcript/audio file.

G. Statement of Potential Research Risks to Subjects

There are no foreseen risks to the subjects of this research. I will ensure that all interviewees have sufficient opportunity to affirm that any presentation of their story is acceptable to them.

H. Statement of Potential Research Benefits to Subjects

The benefits of this study will ideally include a wider understanding of the Grange’s history and efforts, a potential revival of Grange membership by modern farmers, and the support of modern farming communities through an enhanced understanding of an historical agricultural organization.

I. Investigator Experience

Please see Attachment D: Nikkilee Carleton Curriculum Vitae

Attachment A: Initial Grange Contact Letter [DRAFT]

June XX, 2009

Dirigo Grange #13; Patrons of Husbandry 6 Noble St Brunswick, Maine 04011

Sabbathday Lake Grange #365; Patrons of Husbandry  370 Sabbathday Road  New Gloucester, Maine 04260

Dear Grange Master Name:

I am an undergraduate student at the University of Southern Maine. My major is Geography-Anthropology and my minor is Environmental Sustainability. I am hoping to undertake an oral history project within the Grange community. This research would be the basis for my Honors Program thesis. I have also received a Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) to begin this project during the summer of 2009.

Specifically, I am interested in traditions that enable people to be better stewards of the land and supportive members of their community. I believe that one important aspect of this is learning from our past. As a farmer, I recognize that there is a new generation of us working to re-establish low-input, small-scale agriculture. But many of us have not grown up in farming communities, or learned locally-based farming practices that took generations to establish. This is true of our field methods as well as how we can organize as a community to support farm families and communities. I believe that small-farm communities could benefit from learning what the Granges have tried to do over the past century and a half.

I plan to first study the archives of Grange proceedings and to work with historian Stan Howe to gain a better understanding of the historical setting of the Grange. I will then do oral history research though interviews and conversations with Grange members and officers. I will also attend Grange activities to increase my understanding of what the Granges do today. Eventually I would share my findings with other farmers, many of whom I interact with on a daily basis, and try to understand the commonalities of the two groups – modern farmers and Grangers. I believe the benefits to both could be significant.

I have chosen to focus on two towns, New Gloucester and Brunswick. I feel that these two areas provide a diverse yet representative sample of southern Maine communities. Additionally, these towns are important to me personally, for Brunswick is where I farm today, and New Gloucester is where my family farmed for nearly 250 years and was active in the Grange over generations. I would like to begin by attending a Grange meeting and introducing myself to some members. I hope to then be able to interview several people in the organization. I would like to discuss individual’s experiences within the Grange, gathering stories about the past, as well as thoughts about the condition of farming in Maine today.

My initial research will be conducted during June and July of 2009, although I hope that this project has the opportunity to grow and become more comprehensive. All information that I gather and conclusions that I reach will be freely available to anyone in the community who would like to see them. I will be creating a written and oral report of my results for the Granges, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), or any other group who is interested in this research. My primary mission is the sharing of understandings about Maine’s strong heritage of farming and farming organizations.

Please feel free to contact me at any time. You may also contact my academic advisor at USM for more information. His name is Dr. Kreg Ettenger, and he can be reached at 625-4721 (home) or by email at ettenger@usm.maine.edu. I hope to hear from you soon.

With Warm Regards,

Nikkilee (Lee) Carleton

329 Preble St, #1

South Portland, ME 04106

leensylus@mac.com

603-986-0739

cc: Maine Grange Office

146 State St.,

Augusta 04330

**SURF proposal will also be provided with this letter
Attachment B: Interview Guiding Questions

I would like to do more archival and literature research before I compose my guiding questions. This will provide me with a strong base of knowledge regarding the Grange, so I have a better idea of what sort of questions there are to ask.

My current I believe my interview questions will be in regards to four general areas:

General memories regarding personal or family interaction with the Grange.
Observed organizational advantages and shortfalls of the Grange relative to agrarian-community support.
Understanding or considerations of why the Grange saw precipitous decline in membership in the mid-twentieth century and how this related to or impacted farming methods or community structure.
Observations of the contemporary shifts in agriculture and how (or if) he/she feels the Grange or the ideals of the Grange could support this social movement.

Attachment C: Informed Consent

Informed Consent for Participation as a Subject in Research Study:

“Maine’s Historical Grange and

How It Might Inform Modern Farm Communities”

Introduction:

You are being asked to be in a research study about the historical role of the Grange in farming communities and what role the edicts of the Grange might have today in the modern sustainable agriculture movement. You were chosen for this interview because of the role that you play in the Grange and/or agrarian community.

Please read this form and ask any questions that you may

have before agreeing to take part in this research study.

Purpose of the Study:

This project seeks to gain a deeper understanding of how the Grange sought to and did impact agrarian communities and farming practices in Maine before widespread adoption of industrial farming techniques. The purpose is to share this historical information with modern farming organizations and communities, to see if there is any applicability to support a more effective return to pre-industrial farming techniques.

Interviews will focus on your experience in the Grange and agrarian community, what you may remember of your elder’s experience in the Grange and agrarian community, and what you think the Grange could mean to contemporary small farmers.

Interviews will be conducted over the summer of 2009. At the end of this research period I will create a report about the Granges historical role in farming communities, taking into consideration what aspects are similar to the needs of modern small farm communities. This report will be hopefully be presented to the Granges as well as provided to the leaders of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), or any other interested farming organization.

The total number of formal interviewees will be between 4-10.

I am an undergraduate research fellow at the University of Southern Maine (USM) who is directly supervised by a USM faculty mentor.

Description of Study Procedures

If you agree to be part of this study, I will ask you to do the following things:

Meet with me over the summer of 2009, during which you may…

Be interviewed one or more times

and

Be voice recorded, photographed, and/or quoted

and

Be contacted by phone, physical mail, or email

Risks to Being in Study:

There are no foreseen risks to the subjects of this research. I will ensure that you have sufficient opportunity to affirm that any presentation of your story is acceptable to you.

Benefits to Being in Study:

Payment and Costs:

Your participation is completely voluntary. You will not receive payment or reimbursement for your time or transportation.

I do not expect there to be any cost to you. I will arrange to meet with you in locations and at times that are convenient to you.

Confidentiality and Privacy of Data:

Records of this research will be kept private. No one except yourself, the primary researcher (Nikkilee Carleton), faculty mentor (Dr Kreg Ettenger) and the University of Maine’s Institutional Review Board will have open access to the original transcripts or recordings of your interview.

Audio clips, photographs and some quotes or general conclusions from your interview will brought together into a poster and/or oral report. This will be presented at the University of Southern Maine’s Thinking Matters Conference in the spring of 2010, and to any organization – including the Grange – who is interested in the results. You are welcome to attend any of these presentations, or request one for yourself.

You will have the opportunity to review transcripts and audio files before they are publicly presented to ensure that the data I have collected, the manner in which it is presented, and the summaries/conclusions reached are a true representation of your story and feelings.

Voluntary Participation/Withdrawal:

Your participation is voluntary. If you choose not to be a part of this research, it will not affect your current or future relations with the University of Southern Maine.

You are free to withdraw at any time and for any reason.

Contacts and Questions:

The primary researcher conducting this study is:

Nikkilee (Lee) Carleton

You can contact me at-

phone: 603.986.0739

address: 329 Preble St #2, South Portland, ME 04106

email: leensylus@mac.com

The faculty mentor for this project is:

Dr Kreg Ettenger

If you have any questions or believe you may have suffered a research-realted injury, please contact Dr Ettenger at-

phone: 207.780.5231

email: kreg.ettenger@maine.edu

If you have questions about your rights as a research subject, you may contact-

William Harrison, Director

USM Office of Research Compliance

phone: 207.780.4517

email: usmirb@usm.maine.edu

Copy of Consent Form:

You will be given a copy of this consent form and I will keep a copy on file for future reference.

Please Sign Below

I have read (or had read to me) the contents of this consent form and have been encouraged to ask questions and have received answers to my questions. I give my consent to participate in this study. I have received (or will receive) a copy of this form.

Study Participant (Print Name):______________________________________

Participant or Legal Representative Signature: _____________________________

Date: ____________________

Attachment D: Media Release Form

~UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MAINE~

RELEASE AND AUTHORIZATION TO

PHOTOGRAPH, FILM, VIDEO TAPE AND AUDIOTAPE

I hereby grant full permission to Nikkilee Carleton to use the following items that I have initialed:

__________ Photographs

__________ Film

__________ Video

__________ Audiotape

__________ My name

__________ Other (describe) ________________________________________

I agree that the item(s) I checked above can be used in any way or manner including the following (cross out any you do not wish to allow):

Photographic,
Print,
Video,
Electronic, Digital, or Other formats developed in the future

This permission is solely related to the project titled “Maine’s Historical Grange and How It Might Inform Modern Farm Communities”

I understand that I am giving up all my rights of privacy or payment or other compensation, except for my rights in the case of negligence by USM or people working with USM.

Name_____________________________ Date____________________

Address___________________________ Telephone____________________

____________________________

Signature______________________________

_____ I would like to be contacted if the above is to be used for any other future project.

Attachment D: Nikkilee Carleton Curriculum Vitae

Education:

USM , Gorham, ME

Degree to be completed in 2010. Major Anthropology, Minor Environmental Sustainability, and Completion of Honor’s Program Requirements

Southern Maine Community College, South Portland, ME

Courses included: Taxonomy of Herbaceous Plants; Natural History of the Casco Bay Bioregion; Nature and Culture; Botany; Contemporary World Problems

Humboldt Field Research Institute, UMaine Extension, Eagle Hill, Steuben, ME

Medicinal Plants for Naturalists, a one-week seminar presented by Dr James A Duke, of the USDA and the University of Maryland.

New Mexico College of Natural Healing and Bear Creek Herbs, Silver City, NM

Ten month program in herbal medicine; including courses in taxonomy, plant identification, local ethnobotany, wildcrafting, medicine making, cultivation, sustainability, issues of invasive plants, herbal-medicinal history, and many other issues. We spent a great deal of time in the field with our teachers and local traditional healers, discussing plants and ecosystems throughout the mountains and canyons of New Mexico and Arizona.

Western New Mexico University, Silver City, NM

Core Curriculum

Conway Adult Education, Conway, NH

Introduction to Medicinal Herbs

The Farm Midwifery Education Center, Summertown, TN

Midwife’s assistant program

Oregon School of Midwifery, Eugene, OR

Doula Certification

Kennett High School, Conway, NH

Awards Included:

Presidential Award; National Honor Society; Johns Hopkins Excellent Student Recognition; Excellence in Science; Excellence in Algebra

Community Experience:

Thinking Matters Symposium, 2009, USM

Poster: “Presumpscot Ethnography: A River Shaping Lives”

Selected to be displayed at the 2009 USM Presidential Inauguration

The Presumpscot River holds great significance for the Southern Maine region. An ethnography of this place can reveal that not only is the river important for the recreational and ecological services that it provides today, but also for the stories and myths that surround it. A sense of place cannot be established exclusively within the present, and the Presumpscot has been important to many people for thousands of years. Those who love it today feel connected with those who loved the river in the past. There seems to be not just a desire, but almost a feeling of obligation to return the river to its deepest splendor – something owed as much to those in the future as to those in the past.

My ethnographic research over the past year has examined the many ways that the Presumpscot inspires a sense of obligation and connection to place. This research is based on my personal experience in a local restoration group, and multiple interviews with people whose lives have been shaped by the river and those who are working to shape its future. The presentation of collected audio and visual data will be used support my analysis of the Presumpscot ethnography.

Milkweed Farm Coop, 2009-ongoing, Brunswick, ME

Co-establisher and assistant manager.

On land I have lived and worked on over the summers of 2007 and 2008, we have established a farming coop that should provide vegetables, pork, eggs, chicken, and milk to ten (+) families. The owners of this small family farm and I are working to organize and develop the coop in an alternative paradigm to the CSA, with a requirement of work-shares rather than a significant monetary buy-in. My focus is the coordination of all-farm work-project days, educational events in canning, bread baking, and herbal apothecary, and the establishment of strong community around the food-growing system.

Mama’s Garden, 2007 – ongoing

My business, growing and gathering medicinal herbs and cut flowers for farmer’s market. Also doing private organic landscape gardening in greater Portland, with a focus on edible landscaping.

Presumpscot River Watershed Coalition, Summer 2008

Riverfest Co-coordinator

The first annual Riverfest was planned as a community outreach event, in the hopes that the efforts of the Coalition would be more prominent to the public. The event included speakers, music, informational tables, children’s activities and service activities. For this internship I also created a comprehensive contact compendium and a promotional bookmark for PRWC to distribute at the event.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Week, 2008, USM

Secretary of USM student chapter. Event Co-coordinator.

Week included speakers, discussion panels, films and informational tabling at the Portland Campus Center. I was active in planning the entire week, and had full responsibility for one day.

Thinking Matters Symposium, 2008, USM

Speaker: “Agricultural Development in Nepal”

The Himalayan nation of Nepal is heavily dependant on domestic agriculture for food as well as growth of the economy. In a nation where malnourishment and poverty are commonplace, the expansion of the agricultural sector and its increased efficiency is paramount. This article reviews the historical setting and modern efforts and expectations for agricultural development in Nepal. Thru analysis of United Nation Development Plans, and other current and historical reviews, I trace the process of success and error undergone in this unique nation. Though progress has been slow, and there is still much to be done, there is good cause for hope.

WMPG Radio, USM, Fall 2007

Part of a panel discussion on Bird Flu in Maine, with a focus on informing the community about my research on how small farmers in Maine can protect themselves in the case of an outbreak of H5N1 requiring the culling of large flocks of domestic birds.

ME Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, 1999 - ongoing, Unity, ME

Fair Event & Set-up Volunteer

ME Public Broadcasting, 2003 - ongoing, Portland, ME

Pledge Drive phone volunteer

Ameri-Corps Internship at Wolfe’s Neck Farm, Summer 2006, Freeport, ME

Environmental and Organic Farming Education, including curriculum and activity design, for ages 5-14 (with a focus on 9 and 10 year-olds).

Coastal Maine Botanical Garden, 2006, Booth Bay, ME

Event Volunteer

Ripple Effect, 2005, Portland, ME

Event Volunteer

Greene Handcrafted Gardens, Summer 2005, Cape Elizabeth, ME

Two years experience in all aspects of organic landscape work.

Students for Environmental Awareness (SMCC), 2005, South Portland, Me

President, Two Semesters

Oakridge Organic Farm, Summer 2004, Neenah, WI

Full season managing farm and CSA.

Black Tail Ranch, Spring 2004, Wolfe Creek, MT

Head Chef and Baker, on ranch and for back country trips.

Also worked managing gardens and animals.

Tin Mountain Association, 2001, Madison, NH

Volunteer Educator

Recognition, Scholarships and Awards

Dean’s List USM College of Arts and Sciences, Fall 2006, Fall 2007, Spring/Fall 2008, Spring 2009

Treworgy Scholarship, 2008, 2009

Honors Praxis Award, 2008, 2009

Dorothy Montgomery Scholarship, 2009

Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship, 2009

Tags:

Quotes from Brown Project. 5/30

http://culturalsustainability.gaia.com — Fri, 29 May 2009 22:51:01 GMT

Some really great quotes I have been reading about the Grange:

The Grangers sought to “reinvest the farming class with a sense of dignity and pride in the value of husbandry, in contrast to the morally bankrupt livelihoods of Gilded Age “speculators and middlemen."

The Grangers believed "rural Americans were primarily motivated by a "rural mentalite" which privileged notions of cooperation, kinship and family over individual profits and the dictates of the market...they saw the centrality of the household as the primary base of production and focus of economic activity, and the importance of standards of community--standards build upon traditions of common labor, notions of common rights, and recognition of the common good."

~Brown, E. “Ritual and Community: The Maine Grange.” Unpublished Masters Project (University of Southern Maine, New England Studies), 1992.

Tags:

Grange Project 5/30

http://culturalsustainability.gaia.com — Fri, 29 May 2009 22:48:02 GMT

Hello all. An update that this blog will now begin to focus tightly on my field work, which officially starts next week. I will let you know what I am learning about the Grange as I move along, and show you what I am writing an compiling. Happy Reading!

Tags:

Theoretical Introduction (Thesis Proposal Section) 5/19

http://culturalsustainability.gaia.com — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:09:12 GMT

Theoretical Introduction:

True sustainability, both social and ecological, is not simple to establish. It has taken millennia for the Earth’s diverse ecosystems to develop, and research shows that it is this diversity that supports the resilience of the biomes. Resilience means that the community as a whole is able to withstand stressors and shifts. Stated directly, we see that diversity leads to sustainability.

At the root of the evolution of diversity is adaptation. As a species adapts to a specific niche it is able to most effectively and efficiently use a set of available resources. As more and more species develop to usurp specific niches, every resource is taken advantage of, and the “waste” of each process becomes a new resource. This is the root of sustainability: a community that is well adapted to the site and to one another.

The ability to share acquired understanding is, in many ways, what makes us human. It also can be at the root of being able to live sustainably upon the land. Over generations, a community passes on a growing understanding of how to use resources and manage waste. The inherent test in this system is that if a society does not find a sustainable balance, their culture will no longer have the ability to persist. But sometimes generations of adaptation are disrupted by outside forces. Maine’s agriculture system is a fine example of this. Close to four hundred years ago settlers entered the landscape with a primary focus on farming. Maine, in many ways was an ideal setting for an agricultural society. These families spent nearly ten generations adapting to specific locations. Each farmer learned his soil, his sun, his rain. He established crop systems and husbandry models that were low-input, and low-impact. There were many ecological missteps, as we can see them today, and the people surely struggled in their survival. We must recognize, though, that four hundred years is not very long in establishing a culture.

On the whole, early New England farmers had a primary consideration for the sustainability of the land, for it was the land the directly provided sustenance for the family and future generations. These farmers came to understand their land. Each husbandryman had to know what crops would provide a balance between production and ensuring soil fertility for the next year, he had to find effective pest strategies for his particular issues, and develop crop varieties that worked in his fields. All of this was slightly different for each farm, and even more unique across regions. Each landscape required individual adaptation.

In the past half-century or more, these local adaptations have been, for the most part, disregarded and left unpracticed. In an effort to increase production and decrease the cost of food, agriculture has become an industry of monoculture. This has had significant implications not only for the farmers, but also for the land. The pliability of local adaptation is lost with universal mechanization and commodity mono-crop production. We have seen an incredible decline in the number of farms in Maine (and nation wide), and the autonomy of the farmer has been lost. Powerful forces have pushed the average farmer into making decisions that not only are unsuited to his land, but unsuited to his family and community. The past fifty years of agri-business have disrupted the three centuries of adaptation that came before. Where once a farmer would have grown up on a farm and in a community that was rooted in the adaptive traditions of agriculture, today very few have this advantage.

Recently the USDA published census data showing that the number of farms in Maine is increasing at a rate of 13 percent. This is nearly three times the national average. It is clear through empirical observation that the farmers, who are establishing new farmsteads today are not investing in industrial farm systems. Instead, these farmers seem to be leaning toward a low-input, low-impact, family and local community focused methodology – something more akin to what was in place before the Green Revolution. But these farmers do not have the benefit of having grown up immersed in the traditions of small-scale agriculture. Fifty years of agribusiness have created a “generation gap” of farming traditions.

To reestablish sustainability, it seems, it would be beneficial to try to regain some of the adaptations that were established in the first three centuries of New England settlement. In other words, new farmers can benefit from learning what came before. Reconnecting modern farmers with those who remember the methods in place at the beginning of the twentieth century is a way of preserving a culture. Within this culture are generations of adaptation to this landscape and the inherent sustainability that they can impart.

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Late night up dates 5/16

http://culturalsustainability.gaia.com — Sun, 17 May 2009 03:12:40 GMT

Hello to all. There seems to be a few of you out there who read this regularly, I fantasize about who you might be. I wanted to let you all know that the fellowship I applied for was granted to me. (See fellowship proposal a few entries back.) So I am very excited about that. I will be starting work (officially) on the first of June. But I need to get IRB approval first, and hope to visit the Bethel historical society - which currently has a display about the Grange, and meet with Stane Howe - author of "A Fair Field and No Favor" the book about the Maine State Grange, and I want to write a letter to the two Granges...it seems there will be no summer vacation at all this year. C'est la vie! It feels good to be working on a project that is entirely mine, and that I believe will be good for my community, and that so many people around me seem to support. I feel like I am getting somewhere, like maybe I will be able to do something I actually care about after I graduate. We shall see. I'll keep you updated.

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Free Write (5/6)

http://culturalsustainability.gaia.com — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:46:28 GMT

What is my focus? What am I setting out to do and why?

The ideal of this research project is bring the broad, overarching ideas I have come to regarding community and ecological sustainability together with a real world illustration of the processes involved. I have a strong theoretical base of ideas regarding what is necessary for our social order to be reinstated to a place that is in balance with the biotic world around us and the needs of all of us as individuals. These ideas are based on social history. I will discuss this social history and the theory that I have come to believe is implied. The base of this discussion will be the oral history and ethnographic data I will gather. This project can be envisioned as a tree. My ethnographic data and oral history are the leaves of this tree. These leaves are supported by the twigs of local social, economic, and environmental shifts. These twigs are supported by the larger branches of national and global changes. The trunk of this tree is my “big idea” about what it takes to make true sustainability. This idea can hold up the branches and the twigs and the leaves. But if any section along the way is injured it can no longer hold up the rest. For example, a global economic shift – a big branch – that can impact many twigs – education, food systems, local economies, family organization, etc – these twigs, if brought down by a big global shift, can no longer support the leaves of individuals and communities. I will begin with the stories of those leaves. I will ask- about lives, about satifaction, sustainability, unmet needs, lost hopes. I will try to find a common thread between these stories, and then seek the corresponding “twig.” What it a failed food system, or education that brought all of these people to a common place of success or failure. Then, following the tree back downward, is there now a branch that can be described as being the common source of this success or failure? At what point did the people, the leaves loose contact with the central trunk of sustainability?

Hmm… maybe this metaphor works maybe it does not.

I know that I want to use real people’s words to put a “human face” on the social and ecological changes the world is facing. I am confident in my social theory. I know there is a whole lot of data to back it up. I want to use a lot of this data, but I want the discussion to be based on real people. Their needs. Their desires, Their sense of loss. Their hope.

What is still unresolved? What are my questions?

On the one hand…On the other hand…

Hmm. I feel like I have a lot figured out. I don’t want to say everything (well sort of I do), but I feel pretty complete at this point. But just that sense makes me know that there must be something I am over looking. I must be over confident. There is always something new to consider. Some way to make the work better. I sort of feel like at this point I need to get out and do some doing before I know what the other issues are, what the other questions are. It is not that I think my idea is perfect and wont change and has nothing more to be considered. No. I just don’t know what the next hump will be to get over, and I don’t know that I am going to be able to get any closer to it with paper and discussion. Maybe, but maybe I’ll just over think it again and get myself all convoluted.

Well the one thing I know that there is to consider is how comprehensive this work will be. The three tiers that I am currently hoping to encompass are: oral history in the Granges, ethnography with modern local farmers, and a sort-of socio-political examination of historical milestones. But, as has been suggested to me, my thesis would likely be plenty weighty just examining the Granges. I could save the ‘big’ synthesis for a master’s thesis. Yup, I could. And I certainly see the validity in that. But in that I have to come face to face with some significant personal fears: A master’s degree? Oh how I dream of thee. Even a PhD. But come on really? I’m a single mama. Just this undergrad has felt like some sort of selfish, extravagance? More years of school? It seems much more likely that these years of school will get me right back to landscaping and cooking- pay bill, make sure sy is taken care of. I know that I can make my path. But this is my fear and my sense of guilt. So the idea of deciding to put off this ‘big’ idea, that has taken so much to get into order, to coalesce- my whole life really. To put it off to be worked on at some later time that I fear will not come- when I have the opportunity to do it right now. It just is hard for me to embrace that sort of letting go…

Titles:

Social History, Oral History and How They Speak to Modern Sustainability

Global Social History, the Traditional Role of the Granges, and the Modern Shift to Sustainable Farming in Maine

Reexamining Adaptive Traditions: How the Historical Visions of the Maine State Grange Can Support the Modern Sustainable Agrarian-shift

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Free Write: I know where I am! (4/29)

http://culturalsustainability.gaia.com — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:31:34 GMT

I know where I am! That seems amazing. In many ways it seems no where near where I was at the new year, but at the same time, where I was then felt very ethereal. I had nothing to really get a hold of. Now it seems like I have become grounded. I am not exclusively in my head any more. My hands are in the soil, and I am listening to my community and watching the landscape. This is what I was looking for early in the semester, it seems, but I didn’t even know it. I knew I needed to find some way to express these big ideas I have about community and sustainability and how people interact with the land. But early on I was coming from the place where I had never even put all of those big ideas into my own words. Certainly never put them down on paper. It took this process of understanding my own head (and heart) to get to something simple, yet complete. Once I got all those big ideas out only the page, it gave me some perspective. Why does it matter if people are interacting with the place around them? Where do I see that interaction taking place in my own community? How can I support my community in embracing this rooted posture? My early thesis proposal described all the problems. How we got inot this mess. Then my next proposal seemed to be saying, we’ve got to make it better, we need to create something that is energetically different. But I had nothing of the tangible how. That was something that I struggled with. How do I make a difference? How do I do it in a way that works with my community, supports my family, and nourishes my need for research? Now here I am. I have this project. I took the tiny off-hand comment from one of my Socratic dialogues… the granges? What are the granges? And now it has snowballed into this cohesive project. My professors support it, my farming community is hugely excited. I love this idea because it feels entirely mine, and entirely supportive of the rest of my community. I wrote the proposal for the SURF grant and that was a great micro-process in this bigger thesis process. That proposal forced me to focus. The proposal was worked and reworked and I had several professors who I hold in highest regard just entirely giving me every criticism they thought the work needed. That was not easy. But at the same time, it felt really good to know that they were taking the time and effort to give me a critique like I feel I have rarely gotten before. This makes me feel like they see this work as valuable and that I am getting to a place in my relationship with them where they know they can be critical. And it is hard to hear the criticism, but I had to keep in mind that I hold these professors in such high regard because of the work that they do, and so they have much to share. And it felt good to bring their ideas into the work, but keep it my own- not just entirely change things to their exact suggestion.

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Free Write: Embrace it all! (4/15)

http://culturalsustainability.gaia.com — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:17:34 GMT

Where I am right now:

Try to keep in my mind that my life is also my ethnographic research. In my Socratic dialogues it has been suggested to me that I try to get the SURF grant to make my co-op happen. But my co-op will happen if I let it - if I acknowledge it. I need the resources to help me with my research about the Granges. By the same count, another advisor suggested that, again, I need to reign myself in. Too many projects too many ideas. Know myself, know my limitations. Pick something and do it well. Perhaps I fear falling into being only a farmer. And I don’t mean that in the sense that a farmer is anything less than imperative and prestigious. But it is not all I want to do. Farming is my subsistence. It is being the change I wish to see. But I also want to be active in inspiring the change for the rest of the world. So I want to put energy into research over the summer, but I also know I need the farm. I believe this is likely my lot for the rest of life, busy with the farm and family at home, and also extending myself with supporting the shifts to sustainability outside of my home. Perhaps this is how I should look at the work facing me this summer. This is what I will need to do for the rest of my life. I need to find a balance in organizing my farm and its community, while also maintaining my research efforts. I feel like I am increasingly drawing the two in parallel. That is the important part: ensuring that the two are not so disparate that my life is entirely a dichotomy. But these are the two facets that I have always idealized my life embodying, so this summer is my jumping off point. Now is the time to embrace it all.

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Fellowship Application Personal Statement

http://culturalsustainability.gaia.com — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:04:02 GMT

My passion is people and the landscapes on which they depend. There is so much to consider in how societies have evolved to interact with and subsist upon biomes. Examining the shifts and changes of various cultures gives us a deeper understanding of what is viable - ecologically and socially. I believe this knowledge must inform contemporary social evolution toward more equitable and sustainable systems in every region.

The way humans garner resources is one of the most fundamental aspects of any society. For me, of most interest is the way the people interact with the plant world. Therefore, I see examining agricultural traditions as providing deep insight into the values of a society. Further, I believe, changing something as fundamental as how food is grown can have wide-ranging repercussions.

My feelings about culture and food-systems come from years of travel and a wide array of educational venues. Additionally, I have worked on various sorts of farms: from Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), to farms serving markets, restaurants and nurseries, to farms focused entirely on feeding the family and immediate community. As an Americorps volunteer in 2006 I worked for Wolfe’s Neck Farm in Freeport, Maine, designing and teaching curriculum to elementary school groups and summer campers. I sought to impart my enthusiasm for ecology, food systems, farming practices, and ties between them.

My passion for supporting communities in shifting toward healthy food-systems has led me to take part in organizing, volunteering for, and attending many events and efforts for local activist groups. In the spring of 2008, as the Secretary of USM’s fledgling chapter of Amnesty International, I brought food-security activist Logan Perkins of Food for Maine’s Future to speak on the Portland USM campus. I have attended and volunteered for MOFGA’s Common Ground Fair for ten years. In 2007 I conducted an honors research project on how small farmers could be protected in the case of an outbreak of bird-flu in Maine. This culminated with the distribution of informational fliers to local feed stores, as well as a radio broadcast on WMPG where I focused on informing farmers of their rights and best strategies during an outbreak. At Thinking Matters 2008 I presented a research project titled “Agricultural Development in Nepal.” This region is a particular interest of mine, and I feel there is a great deal of sustainability and human rights work to be done in the developing world. Currently, I am part of starting a CSA cooperative in Brunswick that is focused on food production, as well as building stronger ties between the land, farmers, and community who share the harvest.

Outside of the immediate farming community, I have done other academic and non-profit work. In the summer of 2008 I was an intern for the local environmental group Presumpscot River Watershed Coalition (PRWC). My primary effort was to increase public awareness of the efforts and goals of the Coalition. This was accomplished through organizing the first annual PRWC Riverfest, designing a promotional bookmark for the Coalition, and compiling a comprehensive list of all the member organizations and their objectives to be used on the PRWC website. Following this internship I did coursework with Dr. Kreg Ettenger where we conducted ethnographic interviews regarding the culture around the Presumpscot River. This process required gaining IRB exemption and culminated for me in the presentation of a 2009 Thinking Matters poster. This poster has been selected for display at the USM presidential inauguration.

These efforts reflect my strong desire to support the community around me in shifting toward a more sustainable way of life. The granting of a SURF award would allow me to focus even more deeply on my academic work in this regard. I seek a balance of research and activism in my life. The activism comes easily, for I know I am changing the world with how I live each day and the community I am consciously creating for my young son. Ethnographic research to support these efforts is my career goal. Ultimately, I see this fellowship award and the Grange project as an incremental and valuable step in the direction of the professional work I aspire toward.

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Fellowship Application

http://culturalsustainability.gaia.com — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 23:58:59 GMT

Abstract:

This research investigates the historical role of Maine Granges to determine how understanding them as a precedent can assist the efforts of current agricultural communities. At one time the Granges served as centers of community life and as an impetus for sharing knowledge and technology between isolated farmsteads. What impact did the Grange’s efforts have on farming practices, the farmer and his/her community? What aspects of the Grange system might be applicable today? An ethnographic, oral history, and archival examination of two Maine Granges and the agrarian communities they supported – the Cumberland County towns of New Gloucester and Brunswick – will provide insight into these questions. The result will be a report shared with modern farmers, Granges, and the organizations working toward re-establishing a culture of small-scale agriculture in Maine.

Introduction:

For over one hundred years the Maine State Grange was a primary cultural and organizational center for agrarian communities. The Granges brought farmers together for education, cooperative dissemination of goods, a common voice against corporate and legislative powers, and support of community in isolated rural areas. These doctrines of the Grange describe some of the biggest concerns of current small farmers, who I have come to understand personally through immersion as part of the community. The number of Maine farms today is rapidly increasing and most are re-instituting low-input, low-impact practices typical of the agriculture during the heyday of the Granges. As a result, many of the struggles of these farmers are like those faced at the inception of the Grange.

Traditionally, farmers have the benefit of immersion in a culture of farming that has been established through generations of adaptation. Today, family farms lack such a culture because the line of wisdom has been interrupted by fifty years of modern agro-business. This disjuncture can be somewhat alleviated through examination of the successes and failures of an historical system - such as the Granges - which attempted to confront many of the same concerns as contemporary small farmers. For the Maine farmers returning to more traditional practices, a deeper understanding of what has come before can enable a more effective shift toward locally organized, sustainable agriculture.

Objectives:

Significance:

This research is the first of two summer fieldwork projects that will be the basis of my USM Honors Thesis examining the current state of farming in Maine and the momentum toward a more sustainable and community-focused food system. My understanding is that the farming system in place during the heyday of the Grange is akin to the “alternative” system currently emerging in Maine: the trend is toward regional innovation that fits the demands of the land and local community. Farms are shifting to a smaller scale and greater diversity (economic, in the crops being grown, and in the value-added adjustments) than their industrial counterparts of the past fifty years. Rather than focusing on fulfilling a limited, commodity-based objective, these farms are directly serving the surrounding communities and the farmer. This evolution (or as some would see it, regression) can potentially be supported through understanding what was historically known about the land and methods of small-scale, locally-focused agriculture here in Maine. By examining the history of the Granges I hope to better understand what role these institutions played in the agrarian communities and what potentials there are that such a system could support current farmers and their communities.

New Gloucester and Brunswick have personal significance to me: the former is the site of my family’s homestead, farmed for over two hundred years, and the latter is where I farm today. I have family members in New Gloucester who are life-long members of the Grange and will provide an inlet to that community. In my farming community of Brunswick I am regularly faced with how little we know about historical farmers and their methods. Both these towns have significance in the history of the Grange and embody an interesting dichotomy of farm communities. New Gloucester represented a relatively isolated, highly agrarian community. Brunswick was agrarian, but had the temper of a busy mill and fishing economy. Brunswick is significant in the history of the Granges because the first Master of the Dirigo Grange (in Brunswick) was an organizer of the Maine State Grange. New Gloucester stands out as a community with three Granges, and is adjacent to Lewiston, where the Maine State Grange was formed.

Methods:

Initial research will focus on examination of historical documents, contemporary publications, and discussion with pertinent experts. I have been in contact with Dr. Stanley Howe, Historian for the Maine State Grange, who has offered to support my research; he is an expert informant for this ethnography. With an initial understanding of Grange history, I will undertake an ethnographic examination of the Grange communities in New Gloucester and Brunswick, including field interviews, collection of oral history, and participant-observation at Grange activities. I will also be busy with participant-observation in the contemporary farming community through the interactions of the farm cooperative I am a part of establishing. These conversations will share information about the research I am conducting and gather ideas about what aspects of the Grange seem to be applicable currently.

Work Plan:

While the informal gathering of information and resources is currently on going, the first official effort of this project will be to garner IRB approval for the research. The first two weeks of the SURF session will be spent examining archives, visiting the Bethel Historical Society, as well as in discourse with experts such as Dr. Howe. Visits to the Granges and local historical societies as well as conversations with on-site historians will direct me toward appropriate informants for ethnographic interviews. I will begin field interviews no later than the last week of June. Throughout the summer I will be working at the Brunswick Farmer’s Market and on various farms. This will provide the opportunity to have informal conversations with today’s agricultural community. The final two weeks of the project will be spent analyzing the compiled information and creating a written ethnography.

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Annotation: "Farming in ME..."

http://culturalsustainability.gaia.com — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:58:21 GMT

Quimby, B. “Farming in Maine a Growing Buisness: Demand for Organic Foods Help Spark a Surge in Production and Sales Since 2002.” Portland Press Herald 6 February 2009. Retrieved on 6 April 2009 from http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story_pf.php?id=237359&ac=

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Annotation: "History of the Grange"

http://culturalsustainability.gaia.com — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:59:12 GMT

Howe, S. “History of the Grange.” Maine State Grange. 2006. Retrieved 3 April 2009 from http://mainestategrange.org/grange/index.php?q=node/4

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Stream of Consiousness

http://culturalsustainability.gaia.com — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:57:26 GMT

Now comes figuring out what I am passionate enough about to be able to put my work into. I understand all of these things that I have been writing about. I have gathered understanding for years and brining it all together, cited and with direction feels good. But here I am, still looking at it saying ‘so what?’ So what if all of these things are true about where our society is and how we got here? What can I do about it? My thesis needs to lead me to the place of doing. I want to get a job when I am done with school. And not cooking or landscaping. Something related to my degree. My thesis may not get me that job per se, but I want it to help me focus on what exactly I want that work to look like. A non profit? Do I start my own? Is there some one else doing enough of what I care about? I think it is food. Examining how our food culture impacts our social and physical well being. I can do an ethnography. I want to follow food from a small farm to the table. What are the traditions that follow it along the path. What does this family say for grace? What is the old way of canning beans? What are the tomato sauce recepies? How do the kids interact with the porkchops from the pig they chased as a piglet? How does all of this impact the strength of the family? The strength of the community. Perhaps one of the biggest questions I have now is : how do I synthesize ethnographic data with other research. I don’t want to only write what I saw. I want to put it in the context of wider research from the rest of the world. Comparative statistics, development policy, corporate influences. What are the precedents for this- synthesizing ethnographic understanding with other information? I’ve never read an ethnography like this. One impediment is my knowing that you can not go into field work with the goal of proving something. I can not be looking for the “right” people to say the “right” thing to support the view of my thesis. This bias would be blinding. The fear, when I have other information to include is that I would bring the biases from the other research into my ethnographic work.

Ethnography:

What does this mean? Surely it has evolved over time and also holds different meaning depending upon the region where the researcher was trained, eg old world anthropological work has a much different lean than that from north america.

Consider the emic and the etic. Insider, outsider. Who has the ‘better’ ‘realer’ perspective? An outsider is objective, but can they really understand? An insider understands, but can they be objective?

But must I be objective? Ofcourse, to some degree, to be a respectable bit of research, it seems the scientific community demands some degree of or atleast the guise of objectivity. But perhaps Oskar Kawagley’s work with the Yupaiq is a fine example. He grew up in the community, trained outside of it and then not only ethnographically examined it, but also is working inside of it to implement change he feels is for the better. I wrote a review of this book, and in my paper one of my most overarching points was that Kawagley did service to all ethnography by suggesting answers. It seems too often ethnographers explain the culture and all the problems they may be facing, but then stop short of suggesting solutions. But this person, who has worked so hard to understand the culture, must have insight in to ways that the society could stabilize its self. Is it no negligible to fail to share this knowledge? I think researchers do not because they feel like their work will be disregarded by the scientific community for being empathetic.

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Thesis Proposal

http://culturalsustainability.gaia.com — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:55:24 GMT

Social and Ecological Sustainability:

A Bioregional Examination

of Farming in Northern New England

Draft Thesis Proposal

Nikkilee Carleton

18 March 2009

Introduction: Consideration of the Issues and Ideological Solutions

I want to know, would a bioregional approach to the Northern New England Agricultural system be more ecologically and socially sustainable than the current standard industrial paradigm? There are overarching issues to be pondered, and details of specific situations to contemplate. In examining all of these issues, the concept of a bioregional approach will be considered and reconsidered as a potential approach to facing the issues.

This thesis is an amalgamation of two overriding concerns or concepts relating to the sustainability of modern, western culture. The first, and most broad, relates to the growing awareness that there needs to be a shift toward more ecologically friendly practices. While I recognize this as an imperative in our times, I also see it as focusing only on a portion of the issues we contend with. We must additionally concentrate on what to do within our society to establish a strong culture of community interdependence and awareness. Changing the way we use resources (our focus in the environmental movement) will have an impact on how we define true needs verses cultural wants. But it will not directly change our regard for the impact our needs have on our neighbors, nor on our understanding of who in society is truly paying for the resources we are garnering. By considering how to make our society more just and equitable we can better ensure that individuals are content and living up to their greatest ability to contribute to the community.

The second primary concern in this thesis is the condition of the modern farm system and how our methods of acquiring food are having a serious and detrimental impact on society. Growing food has significant implications in both our ecological and social sustainability. It is one of the most fundamental aspects of society, and problems and changes in this vital resource acquisition have considerable and extensive repercussions. It has become clear that modern industrial agribusiness is neither good for the land nor for the health of the consumer. The small family farm - local and diverse - is one alternative approach that seems to me the most likely source of a more broad-based social and ecological sustainability. This thesis seeks to examine the differences between the social and ecological conditions around industrial agriculture and those relating to small scale agriculture

In searching out solutions to and information about these issues, I came across the concept of bioregionalism. Under this paradigm, there is recognition of the importance of organizing human activity according to the lay of the land, rather than an artificial (political) grid.[i] Bioregions are delineated by areas of common geography, climate, floral and faunal diversity, and, traditionally, cultural interaction with the landscape. This approach supports a connection with the local resources, both human and environmental, which can be acquired efficiently. The consumer is brought back to a smaller scale, returning from the globalized assumption that any resource is available to any individual at any time. As Gary Snyder, a leader in the modern bioregional movement wrote, “People have to learn a sense of region, and what is possible within a region, rather than indefinitely assuming that a kind of promiscuous distribution of goods and long-range transportation is always going to be possible.”[ii] This concept touches on many of the problems I am attempting to consider in this thesis. It is to the principles of bioregionalism that I hope to consistently return when examining the ecological and social problems and solutions being presented in the modern world.

I hope to put a greater emphasis on the social concerns that are raised, as opposed to the ecological ones. The environmental issues we face today are being thoroughly examined on multifarious fronts. My in depth examination would only be redundant. However, it is fundamental in my argument that ecological and social concerns are inextricably intertwined; as a result, it is impossible to examine the one without at least some consideration of the other. As a result I will include a discussion of many of the environmental issues brought up within my topic, but I hope to keep these references much more simplistic and use them only to make my discussion of the social problems more robust.

Bioregionalism

The initial portion of the thesis is to discuss the overall theory behind a bioregional approach to society. This will include both an examination of the organic, indigenous bioregional traditions, as well as the modern incarnation of a more active form of regional decentralization. This will establish a framework to return to throughout the rest of the paper.

Bioregionalism is a system of organization that is as old as human society: traditional groups establish methods of resource acquisition and use based on the immediate surrounding environment. Indigenous people do not establish cultural-political lines arbitrarily, but instead are organized based on the landscape. My thesis will examine the traditional modes of this sort of cultural establishment, and how it enabled a society to live efficiently within their environment.

The modern bioregional movement has stemmed from the recognition that a global, consumption-based society creates neither ecological sustainability nor human satisfaction. The movement struggles to move political power away from the monolithic institutions of the nation-state, and back into the more adaptable hands of the state and local governments. Here, it is believed, decisions can be made that are sympathetic to the individual, community, and ecosystem in a way not possible on a larger scale.

This examination of bioregionalism should lay the foundation for returning to the approach throughout all other areas of the thesis. With an initial understanding of the issues that bioregionalism attempts to confront, along with the solutions potentially inherent within the ideal, I hope to consistently revisit the premises of bioregionalism when examining the other concerns of the thesis.

Overarching Social Problem: More Does Not Equal Better

This portion of the thesis will take a look at what the current social problems are, and what has formed them. In a sense, this is attempting to layout why we need a bioregional approach at all; why does anything need to change?

One of the most fundamental concerns that leads us into the consideration of all the other facets of this thesis, is the modern ideal that the acquisition of more – goods, food, money, etc – will lead to a better life. We find that the current economic system is based on the premise that increasing measurements such as gross domestic product and per capita income will lead to a higher standard of living. I will do a relatively superficial examination of the economic policies and historical development of this system. More in depth, I will examine the outcomes of such policy in the modern world, again from the two fronts of ecological and social well-being. The effort will be to establish that in economics “we need to take human satisfaction and societal durability more seriously.”[iii]

Considering the environment, we see that an economic system based on ever increasing production and consumption is leading to an incredible condition of ecological decimation. The over-dependence on non-renewable resources, over-use of renewables, over-abundance and ineffective processing of wastes, destruction of biological diversity: these are a few of the ecological ills inherent in an economic system based on the idea that increasing wealth and goods will lead to a higher level of human satisfaction. We have been decimating the environment based on the assumption that the resources would lead us to a more fulfilling life, but we are finding that the only thing we are gaining is a decimated environment. As Bill McKibben writes in Deep Economy, “You can’t get richer, at least for long, by impoverishing the world around you.”[iv]

When we consider the social problems of the modern economic system, we find that economic growth consistently leads to inequality rather than universal prosperity. In the United States, despite a growing economy, the real income (income after taking into consideration the effects of inflation on purchasing power) of the bottom 90 percent of American taxpayers has declined steadily over the past thirty years.[v] Inequality is only part of the problem. Perhaps more significant is the fact that an individual’s satisfaction with their life - their overall happiness – also tends to decline with economic expansion. “In 1946, the United States was the happiest country among four advanced economies; thirty years later, it was eighth among eleven advanced countries; a decade after that it ranked tenth among twenty-three nations, many of them from the third world.”[vi] Also increasing in rich nations are social ills such as depression, and alcoholism. Statistics like this and many others show us that while increasing wealth may not be the cause of human dissatisfaction, it also does not alleviate these troubles. The overarching theme of this section is that increasing wealth correlates with increasing ecological and social problems.

Industrial Agriculture

This portion of the thesis will connect the economic ideal of increasing production with the modern industrial paradigm of increasing production. This section is also a place to layout the many facets of the agribusiness system.

The Green Revolution of the 1970s catalyzed agriculture’s embracing of the ‘more is better’ scheme. The government began to support the growth of food through any method that would increase yields. This established a system where government, industry, and research began to cater to the needs of agribusiness rather than those of the farmer or even consumer. With the inception of an industrial, agribusiness method of farming, a significant increase in both social and ecological problems began.

The ecological concerns around industrial agriculture include the inherent dangers of farming a monoculture [I will potentially briefly discuss the Irish Potato Famine], the unsustainable use of water, the high level of non-renewable inputs, the need for long distance transportation, and many others. I will discuss these, though not exhaustively. One area of particular concern relating to the ecological problems of industrial agriculture is the farmer’s inability to respond to the needs of his land. The industrial system essentially leaves the farmer at the mercy of agribusiness’ demands and government subsidies: what they dictate, he must produce and considerations are only made for the immediate production of the commodity, and not for the long-term ability of the land to produce. This leaves little leeway for a financially viable ability to execute sustainable farming practices, such as cover cropping or the rotation of crops. This loss of the farmer’s autonomy is both an ecological burden as well as a social burden, as the farmer is no longer able to adapt to the needs of his land or the demands of his community. Managing ten thousand acres of corn or rice may leave the farmer no ability to feed his family.[vii] [Here I may discuss the Golden Rice issue- where nutritional levels in India have been reduced because of an agricultural focus on rice leading to a decrease in the variety of foods available. The working solution for agribusiness is genetically modifying rice to include Vitamin A, while the more grass-roots solution is to re-educate the public and farmers about the value of growing and eating a varied diet.[viii]]

As the farmer becomes less of an imperative to the agribusiness system there are fewer and fewer farmers involved. After WWII farming became an industrial process based on Fordian mechanization. In the past sixty years the number of farms and farm workers has been reduced to nearly one-third the peak numbers before WWII. The green revolution further escalated this evolution as farming became less and less profitable; a few farmers bought out all the rest in an effort to acquire enough land to survive off of. The repercussions of this are various. Economically, the result has been far fewer jobs in the agricultural sector, which are significantly lower paying than almost any other sector.[ix]

The consumer also faces significant troubles that are rooted in industrial agriculture. One of the most obvious is the considerable increase in health problems we see across broad portions of society. Obesity, diabetes, and inappropriate nutrition are now rampant. As Curt Ellis states, “For the first time in American history, our generation was at risk of having a shorter lifespan than our parents. And it was because of what we ate.”[x] Pricing structures inherent in subsidies have created a market where certain goods are unnaturally low in price. The result is a food-system where only a few crops dominate, leading to an imbalance of nutritional availability. These ills will be the primary focus of this portion of the thesis: examining the cultural, economic, and health shifts over the past thirty years.

In addition to the nutritional inadequacies of commodity agriculture, I would like to consider the shift in food culture. Processed foods have lead to a loss of food related traditions: fewer and fewer families grow and store their own food, or even cook and eat meals together. Cooking and processing traditions are being lost. The communal benefits of sharing meals are not being embraced. Movements such as SlowFoods International work “to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.”[xi] I would like to examine how food culture impacts our social and physical well being, and how the agribusiness system diminishes the traditions of sharing food.

Ecological Biodiversity and the Parallels Farming Diversity

A concept that seems to be significant and relevant to this thesis is the understanding that biodiversity improves ecosystem resilience, though I have yet to figure out how best to integrate it. It seems that this concept is applicable both on the farm and within the related social system. While I understand the ecological premise, and feel that it is resonant with the rest of my research, I am still struggling with how to definitively and clearly bring the two together.

This section would ideally describe and bring together all of the other concepts, though I have not yet figured out how to do this.

In ecology (and even genetics) we find that high diversity creates a more resilient and robust system. On average, greater diversity leads to greater productivity and stability. Diversity leads to increased coverage of the niches available. The improved efficiency of resource capture and use is because diversity increases the probability that a species that is able to exploit a resource is present.[xii] This concept is relevant from the soil up in a farm system: on site biodiversity better serves the farm itself, and a diversity of farms is more likely able to adapt to the needs of society.

A farm is simply a human managed ecosystem. With an array of plants and animals on the farm, there is an increased ability to ensure that soil, water, and other resources are used effectively. Diversity decreases the degree and scale of loss when there is an economic hardship, such as precipitous drop in the price of a crop, as well as environmental hardship such as drought, flood, disease or pest. Certain species begin to show themselves to be better adapted to particular conditions on each farm or farm region. As the farmers observe these advantages, they are able to select for varieties that can produce most effectively. [Here is a place to potentially consider the importance of heirloom seed varieties, and the issues surrounding corporate seed patenting.] Furthermore, a small, diverse farm is more likely to adjust to changes or problems in the surrounding ecosystem because it is an imperative aspect of the farm’s survival. The farmer, being more directly dependant on the long term well being of his farm and community (than in a corporate system), is more likely to undertake efforts that will ensure sustainable use of the land. This speaks directly to the idea that a bioregional approach is a more efficient approach to farming. Each landscape requires slightly different inputs, rotation, and care. Different landscapes also support different crops more effectively. By having many farms, growing a variety of crops, each farm is able to adapt to the particular needs of its landscape. This is directly converse to the industrial system, which works toward implementation of universal crop varieties, inputs, and technology.

Also within the concept of diversity leading to sustainability, I would examine the idea that a diversity of farm products is more likely to fulfill and adapt to the demands of the community consuming them. For example, a small, local farm system would be much more able to adjust to a social demand such as the desire for fewer grains and more meats, or the changing capital-value of any particular food. [This is potentially the area where I would discuss in detail the definition and workings of a small family farm.] The small farm is more closely interwoven in the social fabric than the corporate-insulated industrial farm. This immersion brings the small farm into the flux of community needs and resources. As a result, increased diversity in the farm system increases the likelihood that at any given time there will be farms producing what the community needs and can afford to purchase. This is representative of the bioregional idea that human systems should correspond with the resources of the landscape. Here we find the cyclical nature of these ideas: in a small farm system the farmer is more responsive to the needs of his community and landscape, while the community is more tightly coupled with the resources the farm is able to provide.

While this portion of the paper is perhaps the coming together of all the ideas, it is also the section that I need to outline in more detail, and find more data to support. This is the area that would be best represented by a balance of both qualitative and quantitative data, which I have not gathered in detail. Ideally I would like to do a case study of the differences in sustainable productivity and human satisfaction around both a small family farm and industrial farm food system. Unfortunately, I don’t think I will be able to do this research before the finish of this writing. So I need to find sources with this sort of comparative information. One area I have considered exploring in greater detail is the Amish community system. Often these communities are embedded in areas of typical agribusiness production. This could potentially provide a look at how a small family farm system is working in comparison with an industrial system in the same local setting.

Conclusion

At this point in my research, I don’t know what the culmination of my research will be. I am still trying to draw together a cohesive and organized assessment of these ideas, and have not yet reached any sort of conclusion. I do know, however, that one of the overarching ideas that I have already concluded is that bioregionalism needs to be a consideration in our efforts at social and environmental sustainability.

Other Concepts to Consider…

There are some points I recognize as being pertinent to this thesis, though I have not yet researched them in detail, or figured out exactly where/how to integrate them. One significant question is: What are some of the greatest impediments to an exclusively small farm system? It seems that if that sort of system were truly the most sustainable, it would organically evolve into a predominant roll. Why hasn’t this happened? Is the trouble that the small farm system really is not the best system? Or are there other artificial influences maintaining the status-quo? Do we see any evidence that small farm systems are increasing?

Another important aspect of this work that I feel I have not yet integrated well enough, is a focus on Northern New England and, specifically, Maine. I feel that it is important to bring the focus of my paper to the bioregion that I know best. Examples of what is happening in other communities around the world (the Amish, the Indian farmers, the historical conditions of the Potato Famine) are important for providing a deeper understanding of the issues. As I write, however, I want to constantly come back to how these examples speak to the conditions facing farms and communities in Maine. With bioregionalism as the “glue” holding all of these ideas together, it seems most appropriate to examine and attempt to understand a specific bioregion. I feel that Maine is a wonderful case study, because the agricultural system in the state seems to have been a microcosm of wider agricultural fluctuations. Maine had a large number of farms at the turn of the century. After WWII this began to decline as a result of mechanization, and with the Green Revolution the numbers declined more precipitously as it became less viable to have a small farm. Today, we see the number of small farms in the state again growing in response to social desires to have a more ecologically friendly food system. The many facets of this evolution provide a groundwork for discussing all of the other issues I have described above. Ideally I would like to research this history, and use it as the base layout of the paper, touching on all of the other concepts as they come up in the historical account.

Lastly, it was suggested to me that I attempt to create a map as a visual comparison of a small versus industrial farm system. This would diagram the inputs, and transportation of commodity agriculture and food processing, laid out against the input/output diagram of a small farm system, which is much more like an ecological metapopulation.

Relating to the need for a method and timeline: These are probably the biggest problems of implementation. I am not sure how to organize or focus my research. I have strong feelings about many of these ideas and this is the result of a many years of reading and observation. I am having a hard time drawing out where to create details of data, and how to assimilate observed conclusions. I need advice about a research method. The more I read, the more complicated this idea gets, and it is already quite dense. As for a timeline, it seems that I could persist with any portion of this research or writing for the rest of my life. I already have plans for potential fieldwork relating to these topics after graduation. I wish I could incorporate that into my thesis, but I can’t because of time. So, I really have no idea what an effective or realistic time frame would be.

Notes:

[i] D. Kemmis, “Foreword.” Bioregionalism, Ed. Michael Vincent McGinnis. London and New York: Routeledge, 1999, xv.

[ii] G. Snyder, as quoted in D. Aberley, “Interpreting Bioregionalism: A Story from Many Voices” Bioregionalism, Ed. Michael Vincent McGinnis. London and New York: Routeledge, 1999, 17.

[iii] B. McKibben, Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future, New York: Macmillan, 2007, 3.

[iv] B. McKibben, Deep Economy, 29

[v] B. McKibben, Deep Economy, 11

[vi] B. McKibben, Deep Economy, 35

[vii] “King Corn.” Dir. Aaron Woolfe. Writers Ian Cheney, and Curtis Ellis. Co-prod. Mosaic Films Incorporated and The Independent Television Service, 2006.

[viii] “Golden Rice.” Living on Earth. Journalist: Julie Grant. Exec. Producer: Steve Curwood. Public Radio International, Somerville, MA, January 30, 2009.

[ix] M. Troughton, “Fordism Rampant: the model and reality, as applied to production, processing and distribution in the North American agro-food system” Rural Change and Sustainability: Agriculture, the Environment and Communities, Ed. S.J Essex, A.W. Gilg, R.B. Yarwood. Cambridge: CABI Publishing, 2005, 13-27.

[x] “King Corn.”

[xi] Slow Food International. Home Page. Retrieved 17 March, 2009 from http://www.slowfood.com/

[xii] D. Tilman, “Causes, Consequences and Ethics of Biodiversity” Nature 405 (2000): 208-211.

References:

Aberley, D. “Interpreting Bioregionalism: A Story from Many Voices.” Bioregionalism. Ed. Michael Vincent McGinnis. London and New York: Routeledge, 1999. 13-42.

“Golden Rice.” Living on Earth. Journalist: Julie Grant. Exec. Producer: Steve Curwood. Public Radio International, Somerville, MA, 30 January, 2009.

Kemmis, D. “Foreword.” Bioregionalism. Ed. Michael Vincent McGinnis. London and New York: Routeledge, 1999. xv-xvii.

“King Corn.” Dir. Aaron Woolfe. Writers Ian Cheney, and Curtis Ellis. Co-prod. Mosaic Films Incorporated and The Independent Television Service, 2006.

McGinnis, M. V. “A Rehearsal to Bioregionalism.” Bioregionalism. Ed. Michael Vincent McGinnis. London and New York: Routeledge, 1999. 1-10.

McKibben, B. Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future. New York: Macmillan, 2007.

Tilman, D. “Causes, Consequences and Ethics of Biodiversity.” Nature 405 (2000): 208-211.

Troughton, M. “Fordism Rampant: the model and reality, as applied to production, processing and distribution in the North American agro-food system.” Rural Change and Sustainability: Agriculture, the Environment and Communities. Ed. S.J Essex, A.W. Gilg, R.B. Yarwood. Cambridge: CABI Publishing, 2005. 13-27.

Annotations:

Aberley, Doug. “Interpreting bioregionalism: A story from many voices.” Bioregionalism. Ed. Michael Vincent McGinnis. London and New York: Routeledge, 1999. 13-42.

“Golden Rice.” Living on Earth. Journalist: Julie Grant. Exec. Producer: Steve Curwood. Public Radio International, Somerville, MA, 30 January, 2009.

McGinnis, Michael Vincent. “A rehearsal to bioregionalism.” Bioregionalism. Ed. Michael Vincent McGinnis. London and New York: Routeledge, 1999. 1-10.

McKibben, Bill. “Introduction.” Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future. New York: Macmillan, 2007. 1-4.

McKibben, Bill. “After Growth.” Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future. New York: Macmillan, 2007. 5-41.

Troughton, Michael. “Fordism rampant: the model and reality, as applied to production, processing and distribution in the North American agro-food system.” Rural Change and Sustainability: Agriculture, the Environment and Communities. Ed. S.J Essex, A.W. Gilg, R.B. Yarwood. Cambridge: CABI Publishing, 2005. 13-27.

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Thesis Diagram 3/4/09

http://culturalsustainability.gaia.com — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 04:03:22 GMT

Please access this powerpoint document on my idisk:

http://idisk.mac.com/leensylus-Public?view=web

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