Intentional Farm Communities

Either we can go to the grocery store and buy mostly unhealthy food from giant industrial farms--that destroy the earth and our health--or we can go back to small farms based on sustainable food production. Of course this would take a large part of our population to make it work; but what’s wrong with being the people that are feeding ourselves and others? As an older person that has been fairly aware of what’s happening to humanity and the planet, I feel that Intentional Communities with a mission of sustainable farming (permaculture if you like) is the only real solution. The human body has evolved over 100,000 years not to eat junk food, sit in car seats or on computer chairs; but to be physically able to grow or catch our food. Sure there are a lot more challenges (caused by us) today than years past, but we’ve invented some really cool hoes, solar energy collectors, guitars, etc.
Human power at best is only equal to about a 1/5 hp; but we’re smart enough to know an edible plant (weed) from a unedible one, so we don’t have kill all the weeds with chemical herbicides or plow everything to bare dirt. Also, we can open and close gates, letting other animals do the work of converting vegetation from soil, water and sun into natural healthy food. Sure there’s a lot more to this, but somehow the trend of humans leaving farms needs to reverse. Permaculture Farms are where we need to be with others, working as partners to create a healthy, happy, earth friendly world.
Presently we’re looking for others that are really wanting to be part of a real solution based on partners, growing, and raising food sustainable in West Central FL. Yes, we’re farmers and don’t have the time to keep up with our website www.ecofarmfl.org. No, presently we’re not a functioning community, but still interested. Also, yes I’m a goof ball !! Thanks for the website!

Jon Butts wrote:Either we can go to the grocery store and buy mostly unhealthy food from giant industrial farms--that destroy the earth and our health--or we can go back to small farms based on sustainable food production.

I think there's another option in addition to small farms, which is communities in which food-growing and living take place in the same space. Unlike a farm, in which food is grown in fields often remote from habitation, with this concept the food-growing and the habitation are the same environment. This is what I understand to be permaculture.

Call it what you like. As the recent post about David-the-Goods Book grow food or die. Get it grow food where ever or die. Small farms can be anywhere. My point is it takes a lot of hands to grow food sustainability and we have to work together peacefully or work is really work. Human Harmony takes skills we're not taught and The Fellowship of Intentional Communities is a good place to learn peaceful interactions with others.