Why + how we should support local ecological farmers

Les Jardins de Tessa has been proudly growing organic vegetables and distributing them in baskets since 1997. Now operating as a worker-owned cooperative, its mission remains the same: to provide people with high-quality vegetables grown with respect for the soil and to offer its employees rewarding working conditions.

Our local ecological farmers perform a great service for us, whether we know it or not. Agriculture, if it’s done right, assures our communities a supply of nutritious food and buffers us from the risks of climate change, all at the same time. Having farmers close to where we live who know how to grow food is a huge benefit and also an insurance policy. We should recognize the gift they offer us and support them, not only for their sake but as an investment in resilience for the whole community.

We all need to eat but most modern people have no idea that agriculture can add to climate resilience or make things worse, all depending on how it’s done. We also have little idea of how fragile our supply chains are, due to wars, geopolitical conflicts and the difficult conditions imposed on all farmers by climate change. We have learned to take for granted that there will be a great selection of foods filling the shelves of our grocery stores all year round. But in today’s world, there is no guarantee that will continue to be possible. We got a taste of that fragility during the COVID pandemic. Today there are many situations brewing which could lead to a breakdown at any time.

How regenerative agriculture or agroecology provides resilience

Modern industrial agriculture depletes the soil, kills the living soil microorganisms with pesticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizer, depletes biodiversity and reduces the soil's capacity to store water. Ecological farmers use compost, manure and other living soil amendments that feed and improve the soil. Living soil has the capacity to stock and infiltrate water, which helps it to absorb excess water when it rains too much and withstand dry periods when it's too hot and dry. Ecological farms have more crop diversity and generally include riparian buffer zones to protect waterways and provide for pollinators. They are more likely to include agroforestry and other deep rooted perennial plants which stabilize the soil and cool the landscape. When the climate conditions are challenging it’s not unusual to see the conventional farm struggling while the neighbours with healthy soil fare much better.

Farmers are struggling

No one goes into farming for the money. They may go into farming because they love the lifestyle, they love the land, they like to work outdoors, but farm margins are slim. Farm workers are poorly paid and hard to find. As the cost of land escalates, it becomes practically impossible to purchase a farm and the necessary equipment from farm revenue. Many farmers inherit the family farm and the parent generation is delighted when their children wish to keep the farm going. Younger farmers don’t have the means to purchase a farm. In the majority of farming couples, at least one of them works outside of the farm. The average age of farmers in North America is in the 60’s, meaning we are heading for a crisis as the people who produce our food retire and the next generation is not interested in continuing.

Investing in our capacity to feed ourselves

In the face of this growing precarity of our food systems, social innovation is coming up with new ways that help communities support their capacity to grow food locally, despite the challenges. The innovation which has been around the longest is Community Supported Agriculture. In this model, consumers subscribe to receiving a basket of produce throughout the growing season. They pay up front or in installments and this permits the farmers to know what their sales will be at the beginning of the season and have some cash up front to buy what they will need to produce it. This is still a very relevant way to support your local farmers and if more of us could commit to buying local it would be a huge help to our local farmers.

Perennial farms

Another social innovation is the concept of perennial farms, farms that have been removed from the commodity market and given a farming vocation. This involves separating the ownership of the land from the use of the land. One model for this is the Land Trust. The land is owned by a Trust and the Trust provides access to farmers who wish to use it at an affordable rate. Some of these trusts provide a long term lease, so that it is similar to owning the property but the cost remains reasonable. Sometimes this is achieved when the land is owned by a non profit organization.

Others farms may have private ownership but be run by a cooperative. The owner leases the land to the cooperative at an affordable rate but the farm is managed by the cooperative’s members. There may be worker members who share the profits and responsibilities. There may also be other categories of members who have agreements to invest time or money, whether that’s a loan in the form of community bonds or a reduced price on produce in exchange for services.

Supporting local ecological farmers is an investment in food security

However it is possible for you to support your local eco farmers, remember that it is not only about helping them to make a decent living. It is about creating resilience to climate shocks by protecting our soils, assuring protection for our waterways and our water supply and making sure that the knowledge of how to produce food stays alive in our community.