While Paul Schneider’s book The Adirondacks: A History of America’s First Wilderness presents a pessimistic view about farming in the Adirondacks with one of its chapters titled “Farewell to Farms," Essex Farm proves successful farming in the Adirondacks is still possible. Last semester at Hamilton, the owners of Essex farm, Mark and Kristin Kimball, talked about their unique farming methods (which includes the use of eight draft horses). The Kimballs adopted a “triple bottom line” view on sustainability. They argue that in order for a farm to be successful, it must be sustainable on three different fronts: economically, socially, and environmentally. Economic sustainability refers to the money going into and out of the farm - in other words, turning a profit. Social sustainability involves maintaining healthy relationships with those living in the community around the farm. The final element of “the triple bottom line,” environmental sustainability, is incredibly difficult to achieve. The assurance that land, air, and water are not damaged during the farming process is something that sets the Kimball's farm apart from most. They do not use pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizer. Additionally, they stray away from the use of machines powered by fossil fuels, instead powering their farm with only three tractors, ten full-time farmers, solar panels, and draft horses. Although some may see their methods of farming as “antiquated” or “unrealistic,” Essex is able to provide a full diet year round to over 300 people!
Fascinated and inspired by their talk, I decided to read Kristin’s book The Dirty Life. (Which is amazing. 10/10. Would recommend.) Importance of community is a theme that is interwoven throughout the book. Neighbors helped the Kimball’s vision of the farm come to fruition by offering advice, tools, and, quite literally, a helping hand. Without community, the farm would probably not even exist, as it is a CSA. CSA, or community supported agriculture, operates in a way that allows the consumer to buy fresh, local food directly from the farmer. The customer pays a fee upfront, and for the entirety of the year, they can collect their share of locally grown, organic food weekly. This system allots farmers the necessary capital at the beginning of the year, while allowing consumers access to fresh, local food.
Essex Farm truly embodies the idea of sustainability, and it is my hope that they are pioneers and not just an anomaly.Works Cited:
Essex Farm CSA. Essex Farm CSA. 2015. Web. 9 September 2015. http://www.essexfarmcsa.com/
Kimball, Kristin. The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food, and Love. 1st Scribner trade pbk. ed. New York: Scribner, 2011.
I too hope that Essex Farm is not an anomaly, but I often think about the plausibility of farms like it on a large scale, feeding millions, or even billions, of people. I wonder if it would simply require people to buy into the idea of organic farming in order for it to become a widespread solution. Would it simply require significantly more land and labor? Maybe at this point, it is impossible to feed so many people through sustainable farms like Essex Farm, but rather the concept of sustainability needs to be combined with modern technology (ex: vertical farming) in order to make sustainable food growing a legitimate option. I do not know what the answer is, but I think a change needs to be made in the way food is grown and produced in the world, and I think at the very least the concepts employed at Essex Farm are ones that need to become more prevalent.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a valid concern. I do think if we wasted less food, farming organically/in a sustainable way would be a far more realistic thought (at least in the US). Check out this nat geo article: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/10/141013-food-waste-national-security-environment-science-ngfood/
DeleteYour discussion of Essex Farms reminded me of a part of Michael Pollens book, The Omnivores Dilemma where he discusses a farm in Virginia called Polyface Inc. The company practices many of the same principals as Essex Farms and is really trying to bring food production back to the local community. They do not ship their food over long distances because they understand the environmental impact of food transport. They also sell most of their food directly to their customers and allow people to see for themselves (if they want) the process of slaughtering chickens etc. to create trust between the farmer and the community.
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to their website:
http://www.polyfacefarms.com/story/
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAwesome connection! Thanks!
Delete