Re: fertile crescent, social forestry

[John Schinnerer <eco_living@yahoo.com>]

Aloha,

> If countries would embrace the Fertile Crescent concept again (no
> connection to Islam) which encourages exclusive agricultural use of
> the most fertile land encircling  a populated area (i.e. often a
> crescent-shaped area)

Social Forestry concepts would seem to be an expansion on this -
open-land farming where land is best suited, preserving/enhancing
forests from mountain/ridge-tops down to primary key line, living below
key line but above best ag land, etc..

> then GUILDS of homestead gardeners, market
> gardeners and market farmers could begin to organize,

As long as they don't reinvent the organizational pathologies of the
medieval guilds (or modern analogs)...

> operate and
> flourish by offering, by direst sale, high quality fresh food to the
> urban area(s) nearest them, bypassing middlemen, brokers, retailers,
> wholesalers, shipping, warehousing and refrigeration.

This is a great and common-sense idea, and one that must be designed
for very carefully and thoughtfully.  Otherwise it will likely meet
great systemic resistance in our culture.  A few CSA's and farmer's
markets here and there stay below the radar, but look at all the
livelihoods and worldviews threatened by the above ("middlemen,
brokers, retailers, wholesalers, shipping, warehousing and
refrigeration" just for starters).  Heck, you're restructuring an
entire social-political-economic system there... ;-)

So in promoting this sort of thing, how do we design for such issues? 
Gotta consider this, or it'll get squashed by the same majority that
would benefit in all kinds of ways (or so we maintain) if it happened.


=====
John Schinnerer, MA
--------------------
- Eco-Living -
Cultural & Ecological Designing
Food - Shelter - Community
john@eco-living.net
http://eco-living.net

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