Friday, January 20, 2012

The Black Flag of Agriculture

Want to live a healthier lifestyle?
Want to build a better community?
Want to be a revolutionary?

Plant a garden.

  Depending on a government that instinctively puts profits before people to regulate and provide our food supply is irresponsible to our health and our future.  Most of the food we consume is refined and processed to give us, the consumer, a picture perfect product we feel comfortable eating.  The problem with that is our bodies don't hold value over the physical appearance of the food we eat, but rather the nutritional value it holds and I assure you the government isn't concerned with that.  The government is interested in money. That's it. Monsanto funds election .campaigns and slings non tested GMO vegetables down the throats of our children while politicians push bills through congress that enable global takeover of food production by chemical company's. This is why we have "factory farms" accumulating massive profits and small scale farmers are left with the choice of selling out or growing Monsanto's GE corn.

   Factory farming is successful because it is large scale and can produce food for millions of people with little effort and in poor conditions, but what they don't talk about is the impact it has on the environment or the problems it causes for your health. What about those of us who don't want to ingest chemicals or contribute to the destruction of our planet, what can we do? That's where small scale agriculture comes in.

  The problems with the food we eat can't only be attributed to how we grow our food though; there is something to be said about our dual planet lifestyle as well. The commercialization of agriculture also brings with it packaging. Packaging made mostly of plastics that end up being buried in our soil, creating thousands of  landfills. Then of course there is also the oil that is used to make and transport this plastic. Convenience comes at a cost.

  Eating a more localized, sustainable, and seasonal diet is better for you, better for the farmers in your community, and better for your children. There is an upsurge in urban gardening and young people starting to farm. These young idealist are the future of our food supply and can provide us with some much needed healthy produce, not to mention motivation. I encourage everyone to make this year a year to remember, make it the year that you started fighting for yourself and your future. The seeds of revolution are at your finger tips, all you need to do is plant them.

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