The New Farm[1]
John Ikerd
Robert Rodale was a visionary. The Rodale Press first published The New Farm magazine during the 1980s to “inform, encourage, equip, and inspire farmers… to take the important transition steps toward regenerative agriculture.” At the time, most of us didn’t really understand what he meant by “regenerative agriculture” or why he called his magazine The New Farm.
Rodale understood that the modern industrial approach to farming was inherently unsustainable because it was not self-renewing or regenerative. Most of the rest of us in the sustainable agriculture movement were still trying to fix conventional farming by reducing its negative impacts on the natural environment and on rural communities. Rodale understood that sustainable farming would have to be radically different. He wanted the rest of us to understand that a sustainable farm would have to be a new farm.
Twenty years later, many of the rest of us were
still catching up. Organic food production was growing at a rate of nearly 20%
per year, doubling in size every three to four years. Local was becoming the new
organic, as more people were trying to find foods grown as close to home as
possible. Sustainable agriculture organizations had sprung up all around the
country, with at least six North American conferences drawing more than 1,500
people, several more drawing 500-700, with too many smaller conferences to
count. Some who attended these conferences were still trying to fix
conventional farming but most were beginning to understand what Rodale’s new farm was about.
Unfortunately, we don’t
have a good estimate of the number of new farmers in the
The total number of farm
operators in the
My best guess is that around
10-15 percent of all serious farmers are consciously pursuing the ecological,
social, and economic principles of sustainable farming, although many don’t identify
themselves as such. These farms probably account for only about 5-6% of total
food sales, since most are smaller than most conventional farms. I suspect
another 10-15 percent of farmers follow sustainable principles, simply because
they have never bought into the industrial farming paradigm. They don’t think
of themselves as new farmers but they think like new farmers. If these
estimates are accurate, roughly a quarter of
Over the past ten years, I have had the privilege of speaking at 25-35 different venues a year, mostly conferences attended by these new, sustainable farmers. Most of what I know about new farms, I have learned from these farmers. I have written about these farmers before in Small Farm Today and elsewhere. But my understanding of why and how these new farmers farm continues to grow over time. There is no simple description of the new farm, because sustainable farming operations must fit the ever-changing ecological, physical, and intellectual capacity of the individual farm and farm family. Each farm is different and continually changing. However, some general characteristics have become clearer with time, making possible a better understand of how sustainable farms must be organized and managed.
First, the purpose of a
new farm is to sustain a desirable quality of life for people – for farmers,
farm families, rural communities, and society in general. New farmers understand
that quality of life is not just about making money, it’s also about the
quality of relationships, including their relationship with nature. Some level
of income is necessary for a good life, but beyond a fairly modest level – some
studies indicate around $10,000 – our happiness is determined much more by our
relationships with other people than our income or wealth. Another essential
prerequisite for happiness is a sense of purpose and meaning in life. We need
to know that our life matters. New farmers understand that they need to make
money, but they also understand that they need to be good friends, good
neighbors, and good citizens. They also understand that farmers are the caretakers
of the earth and their stewardship of the earth matters for the future of
humanity. New farmers understand the purpose of real farming is far more
important than just production and profits.
Next, new farmers rely on principles, rather than specific goals or strategies, to guide them in their purpose. They know they must respect the basic principles of economics if they are to survive economically. But they also know they must respect the principles of nature, including human nature, if they are to survive ecologically and socially. Everything in nature is interconnected; we are all part of the same whole. Sustainable farms must be managed holistically. In holistic management, each component of the farming operation – each practice, method, or enterprise – is treated as an inseparable aspect of the farm as a whole. Each new arrangement or sequence of crops, livestock, methods, or practices – across space, over time, or among people – creates a new set of relationships among the various components and thus constitutes a new and different whole. When viewed holistically, relationships among parts are as important as the parts themselves. The new farm is more than the sum of its parts.
New farms also are
managed for diversity. Nature is diverse, and the diversity of an ecologically
sound farm must reflect the diversity of its place in nature. People are diverse, and the diversity of a
socially responsible farming operation must reflect the diversity of the people
who operate the farm and the customers it serves. Diversity also creates the opportunities
for economic synergy, making the whole farm more profitable than the sum of its
collective enterprises. Productivity and regenerative capacity results from
mutually beneficial relationships among the diverse components of holistically
managed farms. Contract farmers are dependent; they cooperate out of necessity.
Traditional farmers are independent; they compete rather than cooperate. New
farmers are interdependent; they cooperate as a matter of choice, not
necessity.
New farmers also respect
the principles of human nature. People have many different religious, social,
and cultural values, but we all share a common sense of the most important
principles of interpersonal relationships. For example, we know we must be
honest, fair, and responsible in our relations with other if we expect to
sustain our relationships. In other words, we must be trustworthy. New farmers understand
that markets for organic foods and locally grown foods are growing because many
Americans no longer trust today’s industrial food system. They don’t trust the
corporate food processors and retailers, they don’t trust the government regulators,
and they don’t trust large-scale industrial farm operators. They are looking for
food they can trust.
Many people who buy from
local farmers also are seeking a sense of connectedness, if not a personal friendship.
Trust, although necessary, isn’t enough to sustain a friendship. Sometimes we
all need to be treated with compassion rather than equity. We need empathy
rather than brutal honesty and respect more than agreement. New farmers
understand that sustainability requires relationships of kindness. They care about
their customers as friends and neighbors – as caring people – not just buyers
of their products. New farmers also understand that they are swimming against
the mainstream of economic fundamentalism in today’s agricultural economy. By
trusting and caring, they know they may be labeled as naïve and idealistic. But
new farmers have the courage to act on their moral convictions; they have the courage
to be trusting and kind.
New farmers also respect
the basic principles of economics. They understand that economic value is
determined by scarcity. They know they must produce things people want, that
other farmers cannot produce or cannot produce as well. They understand they
must make efficient use of their scarce land, labor, time, and abilities, if
they are to survive economically. And they know that the sustainability of
their farming operations is ultimately up to them; they must be willing to make
and to accept responsibility for their own decisions. They must respect the
economic principles of value, efficiency, and sovereignty. But the principles
of new farm economics must be
internally consistent with the principles of ecology and society. I plan to
write more about new farm economics
in the next issue of Small Farm Today.
[1] Prepared for publication in “Sustaining People through Agriculture” series, Small Farm Today, November-December, 2007.