For us it's a way of life tied to our wish, indeed, not to be driven by market pressures into any kind of approach of commodification of our own lives or of the land we tend.
I believe that you are right that it's almost impossible to make any kind of living from a smallholding, although if you take the step that Tolly (Iain Tolhurst, https://www.tolhurstorganic.co.uk) took to become a market gardener with a closed-system livestock-free project you might get by, with more hands.
We would like to be autonomous, but the cost of the initial infrastructure to do this is huge. There will always be costs on top in the North: taxes, electricity if one doesn't generate one's own; phone bills if one wants any kind of communication with the wider world.
We grow or forage for a large percentage of the household food, but there are still staples we have to buy in, and of course the weather is beyond our control. This year we trialled quinoa, buckwheat, soy, lentils and chickpeas in a very wet summer here in Brittany, with about 25% success. We make what we can, including for instance laundry liquid (and we still have to source the components), our firewood, including for cooking as well as heating in the winter, comes from trees brought down in the storms, but we are not as self-sufficient as we would like; we still unfortunately use fossil fuel, though with care; and we buy in even things like matches, or black tea. Once upon a time I made clothes from wool I spun and vegetable-dyed, and for many years I earned a living as a shoemaker, but with tending the land for food now I simply don't have time.
We operate along vegan and closed-loop lines – there isn't a lot we bring in, except the initial green-waste compost to begin the growing areas; but we've realised that true self-sufficiency is almost impossible outside a community with similar aims and goals.
We have had to modify our aims; to live in harmony with the natural environment, to be as biodiverse as humanly possible, to be more resilient personally, and to find a way for that to serve our local community if necessary are our current aims.
I think there is a balance between being embedded in social networks with others and a certain level of autonomy. A total self-sufficiency is not really possible as most people hardly will get into iron making, extract their own salt. It is also not really desirable as mutual dependency is a glue of human community. I.e. there will hardly be any community at al unless there is mutual depencencies.
Yes this is what I have...diversified crops to mainly feed our own needs for us, horses, cow and chickens. Its our pension that makes it possible and I put money into things like compost or machinery repair which to me is my profit. Good rotations, cover crops and trying to get crops that will stand the changing climate. Tried Sorghum this year...too darn tall for our small combine but it loved the heat and dryness. Rye and spelt is planted is planted for the winter and will attempt more camelina. The rye will be crimped and planted with sunflowers for our local sunflower oil sales. Tried doing some local markets but most people do not cook nor have any awareness of healthy organic food. Basically we are self sufficient in everything which is a comfort but still a lot of work.
Interesting as always, Gunnar. I have been engaged with farmer communities in the North (Belgium) and the global South and indeed, much of the characteristics of smallholder farmers are similar. If you look however at why smallholders are smallholders, then there tends to be a big difference, mainly induced by the options at hand. In Belgium it is often a positive choice to become smallholder, in the global,South, often it isn’t, it’s rather a negative choice, not having other options.
Thank you, Gunnar.
For us it's a way of life tied to our wish, indeed, not to be driven by market pressures into any kind of approach of commodification of our own lives or of the land we tend.
I believe that you are right that it's almost impossible to make any kind of living from a smallholding, although if you take the step that Tolly (Iain Tolhurst, https://www.tolhurstorganic.co.uk) took to become a market gardener with a closed-system livestock-free project you might get by, with more hands.
We would like to be autonomous, but the cost of the initial infrastructure to do this is huge. There will always be costs on top in the North: taxes, electricity if one doesn't generate one's own; phone bills if one wants any kind of communication with the wider world.
We grow or forage for a large percentage of the household food, but there are still staples we have to buy in, and of course the weather is beyond our control. This year we trialled quinoa, buckwheat, soy, lentils and chickpeas in a very wet summer here in Brittany, with about 25% success. We make what we can, including for instance laundry liquid (and we still have to source the components), our firewood, including for cooking as well as heating in the winter, comes from trees brought down in the storms, but we are not as self-sufficient as we would like; we still unfortunately use fossil fuel, though with care; and we buy in even things like matches, or black tea. Once upon a time I made clothes from wool I spun and vegetable-dyed, and for many years I earned a living as a shoemaker, but with tending the land for food now I simply don't have time.
We operate along vegan and closed-loop lines – there isn't a lot we bring in, except the initial green-waste compost to begin the growing areas; but we've realised that true self-sufficiency is almost impossible outside a community with similar aims and goals.
We have had to modify our aims; to live in harmony with the natural environment, to be as biodiverse as humanly possible, to be more resilient personally, and to find a way for that to serve our local community if necessary are our current aims.
I think there is a balance between being embedded in social networks with others and a certain level of autonomy. A total self-sufficiency is not really possible as most people hardly will get into iron making, extract their own salt. It is also not really desirable as mutual dependency is a glue of human community. I.e. there will hardly be any community at al unless there is mutual depencencies.
Yes this is what I have...diversified crops to mainly feed our own needs for us, horses, cow and chickens. Its our pension that makes it possible and I put money into things like compost or machinery repair which to me is my profit. Good rotations, cover crops and trying to get crops that will stand the changing climate. Tried Sorghum this year...too darn tall for our small combine but it loved the heat and dryness. Rye and spelt is planted is planted for the winter and will attempt more camelina. The rye will be crimped and planted with sunflowers for our local sunflower oil sales. Tried doing some local markets but most people do not cook nor have any awareness of healthy organic food. Basically we are self sufficient in everything which is a comfort but still a lot of work.
Interesting as always, Gunnar. I have been engaged with farmer communities in the North (Belgium) and the global South and indeed, much of the characteristics of smallholder farmers are similar. If you look however at why smallholders are smallholders, then there tends to be a big difference, mainly induced by the options at hand. In Belgium it is often a positive choice to become smallholder, in the global,South, often it isn’t, it’s rather a negative choice, not having other options.