A small farm future: creating local autonomies for our shared earth

July 27, 2022

In A Small Farm Future, Chris Smaje describes a future is one in which local economies are the key to supporting farmers and food production, self-provisioning is the norm, agricultural diversity is valued, and a shared earth is protected. This book makes the case for such a future, based on the belief that it is the only kind of future that can offer real security and prosperity.

Smaje offers a vision of an agriculture that is small-scale, sustainable, and humane, one that is based on local economies and the principles of self-sufficiency. He spends considerable time discussing the ten crises that are facing humanity, ranging from climate change to over-population. Agriculture is one element of a solution, but only within a broader shift away from a globalized financial system.                              

According to Smaje, small farms play a key role in creating local autonomies from global flows of capital. He explains that small farms "involve a degree of self-provisioning at the individual, household or local level; they employ labor-intensive techniques applied more often by family or household laborers than salaried workers; they adjust their activities to sustain the ecological base in their locality that underpins their productivity; and they tend to operate in a de-commodifying (but not necessarily un-commodified) way compared to large farms."

He argues that it is time for the world to be open to a fundamental rethink in how we ourselves globally.” [The] spreading of wealth isn’t happening and can’t happen within the existing global economy. The present structure of the global economy involves a spiral of ever-growing capital investment, which is physically manifested in (fossil) energy use. Further, as this capital is put to work in ever more complex and interrelated ways, the amount of energy used to produce the final outputs increases."

According to his estimates, roughly 30% of the world's population are suffering from chronic hunger. He asks what kind of development could really free people? The answer is one that is self-generated and sustainable. "The kinds that help poor, small-scale farmers get secure access to land; better produce food for themselves and others by building a robust farm enterprise; participate more easily in markets; and ensure financial or in-kind returns that enable them to get other needed goods and services."

For Smaje, the small farm - with its low-tech, labor-intensive approaches - is not regressive. Doing things today that we have stopped doing, but did in the past, should not be seen as backwards. Bigger is not always better, and not all of the world’s problems can be solved with high-tech fixes delivered by the reigning capitalist economy. He is hopeful that the current economy will be succeeded by something that offers a better future.

Overall, Smaje makes a convincing case for why we need to move away from the large-scale, industrial agriculture that currently dominates the globe. Smaje’s book is required reading for anyone interested in a future for agriculture that is both economically and ecologically sustainable. It should also be of interest to those who are concerned about the increasing concentration of power and wealth in our society, and the consequent decline in self-sufficiency and community resilience. Clearly the small farm is not the only solution. But it is part of a development model that is self-generated and self-sustaining and involves creating local economies that are isolated from the global financial system and more likely to curb chronic hunger.

CPM