October 2, 2009

Forever From the Earth

Farmers are an endangered species. Farmers who fight back against what's happening to them by farming smarter, even more so. But without farmers who respect and love the land, who farm in a sustainable way, we're goners. Here are a few human scale stories, as told by Lisa M. Hamilton, from her marvelous book Deeply Rooted: Unconventional Farmers in the Age of Agribusiness. Also a few policy questions to ponder. It was great to talk with Lisa — even if the problems seem intractable, these profiles of courageous farmers embody, as Alice Waters says on the book's jacket, "the future of American agriculture." Total runtime an hour and eleven minutes. Enjoy!