Apr 16, 2011

Everyone wants
to be a farmer
except the farmer



IT'S A CALL TO ARMS!

A SHOUT OUT TO THE KNIFE AND FORK


A CROSS BETWEEN A CHEERLEADER 
AND CHE GUEVARA!


A LEAP TO THE POST-YUPPIE HIPPIE
BACK TO MOTHER EARTH MOMENT!

IT'S FARMING WITH PITCHFORK 
AND WIFI!

IT'S A MOVEMENT!
"This is America, and it takes all kinds.  All over the country we have met enterprising, hopeful greehorns; descendents of family dairies, punky inner-city gardeners, homesteaders, radical Christians, anarcho-activists, ex-suburbanites, graduates with biological science degrees, ex-teachers, ex-poets, ex-cowboys..."
"The movement is real.  Its practitioners are skilled, savvy, ferocious.  They are assets to their community and guarantors of our future.  They are shovel-ready, shovel-sharpened.  Relishers of flavor, recipients of the generosity of photosynthesis.  Hell bent on recovering from the age of convenience.  They are young farmers with young muscles wisely applying their lives to the problems at hand. "
excerpt from the Directors statement: Severine von Tscharner Fleming (director, provisional producer, agarian)

This is only a tidbit of Severine's "manifesto."  She is as passionate in person as these words indicate.  At a recent conference on Urban Agriculture held at the Horticultural Society of New York, Severine was only one of the speakers, but the one who captured my heart. 

Those of us who considered ourselves hippies (and some still do) and lived through a period of idealism can relate to Severine.  We get it and we admire it.  She and her posse have a lot more tools in their toolbox, than those of us who went before.  They have a huge advantage:  the internet.  Their ability to connect with each other worldwide is impowering.
How we serve young farmers:
Messaging
Database
Advocacy
Map
Blog
Guide
Events
Radio
Education
Journal
I urge everyone to go to their site and see the range of activities and initiatives going on round the country in urban agriculture.   Make sure to take a look at their great graphics. Find out what a "crop rave" is and how you can "geo-organize" yourself.  Oh Pioneers!  I might want to get out my tie-dyed skirt and throw a few seeds in the ground myself.

The Greenhorns is a grassroots non-profit organization made up of young farmers and many collaborators.  Our mission is to recruit, promote and support the new generation of young farmers in this ample
and able 21st century America.
 

1 comments:

Jean Campbell said...

Everybody wants to be a landowner. Nobody wants the real work and responsibility of a farmer.

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