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| Ssomeone who decided to cater for his own food |
When leaving the city and coming closer to the countryside one can see all kinds of foods growing. Probably you have no idea who is taking care of it, whether the corn is for you or for the cow you will eat later, whether it is grown organic or if pesticides are used. Can we really make a difference on food choices or is it done by others?
It is important for a government to make policies. Policies help to make it easier to govern a country. It makes it easier for citizens to sort out what is allowed and what not. It is like a strategy which helps to meet certain demands, to reach goals which should be reached, etc. Sometimes helped by subsidies to achieve them.
Also in agriculture policies are needed. In Europe they started to introduce them shortly after WWII when food was scarce and demands where high. It solved this problem and protected the Europeans from hunger. But policies where overwhelming and instead of shortages there were food excesses which the governments had to transport to developing countries or which they had to dump (butter, milk).
Now policies do not only give a framework in which to work in, but they control the lifes of many farmers and their customers. They produce in such a way that they are guaranteed a subsidy. Only some farmers have the guts to escape from this regime and do it their own way. They work hard to produce what they want in a ay they feel comfortable with. These farmers have a long way to go but in the end they might have better profits and life a happier life.
Subsidies are not necessarily bad. They also offer people the possibility to develop themselves. Without subsidies there wouldn’t have been projects like Foodscape Schilderswijk in The Hague, Parco Agricolo Sud in Milano or Parc Agrari del Baix Llobregat in Barcelona. But it is necessary to involve people who dare to move forward, who dare to step up and to be innovative.
Grants gives individuals or small groups a change to think about their and our future. Therefore a framework is needed leaving enough space to do what’s good for all of us. In such a way that we do not all have to follow the same strategy. Like we could choose what program we watch on tv, we should also be able to choose what we eat, where it comes from, etc. Especially now choices already become more narrow.
Things which are best for one could be worst for the other. Freedom is needed. Therefore we should not make big companies to dominant. Specialty shops, small farmers and producers of specific products should also be able to survive. One cannot control everything. Be happy as long as one is able to move within the policy framework. And do not only encourage to produce more. How can we complain about shortages if loads of foods are thrown away each day?
Curious on the future of agriculture? Follow creation of the new Common Agricultural Policy at the website of the EU, YFM and toekomstglb.nl
