#Agriculture Practices

[lingrimmart]

Flynn QA and a request from our Patreon!

(A picture of a naga trying to get used to his appearance, which has three legs or three tails or something)

[elftwink]

one thing thats so interesting about being a vegetarian is you get to hear all about everyones hypothetical activism that they care about very deeply when talking specifically about your diet and why it's stupid, but literally will never bring up ever again in any other context

[dailyanarchistposts]

It doesn’t take a health food nut to see that modern society has a dysfunctional relationship with food. As in almost every other arena of life, our priorities are elsewhere — if not in wage slavery and staying out of debt, then in escapist entertainment or selfnumbing addictions. Even among radicals and anarchists, healthy and mindful dietary practices are often considered a luxury reserved for that mythical post-revolutionary era that we are supposedly laying the groundwork for, when our children’s children, or their children, can enjoy safe, pure, nutritious food. Sounds like a plan. Except for a few things...

While time frames are questionable, there is no denying that the current food production system is a recipe for disaster. Soils are becoming sterile, salinated and toxic, eroding into streams and poisoning irrigation and drinking waters. As is a basic natural inclination, “weeds”, insects, viruses, fungi, and bacteria are adapting to each new, stranger dose of pesticide and herbicide with a vengeance/developing resistances that rival that of the pathogens resisting antibiotic drugs in medicine. The health crises resulting from the malnutrition of the industrialized west — and those outside the west who have been force fed our diets for a century or more — multiply and deepen faster than the pharmaceutical industry can develop their quick fixes.

More fundamental problems like global warming, species extinctions, and polluted waters, all of which affect agriculture and health profoundly, complicate the crisis. So when passing off the job of steering our food systems back on a path of ecological and social sanity, just what is it we are asking future generations to inherit?

[lockhartandlych]

seeing people utterly fucking abuse corn makes me feel like im going insane

PEOPLE WILL GET THREE DINKY LITTLE CORN PLANTS AT THE GARDEN STORE, BURY THEM IN LIFELESS POTTING SOIL AND THEN ACT SURPRISED WHEN THEY START STRUGGLING

LIKE DUDE

DUDE

DUDE

CORN WAS NEVER A SOLITARY PLANT

IT'S BEEN CAREFULLY BRED AND DOMESTICATED OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS TO HAVE A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP WITH ITS SISTERS AND YOU ARE DEPRIVING IT OF THAT AND THEN ACTING SURPRISED WHEN IT CANT GROW

PLEASE. IM BEGGING YOU. IM ON MY FUCKING KNEES. YOU HAVE COLONIST BRAINWORMS. STOP IT WITH THE MONOCULTURES.

PLANT SOME FUCKING BEANS AND SQUASH!!!!

AND STOP PLANTING THEM SO CLOSE TOGETHER.

[happigreens]

Fair Trade

By going beyond accreditation practices, consumers and companies can reach those at the bottom of the global social production ladder. Nonetheless, these efforts require purchasers to take personal responsibility for their impact, rather than relying solely on certifications. Simply by being more thoughtful and ethical in our sourcing practices, we have a huge opportunity to create brighter futures for all people and their families throughout the supply chain.

https://borgenproject.org/fair-trade-product-markets/

Despite many well-intentioned consumer attitudes, fair trade product markets frequently feature marketing strategies that conjure up imperialistic images [...]

[...] In products marked as fair trade, the certification might only apply to the product’s raw materials, rather than the full process of production. [...] A 2014 study theorizes that these practices are somewhat effective, “although on a comparatively modest scale relative to the size of national economies"

Social Media conversations about Fair Trade Practices:

[From user seriousxdelirium] - Like almost all other labels for coffee, it's absolutely useless. It only applies to growers large enough to afford the fees, and is not regulated well enough to make meaningful impact on the industry. If you really care about this sort of thing, do some research and develop an understanding of what you think a fair price is for farmers, and ask roasters what they paid for that coffee. Most good roasters are willing to be transparent about that sort of thing, and even publish transparency reports where you get a breakdown of the entire transaction.

From user Ramakrishna Surathu:

[...] Here are some reasons why fair trade may not always be as fair as it seems [...]

1. Market Access and Power Imbalances: Fair trade initiatives often focus on small-scale producers in developing countries, who may face challenges in accessing global markets and negotiating fair prices. Power imbalances within supply chains, influenced by factors such as geography, politics, and market dynamics, can limit the ability of producers to fully benefit from fair trade practices.

2. Certification Costs and Barriers: Obtaining fair trade certification can be costly and time-consuming for producers, particularly small-scale farmers and artisans with limited resources. Certification fees, auditing expenses, and compliance with standards may pose financial barriers and administrative burdens, leading some producers to forego certification altogether.

3. Limited Impact on Poverty Alleviation: While fair trade aims to reduce poverty and improve livelihoods, its impact may be limited by systemic barriers and structural inequalities. Addressing poverty requires broader social, economic, and political interventions beyond the scope of fair trade alone, such as access to education, healthcare, land rights, and infrastructure.

4. Market Volatility and Price Instability: Fair trade prices are often based on predetermined minimums, which may not fully reflect fluctuations in global market prices. Producers may be exposed to market volatility and fluctuations in demand, which can impact their income and livelihoods, particularly in commodity markets subject to price instability.

5. Complexity of Supply Chains: Fair trade supply chains can be complex and challenging to navigate, especially in regions with limited infrastructure and logistical challenges. Ensuring compliance with fair trade standards, maintaining transparency, and traceability throughout the supply chain can require significant investment in monitoring and management systems.

[...] Some manufacturers also use tricks. For example, some products do not explain exactly which part of a product was produced fairly. Another trick is to increase the percentage of "fair" ingredients by subtracting out the water content. The credibility is of course "fair watered".

[...] The statement here should not be that fair trade is useless, but one should always question things or understand them better and not just be blindly guided by seals in the purchase decision. Since this works so well, manufacturers like to use such seals or make one up themselves.

[...] rather than cutting out the middle man, and offering farmers a more direct compensation for their work, Fair Trade still facilitates a level of bureaucracy that supports an uneven distribution of revenue.

[...] The price point that separates Fair Trade produce from the rest of the market is often significant enough that lower-income households cannot afford to budget for it. This means that Fair Trade cannot reach mass markets in a way that would really effect wide-scale change, and instead serves as a token gesture to alleviate the guilt of middle-class consumers.

[...] [premium pricing coffee] is a worthy move if the coffee is of a high quality, but if it is not of sufficient quality to merit this price tag, then it risks turning consumers away from Fair Trade produce, and further impeding its reach to mass markets [...]

Fair Trade is a concept worth embracing, but first it must prioritize effective and transparent processes of production and distribution. What Fair Trade aims to achieve is admirable, but what it could potentially achieve is far greater [...]

[queen-boudicca]

Me when doing my environmental science homework, at every available opportunity:

[the-weaving-cryptid]

Agricultural Astrology

Otherwise known as "planting by the signs", agricultural astrology is a scheduling method used to determine when to cultivate, plant and harvest crops based on the moon's phases and astrological signs. Although there is a lack of scientific evidence to support this concept, it is something people have followed for thousands of years. Many people still swear by agricultural astrology.

What do you need to know to plant by the signs?

Agricultural astrology requires you to pay attention to the moon's phases and astrology signs. It also requires you to have an understanding of the correspondences between the twelve zodiac signs and the body. Every sign is associated with a specific area of the body. The following is information I pulled from the first Foxfire book, which has sixteen pages discussing agricultural astrology. This list contains the twelve zodiac signs, their symbols, corresponding body parts, planets and elements.

Aries | Ram | Head | Mars | Fire

Taurus | Bull | Neck, Throat | Venus | Earth

Gemini | Twins | Arms, Chest | Mercury | Air

Cancer | Crab | Breasts, Stomach | Moon | Water

Leo | Lion | Heart, Back | Sun | Fire

Virgo | Virgin | Bowels | Mercury | Earth

Libra | Balance | Kidneys | Venus | Air

Scorpio | Scorpion | Loins | Mars | Water

Sagittarius | Archer | Thighs | Jupiter | Fire

Capricorn | Goat | Knees | Saturn | Earth

Aquarius | Waterman | Legs, Ankles | Uranus | Air

Pisces | Fish | Feet | Neptune | Water

By paying attention to the astrological forecast for the year, you will be given an idea on when the ideal time is to cultivate, plant and harvest your garden. There are no official "rules" on how to do this per say, but many individuals swear by the ways they were taught.

You'll find that most people use terms such as airy, dry, barren, fiery, earthy, moist, watery, fruitful or very fruitful. The first Foxfire book also uses terms such as feminine and masculine. Before y'all go bashing the Foxfire books for this, I will inform you that the first Foxfire book was published in 1972. Society had a very different perspective on gender and gender roles during that time. I reference this book because, although it is very old-school, it is still a useful reference.

It can be difficult to make notes of these things for every year, but there is a way you can get around that. The Old Farmer's Almanac is a company that has a website where you can look up their interpretation of the astrological forecast and when it is best to plant things. They also publish books for every year, which I suggest buying if you can. They always contain much more than astrological dates and predictions. The books are not too expensive, but keep in mind that the Farmer's Almanac is limited to the United States and Canadian regions.

Notes from the First Foxfire Book

Cultivating & Planting

Planting is best done in the fruitful signs of Scorpio, Pisces, Taurus or Cancer (when the signs are in the lions, feet, neck or breasts).

Plow, till and cultivate in Aries.

Never plant anything in one of the barren signs. They are only good for trimming, deadening and destroying.

Always set plants out in a water or earth sign.

Graft before the sap starts to flow, while the moon is in its first or second quarter, and while it is passing through a fruitful watery sign, or Capricorn. Never graft or plant on Sunday as this is a barren, hot day (the sun's day).

Plant flowers in Libra which is an airy sign that also represents beauty. Plant them while the moon is in the first quarter unless you need the seeds, in which case use the period between the moon's second quarter and full.

Corn planted in Leo will have a hard, round stalk and small ears.

Crops planted in Taurus and Cancer will stand drought.

Plant beans when the signs are in the arms.

Root flower cuttings, limbs, vines, and set out flower bushes and trees in December and January when the signs are in the knees and feet.

Never transplant in the heart or head as both these signs are "Death Signs".

If you want a large vine and stalk with little fruit, plant in Virgo- "bloom days".

Don't plant potatoes in the feet. If you do, they will develop little nubs like toes all over the main potato. The best time is a dark night in March.

Plant all things which yield above the ground during the increase or growing of the moon, and all things which yield below the ground (root crops) when the moon is decreasing or darkening.

Never plant on the first day of the new moon, or on a day when the moon changes quarters.

In the fourth quarter turn sod, pull weeds and destroy.

Reaping & Harvesting

Pick fruit like apples and pears in the old of the moon (while it is decreasing or shrinking). This will cause the bruised spots and blemishes to dry up rather than rot. They will rot if the fruit is picked on the increase or rising of the moon, or the new moon.

Harvest most crops when the moon is growing old. This will cause them to keep better and longer.

Dig root crops for seed in the third quarter of the moon. They will keep longer and are usually drier and better.

Gather root crops in the last quarter of the moon when the signs are in the knees or feet.

Can vegetables, cook preserves and jelly, and make pickles in the right sign during the last quarter of the moon.

Notes from "Backwoods Witchcraft" by Jake Richards

Plant peas and other crops that produce multiples when the sign is in the arms (Gemini). However, never plant green beans at this time, as they'll bloom themselves to death and won't bear anything worthwhile.

Always plant corn when the sign is in Leo, which is associated with the heart. Under Leo, it will grow tall and be less prone to blight or bugs.

The heart and chest (Cancer) is the best sign for fast germination.

Plants flowers in sign of the "posy girl" (Virgo), as this causes plants to flower a lot but bear little fruit. (Virgo is the worst sign to plant food under, especially since it's associated with the bowels.)

Cut flowers when the sign is in the head (Aries) to keep the blooms from wilting too fast.

[fluorescentbrains]

HI SORRY, the "you got a husband, boyfriend, is he your bit on the side" was the moment I was like. There's no fucking way this is queerbait. Because you could write that in 2012 as bait and be all good. Some writers even could get away with doing it in 2023. But if the guy with tumblr users so far up his asshole that they're developing new agricultural practices in his lower intestine has tried to write that and then been like "tee hee they're just really good friends :3." I truly think that he would have been doxxed within 12 hours, and had death threats mailed to everyone he's ever spoken to within 24

oh how the times have changed since house md

[ndostairlyrium]

Kerry and Cullen for A1?

no, we're not going into "maybe later" territory because they're not into that - not with each other at least 👀

My dear, thank you for this option ;; the height gap gives me life 💛

The Meme

[gamearsenal]

Bihar Connect: Your Source for Bihar News and Updates.

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[ijustbrokemytalent]

it's so smoky outside that you can barely see the sun even though it's an otherwise cloudless day.

[sentient-carrot]

Tumblr has the equivalent rose-tinted glasses on animal farming that conservatives and liberals have on small businesses.

[dailyanarchistposts]

Against Agriculture: Sowing the Seeds of Resistance

For those of us conscious about the way our food choices affect others, the basic act of cutting out meat and/or dairy products, or eating only organic, feels like a huge step and is often as far as we can manage to take our concerns. But the politics of food go far beyond veganism and organics. Economic and social factors like the conditions of migrant farmworkers, or the low labor standards in most Agriculture in the global south, rarely influence our cultures’ purchasing decisions. Even organic farming often reproduces many of the same ecological and economic dynamics at work in commercial farming. What about the soil erosion from over-farming huge fields, even if crops are organic? (According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, topsoil is lost on average 17 times faster than it is formed, and it takes at least 100 years to form one inch of topsoil). The use of Slaughterhouse byproducts to replace the soil lost from heavy tilling, and the overuse of “biological” fungicides and herbicides, undoubtedly maintains an imbalance in the give and take relationship that forms the basis of ecological values.

The trends toward “natural food” and “organic” are quickly being co-opted, as green businesses consolidate their power and corner markets, gobbling up profits as they go. Consequently, these concepts are losing their meaning altogether. The notion of “sustainability” has been colonized by the profit-hungry. The biotechnology industry touts the term whenever they get the chance. Of course, what they are talking about is the sustainability of profits and the dependence of farmers on them, not sustainability of ecological systems and social bonds. So when we examine the idea of sustainability we should always define what ft is we are trying to sustain. If we are thinking of ecology and cultural survival, then we must remove the factors that contradict those: industrialism and capitalism, to start with.

To be against agriculture does not require advocating mass starvation or a return to an exclusively primitive or foraging existence, and it doesn’t lave to mean eradicating cultivated food altogether. We need to make a distinction between “agriculture” and other plant (aid possibly animal, although the ethics of the domestication of animals should be viewed with suspicion) “cultivation” methods that have been, and are continuously being developed by people around the world. The problem of agriculture is largely related to the scale. “Horticulture” refers to garden-scale cultivation rather than field-scale, as in the prefix “agri”. For example, permaculture is a specific cultivation method that aims to integrate die garden system into the wild ecosystem around it. Industrial farming (even organic) places the “field” — the monocrop — outside of our immediate surroundings, removing our social lives from the polycultural, intimacy of “the garden”. Subsistence horticulture doesn’t depend on industrial systems or take more than they give back ecologically, or even require specialization of labor, or long monotonous work hours. The most effective methods have always been diversified community efforts, which cut down on work hours as well as monotony.

When farmers in India plant a seed they pray for its endurance. But the “gene giants” have their sights trained on “terminator” technologies that break the seed’s reproductive cycle. Hybrid seeds produced in laboratory conditions are usually bred to retain certain characteristics patented by the breeder. If saved and replanted they will not show the same traits, and may turn out to be something weird and unpalatable. Open-pollinated seeds defy this controlled approach. When replanted for generations they adapt to local climate conditions, and develop a bioregionally distinct immunity. When saved for many generations they become Heirloom Seeds. For example, we have seeds that have been in circulation since Cherokee gardeners first grew and saved them hundreds of years ago, and took them on the Trail of Tears. They made their way back to the Southeast and to this day are still being passed around. The more they’re grown out, the more decentralized the seed becomes. These seeds are crucial to maintaining plant biodiversity. The reduction in varieties that comes with industrialization and capitalism has created a massive loss of genetic diversity (75% in the last century, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization), which weakens the plant’s insect blight and disease resistance, and their adaptability to changing growing conditions. The Irish potato famine was a direct result of the dependence on one variety. Breeders had to go back to the Andes to find a potato that would resist the blight. In the face of the elimination of ancient varieties in favor of more uniform crops that ship and store more efficiently, heirloom seeds are truly Seeds of Resistance. Check out Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth for detailed instructions on seed saving.

Humanure and Greywater are traditionally used methods intended to keep nutrients in the garden ecosystem, thereby closing the circuit rather than requiring imported materials. As these methods are inherently non-capitalist and non-industrial, it would not be possible to adopt these practices (or to return to them, depending on how we look at it) beyond just a small privileged minority, within the capitalist market or the industrial model. True sustainability actually requires the subversion of those institutions.

On a personal level, we can take steps to re-establish foodways in our cultures by learning about our food, discovering what foods grow where and in what season — and where those foods originated. We should know where our food comes from and seek out food grown locally. We can seek out those with traditional knowledge, learn how to cook with whole foods, then teach others. We can learn about the wild edible plants that grow around us, and about the ancestral people who ate and propagated those foods. This knowledge provides us with an essential missing component that early horticultuialists combined with cultivation. (A great reference is the work of Steve Brill, an urban wild plant forager in New York City: www.wildmanstevebrill.com). Challenge your taste buds to appreciate foods in their natural state, and replace the junk foods you crave with natural sweets and snacks.

Reconnecting with our food goes beyond the personal. Taking food out of the capitalist market means reintegrating ourselves with the processes of growing food — whether that means getting to know local farmers and buying from them, getting involved in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) or a food co-op, going to farmers markets, or even better — growing your own. These options increase the security of our access to healthy food, lessening our dependence on the market. In urban areas this can be much more challenging, but all the more rewarding if you can challenge the obstacles. For some inspiring examples of urban food security check out Www.foodsecurity.org. The Hartford Food System in Hartford, CT (www.hartfordfood.org) and The Food Project in Massachusetts (www.thefoodproject.org) are amazing examples of urban food security ] that truly challenge the class structures that keep people dependent on Agriculture.

The challenge of feeding ourselves ! sustainably might be the fundamental question for our future survival. There is not one path forward out of this mess, but many possible options, and we’ll have to make up a lot of it as we go. But our paths will be totally new and unique. Learning from the mistakes and the successes of the past is crucial to bringing the modern world back in direct relationship with nature, and the life-support systems on which we depend. We should celebrate the opportunity we have to examine and analyze what has worked and what has compromised our freedoms and our health, and move toward post-industrial and post-capitalist models of sustenance. Rather than an afterthought of social revolution, reclaiming truly sustainable foodways could itself be a catalyst for challenging the deep alienation of our modern world.

[maybe-its-merlin]

I love it when I’m arguing about Native American history with someone online and they assume I’m virtue signalling or whatever and say “well what have you done for your native community other than whine online?” And I then explain to them that yeah, I have done nothing. Because I’m across a fucking ocean. I’m British and even I know more about the native people of your country than you do. And I’d like to say that that usually shuts them up but then they usually just say “why do you care then” which isn’t funny and also I care cause I’m a human person. These people out themselves as dehumanisers so quickly lmao

[tea-cat-arts]

If I had a nickel for every time Mihoyo made a storyline about breaking a population out of a collective dream/consciousness, I’d have at least 4 nickels- which isn’t a lot, but Mihoyo what the fuck

[daisychainsandbowties]

sometimes i’m like wow why am i such a slow writer and then i spent two hours writing about chocolate production in star wars for one (1) stupid gay detail in this fic and i’m like ooooh right that’s why 🫠