“The word agriculture, after all, does not mean “agriscience,” much less “agribusiness.” It means “cultivation of land.”
— Wendell Berry, The Use of Energy
Food Security: ready access to good food for everyone
Land and Life® LLC recognizes that environments designed to foster local food production do more than support healthy eating. The resiliency gained by a community producing a third to a half of its local produce extends well beyond the monetary savings of readily available good food. Small-scale, local agriculture reduces storm water treatment, trucking costs, and boosts local economy. Resiliency resides in the diversity of a community’s crops, locally grown, and tended by diverse groups of people.
Community Resiliency: food is critical to a community’s resiliency
In adverse times readily available good food, the production of which is stewarded by a cross section of the population, nourishes a community’s ability to resist and recover from unexpected shocks: natural disasters, transportation issues, economic downturns. Our work with local groups and organizations makes small-scale agriculture an integral part of the greater community.
Local Economy: growing food empowers citizens
Often a community’s agricultural base doesn’t die, it changes or moves away. This admission helps Land and Life® LLC professionals introduce individuals, neighborhoods, and municipalities to the economic benefits of local, small-scale farming. A built environment that fosters local production broadens the economic base, builds the local economy by keeping people’s purchasing power in the community, and contributes to the public’s health.