Ive been reading through academic papers being presented this weekend at a Yale University conference on food sovereignty.
Ive been learning some new terms from reading papers being presented at the conference. One term that rang a bell is the cunning state–doesnt that just sum up a lot of what is happening to small farms and food clubs in this country? The term was used in a paper about farmer rights in India, which some years ago enacted a milestone law that seemed to grant farmers power over their seeds….but somehow the Indian government lost its enthusiasm for following through on enforcement.
Think about the Food Safety Modernization Act, which included an amendment to exempt many small farms from its most draconian requirements for lengthy food safety plans and such. Now, a couple years later, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration draws up the rules, well, that exemption seems to be watered down, not nearly as widely applicable as originally expected–apparently a victim of “the cunning state.”
Another new word is biopower. It comes up in an intriguing assessment of Maines food sovereignty struggle over the last three years that has seen ten towns there and a number elsewhere in the U.S. pass ordinances allowing private food exchange, outside state and federal regulatory requirements. According to a paper that has as an author one of the Maine movements organizers, Heather Retberg, together with Hilda Kurtz and Bonnie Preston, In the exertion of biopower, states (and other actors) manage population health through the use of vital statistics and other technologies. In this scheme, as new forms of knowledge and regimes of truth made population health knowable, biological experiences shaping individual and collective life, like dietary practices, became linked to the exercise of state power.
That sure sounds familiar. As in the government interfering in our decisions about food choices.
One of the key concepts that is important to appreciate in the food sovereignty struggle, the paper states, is that of scale. The paper about Maine traces how the Maine food sovereignty activists use a politics of scale to face off against biopower as exercised through corporate influence over food and farm regulations… The concept of food sovereignty – democratic control of the food system, and the right of all people to define their own food systems implies a re-scaling of food production and trade regimes, away from industrial scale production for international trade to food systems organized at local and regional scales.
The paper adds: Food sovereignty registers opposition to the industrial/corporate management of vast and vastly simplified agricultural monocultures that systematically marginalize small and diversified farms.
The paper traces the history and political path of the Maine food sovereignty movement, such as the legal case of farmer Dan Brown, adding details beyond what I provide in my book, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Food Rights. I recommend reading the Maine paper, along with others (there are more than 80 being presented from around the world); I was pleased to see several papers at the conference cite as a source my book, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Food Rights, as well as my previous book, The Raw Milk Revolution, and include them in their footnotes.)
There’s also a neat paper from blogger Jill Richardson of Lavidalocavore, “examines the extent to which feelings that ones traditional foods and farming itself are ‘backwards,’ ‘primitive,’ or ‘low class’ undermine food sovereignty by driving people to adopt purchased (often nutritionally inferior) foods.” Kind of like how Americans were embarrassed and shamed into adopting margarine, homogenized milk, and TV dinners.
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Everyone loves a winner, it seems. Food Safety News actually devoted an entire article to covering Wisconsin farmer Vernon Hershbergers testimony this week about legislation to allow sales of raw milk directly from farms. Under the heading, Wisconsins Most Famous Raw-Milk Advocate Opposes Bill Requiring Licensing, Hershberger said he thought the licensing proposal was unnecessary for farmers like himself, who sell raw milk privately, directly to food club members. Hard to imagine his testimony getting so much attention absent the legal victory.
Some of the most astute testimony came from Mark Kastel, head of Cornucopia, a Wisconsin organization that represents the interests of small organic farms. He noted that his group has as members farms that sell pasteurized and raw milk, and that the big-dairy opposition to the legislation “is a crass example of raw corporate lobby power versus individual rights. The dairy industry versus family farmers. While the answer to economic development in Wisconsin, under both Republican and Democratic administrations, has been to pump more money into the development of dairy CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations or ‘factory farms’) with deleterious impacts to the environment, quality of life for rural residents and ultimately economic viability for family-scale farmers, it is now fighting one of the brightest opportunities for dairy producers who want to operate on a family scale. This is wrong.”
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Theres still time to make plans to attend a fundraising event for Michigan hog farmer Mark Baker on Saturday. It is being held at Seven Sons Farm in Indiana–more details on this Facebook events page.
She is an expert on campylobacter and has much to stare with all of us. Time evolves things.
Just one little letter, you decide which side of that fence you want to be on. David, this was one really “heavy” post that I had to re-read a few times, and I hope you realize that the greatest value in your work and writings is, that it makes us THINK and re-evaluate.
Scales… I think of fish, education, weights and means, enlightenment and propaganda. Maybe that’s why they call it a school? Orwell redefined. RAW Milk I don’t think about just drink, and never go for the koolAid powder krap. Be good or better your kids will be gladder. Surface isn’t substance.
Ora, if you remember just one thing from this post, make it “the cunning state.”
1. What do you call something that hops down under and crows in the morning?
(hint, tastes like chicken.)
Kangarooster, The chickens seem to like it, but the eggs are jumpy like mexican beans.
Anyone who wants to read in the enemy’s own words what the end goal of all this is, check out the new Africa Agriculture Status Report issued by the Monsanto-adjunct AGRA, especially the chapter on seeds.
http://www.agra.org/download/5226fe87ea799
It’s the most brazen statement yet of the Monsanto imperative, openly lauding the domination of “improved seeds” (jargon for GMOs), seed sector concentration, privatization, vertical integration, and general corporate control and domination.
Of course the Food Control Act, the USDA’s persecution of true farmers, the FDA’s assault on real milk and soon upon organic and LEI produce, the commercialization of GE alfalfa toward the goal of completely obliterating the organic sector, all these are part of the same onslaught.
Meanwhile the attempt to literally criminalize non-proprietary seeds called for by the AGRA report is already in full swing in Colombia and elsewhere, while the EU is trying to enact a similar regulation.
The fight for Food Sovereignty is a global war, and the front line is everywhere. As we can see, the aggression comes in many forms. But the enemy of humanity and the Earth is the same in every case, corporations and their governments.
Mark, I agree, it is not one state. It is not necessarily a particular agency or particular regulators. I take “cunning state” to mean more approaches, attitudes, tendencies. It’s what happens when politicians and the regulators they fund take account of the corporate attitudes, financial contributions, lobbyist pitches, international power struggles, and other special interest forces and back off from initial good intentions….and test to see how far they can back off without totally pissing off the people.
We on here all understand this but, other than rallying your neighbor community on a local scale, how can we change things on a wide public level long term? Is there a simple tactic that we can go viral with? Who up top is controlling approaches, attitudes, tendencies and how do we change that power structure without writing a book? There may be no answer to this but I thought it was worth asking.
Russ you are right on about “The fight for Food Sovereignty is a global war” but unfortunately the vast American masses are way too ignorant or misinformed so we are falling behind fast.
And Mark while you can never trick or fool mother nature it’s only true long term, in the short term you sometimes can. Go short or go long, your choice and consequences. None of us probably will live long enough to determine the lasting benchmarks until our children grow up and look back.
Oh and btw FYI ymmv but Help is here:
http://innerself.com/content/healthy/environmental/8760-help-my-brain-is-under-attack.html
Now if they only could come up with a non-synthetic, non-corporate backed cure for back pain, I’d sign on. Wait, I’ll try the old Jaccuzi again I think it still works fine if only for a while. Beats drugs or anesthesia every time. This ain’t bad either http://www.ringingcedars.com enjoy
I am guilty as charged. When Blaine updates the kids on FB and is posting our Italy and Cinque Terra pictures, I sneak off for five minutes to check on critical emails and check up with you guys. It is a form of relaxation. Vacation is awesome, but I also love what I do back home and not tending to the ongoing matters is stressful to me. To arrive back home with things unmanaged would not be very vacation like for me. I am super grateful for my son and daughter and our team….not even a little speed bump when I am gone. That is the true tribute to a great team with planned management and RAMP. All I need to do is check coliform numbers ( they are rock solid ) and I sleep like a baby, knowing every one is safe and sound. That is my vacation!
http://www.omsj.org/corruption/hiv-defendant-prevails-over-pharma-propaganda
PUBLIC HEARING
Committee on Financial Institutions and Rural Issues
The committee will hold a public hearing on the following items at the time specified below:
Monday, September 16, 2013
1:30 PM
Valhalla Stage Side
Cartwright Center
1725 State Street, La Crosse, WI
Senate Bill 236
Relating to: the sale of unpasteurized milk products and an exemption from rules and licensing and permitting requirements for certain dairy farms.
By Senators Grothman, Schultz, Leibham, Vukmir and Tiffany; cosponsored by Representatives Murphy, Danou, Clark, Doyle, Knodl, Craig, Pridemore, Pope and Berceau.
Members of the public attending the hearing are encouraged to park in the ramp on the intersection of 16th & Farwell St. Please pay for parking BEFORE you leave the premises, or you will be ticketed.
Senator Dale Schultz
Chair
received; 2:43 PM Saturday, September 14 2013
pdr-editorial@capitalnewspapers.com
More food for thought: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogc-LRWByhY#t=524
You think this same scenario might be playing out in the food rights arena recently? Don’t run for office, walk for office it helps clear your mind and conscience.
http://blog.privacylawyer.ca/2012/08/photographing-and-filming-police.html
Terry Dean, Nemmers
http://youtu.be/APOJaQHkpZY