01-02-2007, 01:07 PM
Greetings,
This island economy was founded in agriculture, subsistence farming, hunting, fishing and gathering. It has the ability to provide everything its residents need for a comfortable living. But right now the balance is being threatened by developments that are consuming land of the subsistence homesteader.
Since the farmers can basically take care of them selves by what they grow, raise or trade at the market, the real questions are how many more people should they be planning to feed? Will the local population be satisfied with local products, or will they want continue to want more options? Do we really need eggs that travel across the ocean so we can buy them? Seems like there’s a good market for Christmas trees, why doesn’t someone grow the doomed trees here instead of continually importing increasing numbers of them from overseas too? They are after all, a major cause for a great number of new agricultural and human pests introduced to our island every year. Ever get stung or mobbed by “yellow-jackets”? Thank Christmas trees from the Pacific Northwest.
Is it practical to grow animal feed here on the island, for island raised livestock and pets? If not, why? There’s got to be a way to make all of this work. We have all the pieces, just have to put them all together so they fit.
I don’t know why anyone needs to buy eggs that took an overseas trip, or pork butts with USDA ink on them, but there’s nobody really marketing for the local farmer who produces too much. People like to produce, process or sell, but generally don’t have time to them all. There aren’t enough farmers markets to even get fresh stuff out to all neighborhoods on a regular basis. There aren’t enough marketing opportunities (co-operatives?) to make a comfortable living off of all the hard work, and time investments. Economic opportunities? What must we get from overseas, and what can we do to change that?
Kim
This island economy was founded in agriculture, subsistence farming, hunting, fishing and gathering. It has the ability to provide everything its residents need for a comfortable living. But right now the balance is being threatened by developments that are consuming land of the subsistence homesteader.
Since the farmers can basically take care of them selves by what they grow, raise or trade at the market, the real questions are how many more people should they be planning to feed? Will the local population be satisfied with local products, or will they want continue to want more options? Do we really need eggs that travel across the ocean so we can buy them? Seems like there’s a good market for Christmas trees, why doesn’t someone grow the doomed trees here instead of continually importing increasing numbers of them from overseas too? They are after all, a major cause for a great number of new agricultural and human pests introduced to our island every year. Ever get stung or mobbed by “yellow-jackets”? Thank Christmas trees from the Pacific Northwest.
Is it practical to grow animal feed here on the island, for island raised livestock and pets? If not, why? There’s got to be a way to make all of this work. We have all the pieces, just have to put them all together so they fit.
I don’t know why anyone needs to buy eggs that took an overseas trip, or pork butts with USDA ink on them, but there’s nobody really marketing for the local farmer who produces too much. People like to produce, process or sell, but generally don’t have time to them all. There aren’t enough farmers markets to even get fresh stuff out to all neighborhoods on a regular basis. There aren’t enough marketing opportunities (co-operatives?) to make a comfortable living off of all the hard work, and time investments. Economic opportunities? What must we get from overseas, and what can we do to change that?
Kim