Visionary British economist Kate Raworth (Doughnut Economics), states that taking on a moral project begins by shifting our societal priorities away from “an economy that grows regardless of whether we thrive” towards “an economy that enables us to thrive regardless of whether it grows”.
What is the moral project of our generation? It’s a consequence of the the times we live in and what surrounds us. Moral projects are complex with many moving parts and not easily solved in short periods of time.
There are consequences to a generation that ignores,or fails to pick up, it’s moral work. We are living to see that the next generation bears the accumulated brunt of the previous generation’s shortcomings.
“The destiny of nations depends on how they nourish themselves” - Brilliant Savarin
Right now we’re eating our way to global extinction with an extraction mindset.
Right now there’s a direct link between what we put on our plates 3 times a day and the empty plates of others, within an extraction economy.
Right now we’re killing ourselves, and the ground we stand on, in the relentless pursuit of cheap food within an extraction culture.
Our food system is closely connected with the dominant culture of society. If there are problems with the food system then there are problems with the culture - our culture. The values of ‘fast, cheap and easy’ drive the extraction economy, extraction mindset and our extraction culture.
“Life is a perpetual instruction in cause and effect.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Industries with extraction cultures develop in places where there is a significant removal of a resource in exchange for profit. Here, companies don’t just take what they need, they take it all, leaving decimation behind in the form of externalities. Once gone, industries then leave - tossing aside disconnected communities, broken infrastructure and damaged ecosystems. There’s nothing of perceived value to stay for - from an extraction perspective.
Industrial and conventional farming methods treat the ground much like bottled water companies, forestry, and mining have done - with entitlement and unjust expectations.
“Everything is connected, everything changes - pay attention” Jane Hershfield
How we treat and care for our soils and our sources of water, is a direct reflection of how we treat and care for ourselves and each other. Without even knowing it, we demonstrate our ethics and world views through our interactions with water, soil and land use. Do we treat the land and water with respect and reverence? Or, like many things in our modern lives, is it disposable and treated like dirt?
What we do to the land, we do to ourselves. Clear cutting trees that draw down carbon and drive the water systems here Northern Ontario, to raise large herds of cattle, that will be processed in factories in southern Ontario, and then exported to China, in a market that is cyclical is sheer ecological lunacy. Yet, this extraction mindset is what the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs along with The Beef Farmers of Ontario are currently pushing, in the name of economic growth.
We, are going to do better for ourselves and our region. I believe, in the North, we have the resolve, solidarity and imagination to erase food insecurity. It isn’t about yield/hectare, it is about rebuilding relationships trampled by extraction goals. Restoring relationships between soil and community is central to restoring well-being. These relationships will cultivate resilience to environmental and social shocks that are being driven by climate disruption. These relationships will foster the the networks which create much needed long-term restorative and regenerative cultures that will feed all participants.
“Whether you accept it or not, each life is linked to all life. Your thoughts, words and actions create an ripple effect; much like a stone thrown into a pond. The quality of that ripple effect..is your legacy” - Kosta Stoyanoff
So, do we have a food insecurity problem or a food access, technology, communication and relationship opportunity? Regenerative economy, circular economy, sharing economy are emerging economies that demand a re-localization of food and renewable energy systems. They turn waste from one system into food for another system. Because they share, they’re more efficient, more responsible, more accountable, they employ local people and we all eat better.
What could shared digital communication, shared renewable energy production and shared transport look like for interconnected food security systems and networks that deliver nutrient dense food, grown in both remote and urban locations? Shared information, energy and transport create opportunities that allow northern communities to grow and distribute affordable food that matches the desires of the communities these systems serve.
Consider how technology might overcome food deserts and connect people to emergency food sources. Which families and communities lack access to food throughout the year is not completely known and difficult to track due to the shame and stigma that is still present. Take time to wonder how smart phones might provide dignity to those who are food insecure but still collect, map, analyze and share necessary data needed to close these gaps.
Dream about how shared transport, renewable energy, and an internet connection can do to link yesterday’s food waste with today’s compost for tomorrow’s enriched soil.
“You can not get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
- Jane Goodall
Food security IS the moral project of our generation. Choose this as your project and act with urgency. It provides the table where all other social issues will be resolved, as well as, the bite sized actions that connect conditions for massive community participation.