Farm Life

We are all too aware that cancer is a disease that impacts our society as a whole. And clearly the roots of this illness are multi-factorial from the standpoint of environmental influence. A lack of connection to nutritious whole food, exposure to environmental toxins, poor water quality and too little social kinship may be to blame for increasing disease. If we find it arguable that humans are innately social and emotional creatures, then we may draw a link between our capacity to be healthful and the authenticity of our relationship to others and the physical environment in which we live. The agrarian lifestyle is one that seemed to suit us well as we had access to good food and a community to draw companionship from. While industrialization has brought us much to be grateful for and advances not otherwise conceived of, it also presented such a dramatic shift that the human genome could not keep up with.

So this shift we are seeing back towards eating local foods stands to benefit not only the health of the land, but those who live on and draw from the abundance that it provides. Understanding and being connected to our food is a practice that is critical for us to thrive on many levels. Local food can be grown without or with minimal use of pesticides as native crops are more robust and resistant to pests. Local farming practices use techniques that preserve the quality of the soil and thereby the quality of nutrients of the plants that grow in it. And not the least of the benefits of community farming is the relationship that the consumer has to the individuals that work to bring food to the table. The gratitude that comes from that relationship has a way of contributing to the well-being of the individual in ways that can scarcely be quantified. To know your farmer is certainly to know your food and the way in which what we put in our bodies profoundly alters the course of our health.

The movement towards this approach is far more than a trend. Heads are being turned in every arena as the research mounts that presents the data about the nutrition inherent in foods grown in their native environment, without pesticides and the healing powers of the body when there are stronger social ties.

For more information about how you can make this shift to connect to your local farm life, visit the USDA's website on the topic.

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/knowyourfarmer?navid=KNOWYOURFARMER






http://mymammashatfarmcsa.com/Photos_IU0X.html