[p2p-research] Charles Fourier and Agriculture (was Re: The one thing ...)

[Paul D. Fernhout]

Here is an abstract from a document about an alternative vision of 
agriculture related to Charles Fourier's thinking, written by Joan Roelofs.
http://joanroelofs.wordpress.com/2009/11/15/charles-fourier-and-agriculture/
http://joanroelofs.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/fourier-and-agriculture.pdf
"""
Charles Fourier has been disdained or ignored by political scientists, even 
by  theorists. Some of his ideas were “mad,” but so many others were 
brilliant. Now we can see  that even some “mad” ideas were simply premature, 
e.g., global warming. His works are a “whole earth catalog” of solutions to 
today's most intractable problems, such as agricultural labor in a 
democracy, environmental degradation, consumerism, loneliness, the decline 
of the  family, the gradual disappearance of nutritious meals (and shared 
mealtimes), eldercare, boredom at work, unemployment, and the fragmentation 
of communities by “identity” politics.
   In 19th century United States, Fourierist and Owenite communitarian 
models for settling the country was taken very seriously by intellectuals, 
and more than 100 communities existed. Available data has barely been 
unearthed by political scientists; the whole movement is rarely mentioned in 
history books, even “radical” ones. Both capitalism and Marxian socialism 
eclipsed this fruitful policy option. The disappointing experiences of 
technological, gigantic socialism and capitalism make the decentralized, 
“small is beautiful,” scale of organization look  very attractive.
    In 1909, the U.S. Commission on Country Life found persistent problems, 
many the  same as those which had prompted the 19th century communitarians: 
the “idiocy of rural life”  and the environmental degradation resulting from 
the usual methods of food production. Yet despite Progressive reform 
efforts, the agricultural sector today seems to offer few options other 
than self-exploitation family farms, chemicalized agribusiness, brutalized 
migrant labor, or those questionable imports.
   This paper will consider rural dysfunction, reform movements, and policy 
options. It will revisit the communitarian road that was taken, but then 
backtracked. It is now especially appropriate to reconsider Fourier, as a 
new translation of his Theory of Four Movements  (material, organic, animal, 
and social) was published in 1996, after many years without a Fourier 
English translation in print.
"""

This is posted partially a continuation of the points discussed here about 
the social values connected to talking about agriculture and "efficiency":
http://listcultures.org/pipermail/p2presearch_listcultures.org/2009-November/006047.html

So, what would a more community-oriented agriculture look like?

While it is not the same as "peer production", rethinking agriculture in a 
physical community promoting context like Joan Roelofs talks about (instead 
of encouraging isolated farm families) is related in some sense.

 From her conclusion:
"""
A detailed communal plan for the United States requires considerable 
collective thought. Here are a few suggestions. A new communitarianism would 
be voluntary, and might recruit among farmers and would-be farmers, 
immigrants, homeless, single people, retirees, and 18-22 year olds (college 
courses both practical and impractical could be part of the community). A 
revived Citizen’s Extension Service could facilitate experimentation and 
electronic exchange of information.
   Financing could be provided initially by redirection of agricultural 
subsidies to sustainable cooperative farming. Educational demonstration 
farms are now being subsidized by the private sector through donations and 
foundation grants (Views 1998). Another source of capital could be 
communards on social wages, social security, private pensions, or inherited 
wealth. All-age communities, with opportunities for both recreation and 
part-time convivial work (e.g., canning peaches, teaching children 
carpentry, composing opera scores, trouble-shooting email service) could 
restore the dignity and economic usefulness of elders, while usefully 
employing their vast economic resources.
   Of course, huge sums could be liberated (and taxes become minuscule) by 
reducing military expenditures, now used as an economic stimulant and 
protection for vital supplies of bananas and oil. Healthy lifestyles and 
preventive health care would reverse a monumental drain on resources. 
Overconsumption that is pushed by advertising or pulled by loneliness would 
be eliminated, along with billions spent on most children’s toys, lawn care, 
wild bird  feeding, and much other profitable stuff that contributes little 
to happiness. Many wastes could become productive, such as ghost towns, 
ghost farms, and ghost machinery; they could be adapted and repaired in a 
labor-intensive, decentralized economy.
   Appropriate technology will reduce drudgery, yet reasonable expenditure 
of human labor is entirely rational, and currently an underutilized 
resource. Obesity is now endemic worldwide.  As in Fourier’s Harmony, the 
ideal diet would be based on horticulture and intensive farming, and include 
fruits and vegetables, legumes as a major protein source, and either vegan, 
  vegetarian, or carnivorous eating small animals, perhaps snails up to 
sheep. This more healthful regime changes radically the land, energy, labor, 
and chemical basis of agriculture. Likewise, textiles, building materials, 
fuel, paper, medicines, etc., could also be produced locally from 
cultivated, wild, or recycled resources. These projects would provide 
challenges to entice scientists and engineers to become communards, although 
all members would participate in both intellectual and manual work.
   Total self-sufficiency is not likely. Most communities would not be able 
to produce all their machinery, or automobiles, TVs, computers, etc. Small 
communal industries could be developed for cash needs: food for the local 
non-farm population, exotic crops for the region, manufacturing, consulting, 
health care, education, entertainment, etc. This is not so different from 
what already exists, for “farms,” especially in the East, earn income as 
horseback riding and cross country ski facilities, petting zoos, children’s 
workshop venues, sustainable agriculture demonstration centers, sheltered 
workshops for developmentally disabled, summer stock theater barns, old book 
dealers, craft schools, meditation parlors, “Woodstock,” etc. A communal 
scheme is more viable as the purchased (or bartered) goods, like Fourier’s 
wine vats, would be shared among many people.
   It would be reasonable, as Fourier did, to see the world as it is 
demographically: the shriveling of the family, and the elderly category 
poised for explosive growth. It makes sense to use resources that are 
plentiful: land (including abandoned farms), human labor (including that
of retirees and fitness bicyclists), and ingenuity. Such changes would 
support human and environmental health, e.g., local organic food, use of 
renewable resources for most needs, convivial and supportive communities, 
mental and physical work--in reasonable doses--for all, and short supply 
lines.
   It would be reasonable, as Fourier did, to see the world as it is 
demographically: the shriveling of the family, and the elderly category 
poised for explosive growth. It makes sense to use resources that are 
plentiful: land (including abandoned farms), human labor (including that  of 
retirees and fitness bicyclists), and ingenuity. Such changes would support 
human and  environmental health, e.g., local organic food, use of renewable 
resources for most needs,  convivial and supportive communities, mental and 
physical work--in reasonable doses--for all,  and short supply lines.
   What makes communitarianism a stronger option today is that the family 
farm  experiment has been run, with negative results (in seven-eighths of 
the cases) despite incredible natural resources, hard work, and government 
subsidies. All indications are that agricultural problems are getting worse, 
and rural communities are dying. There is currently world overproduction of 
food (and textiles, and most stuff) while hunger persists. These very 
dysfunctions were what set Fourier on his utopian quest, which began when he 
saw wheat  dumped in the sea to raise prices, and the urban price of apples 
100 times the farm price. What he would think of the world-engulfing junk 
food diet cannot be imagined.
"""

That's one vision of the future. I think with a basic income to access the 
parts of the economy that such a small community could not duplicate 
effectively locally (although 3D printing and flexible robotics might expand 
that very soon now), more people might choose to live is ways that move in 
that direction, just for fun.

In a way, it is sort of an extended form of "cohousing", even though it is 
more than that. Here is an example cohousing community near farm country, to 
show :
   http://ecovillageithaca.org/evi/

A new one is forming there:
  http://ecovillageithaca.org/tree/
"""
We will live in community with EVI's first and second neighborhoods, and 
will be close to an organic CSA (community-sustained agriculture) farm and 
berry field run by residents of EcoVillage.
   We aspire to live simply, reducing costs while making ecologically 
responsible and non-toxic choices.  We hope to cultivate a sense of 
enoughness that allows us to focus on non-material assets.  We envision 
having time for the work that matters to each of us while enjoying our homes 
and each other.  We will work to include people with diverse needs, 
abilities, backgrounds, and finances.
   We plan to be a neighborhood of 30 homes designed to accommodate 
different-sized households and will have both shared and private gardens and 
other outdoor spaces.
"""

There is a video on that page above. It seems to reflect a lot of the 
sentiments in Joan Roelof's essay.

--Paul Fernhout
http://www.pdfernhout.net/
http://www.beyondajoblessrecovery.org/