Influx

The “farmer” is an archetype we all instantly recognize and have positive associations with.

As children we learn that farmers are good; they grow food, raise animals (we don’t get told about the killing stuff) and look after their land. That image is pervasive and has be used and abused to sell all kinds of food products, that have never been close to a farm in their lives.

To qualify what I mean, I am talking about the small time farmer with a few acres, not the corporate agribusiness farmer that’s another breed all together. Although, as I suggested earlier, they all want to appear to be like the 20 acre farmer and will use and abuse his image to get there.

Think of Farmer Arthur Hodgett, played by James Cromwell in the movie, Babe.

This mythical farmer is a romantic icon for all of us and it stays with us throughout our lives.

City dwellers throughout the world are fueled by this romantic notion as they frequent the booming farmers markets that are springing up in their neighborhoods. They feel that they are getting access to better quality food that’s raised right and a genuine alternative to food as usual provided by grocery stores.

What if this isn’t really true?

At a recent trip to a local farmers market in New York, I challenged one of the workers at a stand with a simple question-” How were their vegetables grown?”. He was taken aback at the audacity of the question, but when put on the spot revealed that there was some chemical spraying involved, I feel that was something of an understatement.

The point I am making is the these archetypes are really powerful and we should under-estimate them at our peril. The small is good philosophy assumes that everything small. family-run and personable, is somehow better than the alternative. The very humanity of these enterprises makes a direct emotional connection to us, but if we think about it more seriously, there’s nothing to prevent these guys being as mercenary and unscrupulous as many perceive giant corporations to be.

Posted by Ed Cotton