Imagine living in a country where having the freedom to
cultivate your own land, tax-free and without government interference, is not
only common but also encouraged for the purpose of promoting individual
sovereignty and strong, healthy communities. Now imagine that in this same
country, nearly all of your neighbors also cultivate their own land as part of
a vast network of decentralized, self-sustaining, independent
"eco-villages" that produce more than enough food to feed the entire
country.
You might be thinking this sounds like some kind of utopian interpretation of
historical America, but the country actually being described here is modern-day
Russia. It turns out that Russia's current agricultural model is one that
thrives as a result of the millions of small-scale, family-owned and
-operated, organically-cultivated farms that together produce the vast
majority of the food consumed throughout the country.
Do Russians have more food freedom, independence than
Americans?
A far cry from the unsustainable, chemical-dependent,
industrialized agriculture system that dominates the American landscape today,
Russia's agricultural system, which is not technically a system at all, is run
by the people and for the people. Thanks to government policies there that actually
encourage autonomous family farming, rather than cater to the greed of chemical
and biotechnology companies like they do here in the states, the vast
majority of Russians are able and willing to grow their own food on privately-owned
family plots known as "dachas."
According to The Bovine, Russia's Private Garden Plot Act, which was
signed into law back in 2003, entitles every Russian citizen to a private
plot of land, free of charge, ranging in size from 2.2 acres to 6.8 acres. Each
plot can be used for growing food, or for simply vacationing or relaxing, and
the government has agreed not to tax this land. And the result of this effort
has been phenomenal, as Russian families collectively grow practically all the
food they need.
"Essentially, what Russian gardeners do is demonstrate that gardeners can
feed the world -- and you do not need any GMOs, industrial farms, or any other
technological gimmicks to guarantee everybody's got enough food to eat,"
writes Leonid Sharashkin, editor of the English version of the The Ringing
Cedars series, a book collection that explains the history behind this
effort to reconnect people with the earth and nature. (http://www.ringingcedars.com/)
Most food in Russia comes from backyard gardens
Back in 1999, it was estimated that 35 million small family
plots throughout Russia, operated by 105 million people, or 71 percent of the
Russian population, were producing about 50 percent of the nation's milk
supply, 60 percent of its meat supply, 87 percent of its berry and fruit
supply, 77 percent of its vegetable supply, and an astounding 92 percent of its
potato supply. The average Russian citizen, in other words, is fully empowered
under this model to grow his own food, and meet the needs of his family and
local community.
"Bear in mind that Russia only
has 110 days of growing season per year -- so in the U.S., for example,
gardeners' output could be substantially greater. Today; however, the area
taken up by lawns in the U.S. is two times greater than that of Russia's
gardens -- and it produces nothing but a multi-billion-dollar lawn care
industry."
The backyard gardening model is so effective throughout Russia that total
output represents more than 50 percent of the nation's entire agricultural
output. Based on 2004 figures, the collective value of all the backyard produce
grown in Russia is $14 billion, or 2.3 percent of Russia's gross domestic
product (GDP) -- and this number only continues to increase as more and
more Russians join the eco-village movement.
(Source)
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