"Agricorps"

I just read Lisa Hamilton's article "Why not start Agricorps, for a new crop of farmers?" (The link to it can be found under the articles section to the right) and am really intrigued by her idea of an "Agricorps."

As I mentioned, at my Thanksgiving dinner this year we had eight Americorps volunteers who are working at the Shaw Nature Reserve doing prairie restoration. In a sense, however, the tasks that they are currently performing don't differ much from what they might be doing if they were working on farm: weeding, planting, evaluating the soil, etc. Hamilton brings up the point that people might object to having an organization (her proposed "Agricorps") that sends volunteers to help private farms, that are working to make a profit for themselves, rather than providing some service to the community. Hamilton then goes on to discuss that perhaps we should consider farmers public servants. And I definitely agree.



As this chart from the National Agriculture Statistics Services shows, the number of farms and farm workers is steadily and continuously decreasing. A small number of bigger and bigger factory farms are the sources of production for the majority of their particular product. The centralization of this production however, is damaging to the environment. One area is not meant to sustain hundreds of animals or only one type of crop.

Decentralizing farm production by increasing the number of farms spread throughout the country is really important. It is difficult, however, for small farms to sustain themselves in competition with the mass-producing factory farms that have production down to a science. A service that provided volunteers as extra hands on these small farms could make a huge difference in helping them get on their feet. It would also give the volunteers a sense of the hard work and knowledge base that is required to be a successful farmer, and increase the social value of farming as a career, further encouraging more people to become farmers and decentralize farm production.

WWOOF is a world-wide organization that does this sort of thing. I am actually going to participate in the WWOOF Costa Rica program this January, and am really excited to go and spend time on an organic farm in Costa Rica. My motive for participating in the WWOOF organization, in addition to curiosity about organic farming, is because it allows for cheap traveling. The volunteers are required to pay for their own transportation, but are given room and board (for free or for a small sum) in return for a few hours of work a day, and the rest of their time is theirs to spend as they wish. In this way, volunteers can experience a new place cheaply.

There is a WWOOF United States program, but I don't think that some states, like Missouri, for example are going to attract many travelers looking to see exotic sights and travel inexpensively. (I feel justified in using Missouri as an example since it is my home state). So, an "Agricorps" organization would have to have some other "pull-factor" to entice people to participate.

Another idea would be to have schools take their children to nearby farms on a daily (or weekly) basis to work and in that way implement a respect for the land and for farming in them, and perhaps inspire some of them to become farmers. (Sort of like the Waldorf School's Forest Kindergartners: www.nytimes.com/2009/11/30/nyregion/30forest.html).