Farmers are the backbone of our culture. They work hard so that we can live our lives. However, the importance of agriculture is often lost on us. We often fail to recognize why we need farmers and how much we rely on them.
Agriculture feeds, fuels, and funds our society. Without it, we wouldn’t have food, clothing, or jobs. We would lose communal relationships and disregard one of the commandments given to us by God.
Here is just a basic snapshot of the importance of agriculture. It barely scratches the surface of the vital role agriculture plays in our culture. It is a great starting point when developing a new mindset around farming. Farming does not have to be a destructive industry when approached in a sustainable and regenerative manner.
Farmers grow our food
Food is the most obvious reason why we need farmers. Farmers are the ones developing crop plans in the winter, sowing seeds, weeding, irrigating, harvesting, processing. They are often times even distributing the food that gets to our tables.
This is no small feat. As a farmer myself, I recognize the tremendous amount of effort and care that goes into each crop and animal.
Given that we all need to eat and we eat multiple times a day, agriculture is essential for our livelihood. Without it, we would have to rely on hunting and gathering. In a modernized world, we would not be able to feed the growing population if we had to rely on the wilderness to feed ourselves.
In an ideal world, we would all be growing our own food and working in harmony with our neighbors to produce whatever we could not. This is my goal, but I understand that it is not everyone’s goal. So the next best thing is to support family-run local farms who practice regenerative and sustainable farming practices for raising livestock and growing fruits, veggies, grains, and everything else we eat.
Agriculture builds community
Farms, especially small family-owned ones, are a beautiful opportunity for building community. Farms can be a central meeting place for distributing food, agricultural education, and communal events.
Lots of farms these days offer community supported agriculture (CSA) shares or products for sale at an on-site farm stand. Each farm has a unique approach for distributing their food. Some have daily farm store hours while others have specific days and times when customers can come to pick up their weekly share.
Whatever the arrangement is, community members can come to the farm and see exactly where their food comes from.
When farmers invite their customer to come to the farm to pick up their groceries, they most likely welcome questions about the farm and its operations. Most farmers encourage their community to come and learn how the farm works and will often offer tours and educational events.
But educational events are not the only ones farms offer. Lots of them host other events such as live music with dinner, meet the animals for kids, holiday parties, berry picking nights, and more.
These community events are a fun way for farmers to get creative and host things that they enjoy. Not every farm will do the same ones. However, most small farms (at least the ones I have worked on) offer some kind of community building outlet.
And this is how it should be, right? Since farms are our food source, and we need to eat to live, we should all have a relationship with our farmers. Attending farm events is a great way to foster these relationships and build community.
Farmers hire people in all stages of life
I have farmed on four different farms at this point and have worked with people of all ages. There have been teenagers working for the first time, young adults seeking a career in agriculture, moms interested in part time work, and even retired people learning a new hobby.
Agriculture has lots of opportunities for people of all ages as small farmers are eager to hire individuals who are excited to learn about a sustainable food system. You do not have to have much or any experience in farming so agriculture is a great first time job. It is also great for people who want to learn more about growing their own food so that they can take those skills and be more self-sufficient. Additionally, aspiring farmers can work for other people on their farms so that they can get hands-on experience to prepare for their own operations.
Overall, farms create jobs which support the economy, but the benefits of farm work goes much beyond that. Working on farms brings us back to our roots. It affords the opportunity to work directly with the soil, stewarding the land, ourselves, and our communities.
Farmers host volunteers
Farmers also love hosting volunteer opportunities for large groups to work on a farm for a few hours when they otherwise wouldn’t have the chance to do so. For example, farmers can partner with elementary schools so that students can experience farm life. This gives kids a foundation for how to grow produce and raise livestock. It connects kids to their food so that they understand it comes from the land and not the grocery store.
One farm I worked on even hosted a group of people from a drug rehabilitation center. This is a wonderful way to support their recovery because farming gives them a purpose as they work hard to grow food for the community.
Agriculture regenerates the land
Unfortunately, many people label agriculture as a destructive industry. And it is true that conventional farming techniques are harmful to the land, our bodies, and everything in between.
Thankfully, agriculture does not have to be harmful. In fact, it has tremendous potential to regenerate our land and our lives.
Regenerative agriculture works in harmony with nature to promote soil health. Soil health may seem unimportant, but it is actually what life on earth depends on. Without healthy soil, we cannot grow healthy food, which means it is extremely difficult to have healthy minds and bodies.
Learn more about regenerative agriculture here.
Cultivating the earth
God gave us a Creation Mandate in Genesis 1:28. We weren’t only called to multiple, but also to cultivate the earth.
He created us in His image and called us to take care of Creation. Farming is a way that we can honor this commandment. We need farmers to steward the land and follow our God-given calling.
In order for us to carry out this Creation Mandate we were given a gift: “And God said: ‘Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant upon the earth, and all the trees that have in themselves the ability to sow their own kind, to be food for you” (Genesis 1:29).
Conclusion
Agriculture is a key component of our culture. We need farmers for so many reasons from food, communal relationships, education, jobs, and honoring our calling as Christians.
Support your local farmers and farmers who are practicing regenerative agriculture because we rely on them for so much.
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