Thank-you so much for the great post.
It is amazing how different it is when you move from a rural to metro lifestyle. I think that your post highlights some really interesting points. From the people that we have interviewed, and those that have filled out the survey it is clear that people have a strong desire to be more connected to land and food production but know that it is to much of a commitment ($$’s and time).
The realities of metro life mean that the need for convenience (time saving) makes this ambition challenging to achieve however it is still there for a lot of people and I really hope that we can help to provide a solution that allows people to act on this desire.
I will look into the books that you have recommended straight away, I have come across Joel’s model but haven’t looked into it in earnest.
Thanks,
Tim
It is a lot harder to be self sufficient than I ever thought. It is a lot harder to be a farmer than I ever thought. There are so many shortfalls in what we can produce. We are lucky though in that we have many locals who are also passionate about this. One woman runs co-ops (dry goods, coconut (everything), suppliments etc) and also does a weekly produce delivery from the wholesale markets in Melbourne. She also does a raw milk delivery from a local farm. We don’t pay much more for all of this. I thought all of this was normal until…we moved to Sydney! Wow, what a difference. Really finding it hard to source real food, and finding suburban living…….interesting 
Some good models to work from (and stop reading if you know all this already!) would be Joel Salatin’s model from the US. He runs Polyface farms and has great books – Family Friendly Farming being my fave.
Also in my area there is Taranaki Farm who are based very much on Joel’s teachings and are setting up “buying clubs” – they are doing really interesting stuff and are personal friends of mine.
I think you can never underestimate the importance of convienience in today’s culture. People are essentially lazy when it comes to sourcing food (and why wouldn’t they be when it is all laid out in the one glittering place with great parking and streamlined efficiency). In our time-poor society this is what people (think they) NEED and will go with even against their better conscience.
All is not lost though, we are all moving toward being more aware of what goes into our bodies and it is people like you who are helping give us the shove we need!
