Self-reliance does not mean going it alone. People often picture the loner, armed to the teeth and surrounded by guard dogs when you bring up the topic. This is not a valid picture. Self-reliance requires cooperation not walling yourself off from others but developing relationships and enhancing the connections between you and the community.
Where food is concerned you grow what you can and interact with the community to buy or trade for what you can't. There is a certain amount of infrastructure that needs to be put in place for food self-reliance or food security to happen. A rural-urban food council that brings the producer and the consumer together is a good start. The purpose of this council is one, to determine what gaps there are in the local food production and delivery system. Two, the identified gaps are to be filled by locally owned and operated enterprises such as community shared agriculture projects, community gardens, food workshops, community kitchens, local market gardens and farmers markets, for example. Three, to bring the rural and the urban regions together for the benefit of both. It is this mutual aid or cooperative approach that develops an infrastructure that has the ability to survive the hard times.
Droughts, for example, take on a new significance for the urban dweller when he or she can connect the drought's impact directly to the food that is on their table. The long, dry days are no longer seen as ideal holiday weather, great for picnics and going to the beach. Rather they are viewed as a threat to the individual's and the community's well-being. This can make it easier for a municipality to adopt water conservation measures.
Next week, we'll take a close look at farmers markets and the role that they play in creating a self-reliant, healthy community.
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