Capital and Climate in Early Vermont

Many Vermonters look to a mythologized agrarian past as they chart a path toward the future. However, in 1991 the Vermont Historical Society published an excellent article about how quickly capitalists took advantage of climatic changes during the years of 1820-1850. While early settlers in Vermont had a diversified agricultural system designed to primarily feed themselves and their neighbors, changes to the forested landscape and planetary events outside of their control made corn, potato, and wheat production unreliable. While still not easy, hay production and storage of calories in livestock became the primary way to make a living on the land, which also catered to capital's desire for specialization and marketable commodities. Other necessities could be bought at the market. Over time, there came to be fewer farmers and more farm laborers, thus the egalitarian agrarian past of European-settled Vermont is largely a myth. You can read the full article here and I strongly encourage you to do so.

I bring this up not to destroy hope, but to make it clear that the past can only teach us so much about the future. There is greater wisdom in looking to a more distant past of careful forest management favoring fruit and nut trees, with annuals to support lean years. For example, Vermont is an excellent landscape for plums, apples, pears, hazelnuts, black walnuts, butternuts, chestnuts, strawberries (remember that these are perennials), blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, currants, gooseberries, service berries, etc. Leave most fields alone in the state and they default back to forest, which are resilient in the face of droughts and floods. Unfortunately, such a transition is not profitable during the transition period and capital encourages monocropping, which defeats the objective of diversified, resilient agroecology. Those of us with yards have an opportunity to plant these crops and demonstrate to others what is possible. Farmers with spare land can also do the same. Those with decks and patios off of their apartments can propagate many of these in pots. And community gardens are increasingly common around Vermont for those without access to the aforementioned options. And most importantly, propagate and share these plants with others for free or by exchange without the use of money.

The future will not be made brighter simply by creating more farm businesses that must adhere to market limitations, but by collective action outside of the pursuit of profit. But don't get me wrong. When my garden crops fail, I turn to my local organic farm through whom I have a CSA. Just as we need diversified agriculture, we need diverse approaches to achieve a better system of agriculture. My approach is but one of many necessary steps.