I think it is so much more complicated than any of us realize! I own a small health food store, and feel that I can address a different mindset, that of ignorance. So many people do not know how to cook, no idea how to use scraps or leftovers, how to make more meals with bones or other traditional methods that increase the nutritional value of the food. The people who cannot cook are not bad people, they simply weren’t raised to value the work of creating good food for yourself. If someone works to grow or raise food, another works to harvest/process the food, another works to distribute the food, another makes these raw ingredients available for you to choose from for cooking (but you don’t know how to cook), where in the “right to food” concept do the producers get honored? I am NOT talking about packaged food producers here, just raw ingredients from produce to eggs, dairy to meat, herbs and spices… how do we honor the work of so many others involved in bringing food to you without a monetary system? Because someone doesn’t know how to cook, or doesn’t have time to cook, someone else will then need to create something edible for them. How many people have contributed to creating food for others to eat? I know the system needs to change, just from a sustainability and access point of view, and that you are not necessarily referring to impoverished or wealthy people in particular as end users. I think it is a combination of individual ignorance or lack of valuing the creators of food, combined with corporate influence and greed that makes this concept impractical at this point in time. Even in the days of old that are referred to in the article, where people shared food and collaborated on meals, the hunters, farmers, gatherers and cooks were honored, and everyone contributed in some fashion to sustain the community. Did capable people unwilling to work within this community get fed at the table, or were they excluded and left to help themselves or rely on charity because they refused to contribute to the needs of the group? Ask yourself, “Am I contributing to the needs of group of people supporting my lifestyle?” Do you bring a gift for the host/hostess when you eat at someone else’s table? This tradition is also being lost because we are not teaching our children about honoring the cook. Is a doctor’s time worth more than the group of people who bring food to your table? No, I don’t think so. In many cases, the doctor could be avoided if we valued the nourishment of our bodies from the outset. When society as a whole can come to value the farmer/rancher/hunter/fisherman/bee keeper and our source of sustenance, Mother Earth, then things will change. In the meantime, put your money where your mouth is, support the genuinely earth friendly food producers, learn how to cook, take time to cook, share your table with others, and support a local soup kitchen or free pantry in your area. Volunteer! My rant. Thanks for listening.
I want to add that water is currently listed on the commodity market. So potable water is considered a commodity. The CEO of Nestle, a few years ago, declared that he did not believe clean water was a basic right. Rather that people should expect to pay for it. Bulk water extraction is threatening the water of countless small communities in the US and elsewhere. I know. I’ve fought Nestle Waters (now sold to Blue Triton, a global water conglomerate) in my home town of Fryeburg, Maine.
One policy that needs to be broken is food subsidies. I heard one farmer suggest that subsidies make farmers into prostitutes. Farmers are no longer able to have a connection with their own local and even distant customers’ needs and are further disconnected with the needs of their land. In addition the largest subsidies are paid for crops never intended to feed people directly, i.e animal feed and biofuels.
I have a home garden that allows us to share food with our neighbors and friends. The gate to the garden has a sign that my husband bought for me, it reads “The Commons”.
Sadly, most of our neighbors rarely eat fresh foods and don’t know what to do with it. I will keep trying and am convinced that the smaller farmers who can disengage from corporate farming practices will be our life savers.
I think one aspect that needs further attention (and that is actually counterintuitive) is that of abundance. As a homesteader, that grew up on a farm, but then lived many years in the city and moved all over North America, (now back in the country)... I now recognize how much we have been lied to about scarcity. We are told that food is scarce and it needs to cost more, in some ways for some people perhaps this is true.. but I think we need to question more fully why this is the current standard. I am still working on this, but if we keep it as a question we can more fully access the root of the problem.. which I appreciate so much about this article... so do we need to be dependent on grocery stores at all? Where I go, where ever I have travelled I see abundance everywhere. I see edible foods and incredibly amounts of food waste. So is there really a scarcity?! Do we really have to pay high prices?! Or perhaps we just need to relearn the traditional skills of how to forage and prepare local foods. How to eat according to the seasons.. how to regain our freedom and power by leaving monetized systems all together. And most of all, not believing these lies of scarcity that we are told. This is a long process, but I believe we are doing it and sharing what we learn is key. Taking the time to learn skills is also key. Changing our mindset to abundance is another key. Like mentioned here.. the answers will be multifaceted and I think community oriented in nature.
It was not a coincidence that Marx´ Capital volume I starts off with "The commodity" to begin his exploration of capitalist production-methods in the 1800s, and processes that went into to the production process of "Capital".
Reading some of the links on "Enclosure" i also remember the book "The Great Transformation" by Karl Polanyi, concerning the changes that occured when the commons of rural England and its workers were transformed into industrial commodity sizes: land for industrial exploitation, and workers for proletarization.
As we moved into the era of Neo-Liberalization in the 70s the "commodity" became all pervasive to many citizens in the west, and for some as "natural as the air we breathe". We can in many parts of the world talk of postmodernist societies as "hyper real": that being the saturazation of commercials in public squares.
We also see the logic of the market move in on more and more of production of food, as well as production of services such as cleaning, knowledge and public administration. "New public management" being a key-word in this respect.
I remember in 2009-2010 reading with disgust how the CEO of Nestlé said in a press brief that water was not a human right. I interpreted this as a further move towards the commodification of water.
When the Corona pandemic hit the world economy, we all saw the failures of a privatized healthcare system, and the politicians set to manage these structures: deaths in the hundreds of thousands in the US, and politicians in the US and UK unable to control these private organizations or even live by their own laws or regulations.
I really appreciate this conversation. The other day at work (I work for a small seed company) we were talking about how sad it is that farms and people, in general, are so disconnected from the act of seed-saving & the stories of the seeds they grow. It got me thinking about the outsourcing of many traditional acts in our society (cooking, making clothes, building, etc). Obviously, not everyone can do everything. But we thrive when we can work in community and share with each other--freely, as you so beautifully articulate here. What a shame that every aspect of our lives has become commodified. Here’s to hoping we’re able to collectively imagine and work towards a different reality.
Good piece. I couldn't be more fervent in my support of decommodifying food. The primary approach I've taken is returning to naturally harvested, local foods. With particular focus on supporting Indigenous food rights and empowering traditional food producers. While it can feel like buying something such as wild mushrooms does commodify it by the act of purchasing, I disagree with that premise. We must consider the system we operate in, and how economic activity can create positive feedback loops for the broader system.
For example I buy much of my food from vendors on Foraged (www.foraged.com) because supporting small scale food producers 1 economically empowers independent people above mega corporations 2 empowered producers are then empowered to go do more good -- environmental, economic, social etc.
There's a ton more to say here of course. But just my quick thoughts.
I think it is so much more complicated than any of us realize! I own a small health food store, and feel that I can address a different mindset, that of ignorance. So many people do not know how to cook, no idea how to use scraps or leftovers, how to make more meals with bones or other traditional methods that increase the nutritional value of the food. The people who cannot cook are not bad people, they simply weren’t raised to value the work of creating good food for yourself. If someone works to grow or raise food, another works to harvest/process the food, another works to distribute the food, another makes these raw ingredients available for you to choose from for cooking (but you don’t know how to cook), where in the “right to food” concept do the producers get honored? I am NOT talking about packaged food producers here, just raw ingredients from produce to eggs, dairy to meat, herbs and spices… how do we honor the work of so many others involved in bringing food to you without a monetary system? Because someone doesn’t know how to cook, or doesn’t have time to cook, someone else will then need to create something edible for them. How many people have contributed to creating food for others to eat? I know the system needs to change, just from a sustainability and access point of view, and that you are not necessarily referring to impoverished or wealthy people in particular as end users. I think it is a combination of individual ignorance or lack of valuing the creators of food, combined with corporate influence and greed that makes this concept impractical at this point in time. Even in the days of old that are referred to in the article, where people shared food and collaborated on meals, the hunters, farmers, gatherers and cooks were honored, and everyone contributed in some fashion to sustain the community. Did capable people unwilling to work within this community get fed at the table, or were they excluded and left to help themselves or rely on charity because they refused to contribute to the needs of the group? Ask yourself, “Am I contributing to the needs of group of people supporting my lifestyle?” Do you bring a gift for the host/hostess when you eat at someone else’s table? This tradition is also being lost because we are not teaching our children about honoring the cook. Is a doctor’s time worth more than the group of people who bring food to your table? No, I don’t think so. In many cases, the doctor could be avoided if we valued the nourishment of our bodies from the outset. When society as a whole can come to value the farmer/rancher/hunter/fisherman/bee keeper and our source of sustenance, Mother Earth, then things will change. In the meantime, put your money where your mouth is, support the genuinely earth friendly food producers, learn how to cook, take time to cook, share your table with others, and support a local soup kitchen or free pantry in your area. Volunteer! My rant. Thanks for listening.
I want to add that water is currently listed on the commodity market. So potable water is considered a commodity. The CEO of Nestle, a few years ago, declared that he did not believe clean water was a basic right. Rather that people should expect to pay for it. Bulk water extraction is threatening the water of countless small communities in the US and elsewhere. I know. I’ve fought Nestle Waters (now sold to Blue Triton, a global water conglomerate) in my home town of Fryeburg, Maine.
One policy that needs to be broken is food subsidies. I heard one farmer suggest that subsidies make farmers into prostitutes. Farmers are no longer able to have a connection with their own local and even distant customers’ needs and are further disconnected with the needs of their land. In addition the largest subsidies are paid for crops never intended to feed people directly, i.e animal feed and biofuels.
I have a home garden that allows us to share food with our neighbors and friends. The gate to the garden has a sign that my husband bought for me, it reads “The Commons”.
Sadly, most of our neighbors rarely eat fresh foods and don’t know what to do with it. I will keep trying and am convinced that the smaller farmers who can disengage from corporate farming practices will be our life savers.
I think one aspect that needs further attention (and that is actually counterintuitive) is that of abundance. As a homesteader, that grew up on a farm, but then lived many years in the city and moved all over North America, (now back in the country)... I now recognize how much we have been lied to about scarcity. We are told that food is scarce and it needs to cost more, in some ways for some people perhaps this is true.. but I think we need to question more fully why this is the current standard. I am still working on this, but if we keep it as a question we can more fully access the root of the problem.. which I appreciate so much about this article... so do we need to be dependent on grocery stores at all? Where I go, where ever I have travelled I see abundance everywhere. I see edible foods and incredibly amounts of food waste. So is there really a scarcity?! Do we really have to pay high prices?! Or perhaps we just need to relearn the traditional skills of how to forage and prepare local foods. How to eat according to the seasons.. how to regain our freedom and power by leaving monetized systems all together. And most of all, not believing these lies of scarcity that we are told. This is a long process, but I believe we are doing it and sharing what we learn is key. Taking the time to learn skills is also key. Changing our mindset to abundance is another key. Like mentioned here.. the answers will be multifaceted and I think community oriented in nature.
A very interesting read!
It was not a coincidence that Marx´ Capital volume I starts off with "The commodity" to begin his exploration of capitalist production-methods in the 1800s, and processes that went into to the production process of "Capital".
Reading some of the links on "Enclosure" i also remember the book "The Great Transformation" by Karl Polanyi, concerning the changes that occured when the commons of rural England and its workers were transformed into industrial commodity sizes: land for industrial exploitation, and workers for proletarization.
As we moved into the era of Neo-Liberalization in the 70s the "commodity" became all pervasive to many citizens in the west, and for some as "natural as the air we breathe". We can in many parts of the world talk of postmodernist societies as "hyper real": that being the saturazation of commercials in public squares.
We also see the logic of the market move in on more and more of production of food, as well as production of services such as cleaning, knowledge and public administration. "New public management" being a key-word in this respect.
I remember in 2009-2010 reading with disgust how the CEO of Nestlé said in a press brief that water was not a human right. I interpreted this as a further move towards the commodification of water.
When the Corona pandemic hit the world economy, we all saw the failures of a privatized healthcare system, and the politicians set to manage these structures: deaths in the hundreds of thousands in the US, and politicians in the US and UK unable to control these private organizations or even live by their own laws or regulations.
Keep up the good work!
I really appreciate this conversation. The other day at work (I work for a small seed company) we were talking about how sad it is that farms and people, in general, are so disconnected from the act of seed-saving & the stories of the seeds they grow. It got me thinking about the outsourcing of many traditional acts in our society (cooking, making clothes, building, etc). Obviously, not everyone can do everything. But we thrive when we can work in community and share with each other--freely, as you so beautifully articulate here. What a shame that every aspect of our lives has become commodified. Here’s to hoping we’re able to collectively imagine and work towards a different reality.
Good piece. I couldn't be more fervent in my support of decommodifying food. The primary approach I've taken is returning to naturally harvested, local foods. With particular focus on supporting Indigenous food rights and empowering traditional food producers. While it can feel like buying something such as wild mushrooms does commodify it by the act of purchasing, I disagree with that premise. We must consider the system we operate in, and how economic activity can create positive feedback loops for the broader system.
For example I buy much of my food from vendors on Foraged (www.foraged.com) because supporting small scale food producers 1 economically empowers independent people above mega corporations 2 empowered producers are then empowered to go do more good -- environmental, economic, social etc.
There's a ton more to say here of course. But just my quick thoughts.