Building the Agricultural City: A Handbook for Rural Renewal - Softcover

Wolf, Robert Patterson

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0974182648 ISBN 13: 9780974182643

Publisher: Ruskin Press, 2017

Synopsis

The centralized economy doesn't work for most Americans, particularly rural Americans. Building the Agricultural City demonstrates the need for rural Americans to work cooperatively to create self-reliant, decentralized economies. It describes tools for self-reliance and sustainability that exist across the U.S. and can be assembled within any region to transform service economies into productive economies. 

Here are a few of the tools that can effect the transformation: Community development banks, whose mandate is to serve the under-served, would focus on small business start-ups.  What kind of businesses ? Ideally, worker-owned cooperatives that would democratize the economy. Closed-loop aquaponic systems that raised fish and vegetables to provide locally grown, fresh food year round. Municipal owned utilities powered by renewable energy .

Rural Americans now understand that they must be self-reliant, that regionalism is the only counter to globalism. Building the Agricultural City promote the idea of a democratic, decentralized economy.

Many rural Americans are conservative, distrustful of change. Many cannot see alternatives to the present system, even when they know their towns are dying. Others have a vested interest in keeping things the way they are. Those of us involved in this project have no illusions about winning everyone over, or that building a cooperative regional economy will take a few years. It will be a long, arduous process. But we have no alternative but to try. And there are enough creative people who have pledged to work on the project's behalf that we know we can build a successful model in the Driftless region of the Upper Midwest that will that will serve as a beacon to others‚urban and rural.

About this title

Review

"Building the Agricultural City is a vision of our food, agriculture and economic future that could not be more timely. The kind of bioregional food system that Wolf envisions will become a "beacon of light" for other bioregions as the transformation away from input intensive agriculture takes place." - Frederick Kirschenmann, Author of Cultivating an Ecological Conscience: Essays From a Farmer Philosopher "Robert Wolf loves America and he loves rural America with a rare passion. More importantly, he knows what rural America needs to be vital again--economically, culturally and socially. In this small book Robert has brought together a lifetime of creative and practical work to restore the vision of regionalism, which is the real hope of rural America. May his voice be heard!" - Robert Karp, Codirector, Biodynamic Association "In a world of divisiveness especially between the urban-rural and urban lifestyles, Robert Wolf's Building the Agriculture City is a refreshing look into how community and culture are at the heart of the goodness of humanity and our very survival. Imagining collaboration in his home territory, the Driftless region in Iowa, Mr. Wolf sees solutions and beauty through cooperative, regional activities that bridge our differences while transforming our economy and culture for the good of all." -Theresa Marquez, Mission Executive at CROPP Cooperative (Organic Valley & Organic Prairie)

Edition details

• Publisher: Ruskin Press
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0974182648
• ISBN 13: 9780974182643
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 116