The recent geo-political events in the middle east and the human tragedies of that region were played out in the media. Our current globalised world provided us with insight into the geo-political machinations of power and its affect upon people. This has forced upon me some personal soul searching. Politics, war and human tragedy; what was my part in all this I have to ask? Where is the morality, humanity and philosophies that I believe in? What is being done in our name? Who is footing the bill?

Globalisation’s effect on human societies, the international scene, agriculture and the environment requires a radical re- thinking of our priorities and processes of human life and lifestyles. As environmentalists we are well positioned to contribute to a re-orientation of our society to create a fresh outlook at relationships, people, other species, environment, and other cultures. A creative alternative, by taking local responses and actions to develop appropriate systems and processes for lifestyles relevant to our morality, humanity and philosophy offers freedom from corporate and political oppression. Decentralised solutions to the problems, insecurities and negative events that face us provide hope for a fairer society and world community.

As a personal response, self-provisioning and developing a subsistence perspective are areas that I have examined for myself. I believe we need to secure the economy of everyday life. This is our domain, not that of the multinationals, the elite, nor government. It is the domain of people and their communities.

Subsistence is providing for oneself and to be self-determining. This is not to diminish the importance of interaction with others nor the importance of reciprocity and trade. Subsistence is use value orientated work aimed at the immediate production and sustenance of life. It is a resistance activity; resistance to the globalised corporate complex and its dictatorships. We are enslaved to the consumerism that is peddled where we have replaced our needs with innumerable wants. I do not wish to be a joyless consumer with the dull conformity of an inner self.

Food provisioning is a personal sphere of influence where the individual can free themselves of the corporate leg-irons. It is within our capability to produce a certain amount of food. It creates an economy of life and provides a means of interaction and reciprocity. By the specific action of producing some of our own food can have a positive impact upon our selves and our community. Supporting people like Mazza with her local seeds and organisations such as seed savers, we are taking further direct action. The local growers-market provides us with another alternative that assists in developing regions. We can fight back for local produce for local people. These are reforms that produce a social, political, economic and ecological alternative; a more independent regional production economy not in the hands of shareholders and multinationals but in local hands in specific community settings .

Community based trading systems and alternative agricultural systems provide local independence and regional security. These are also within our sphere of influence. They will be examined in the next LETS newsletter.

I am not trying to suggest a neo-feudalism alternative to the corporate state, simply that there exists within our capability and capacity the power to impact on our society and its ecological, agricultural, social, political and economic systems that we live in.

Gary