Food for Thought in Our Sustainable Future

By Ursula Edgington

In our new Freedom or ‘pro-choice’ Freedom communities, farmers markets - where food, art, products and service are produced and supplied locally, without the interventions of BigChem, Big Pharma or profiteering supermarket chains - have developed new meanings.

Let’s stay local, pay in cash (or barter and exchange), and support local, family-owned, ethical businesses.

Some cultures tend to pride themselves on their ingenuity and perseverance.

That’s true of New Zealanders. What’s been called the ‘No. 8 wire’ approach is arguably attributed from those early Settler days, when everyday (Western) provisions were unavailable; Kiwis had to ‘make do and mend’ in every way possible.

Recycling and trading in skills and services, produce and time, in order to obtain those essential (and ‘luxury’) items for your family was an intrinsic part of everyday life.

Reading old biographies reveals the raw truth of that not-too-far-away time, when (for example) veterinarians were routinely called upon to deliver rural babies (midwives were few and far between); bartering skills were essential and a positive mindset was essential equipment, especially through harsh weather.

It kinda reminds me of that war-time spirit of Britain and other countries, whipped-up by clever propaganda, that encouraged civilians to 'Dig for Victory'.

But scepticism aside for a moment, farmers’ markets are symbolic of this authentic, family approach.

And now, in our new Freedom or ‘pro-choice’ communities, markets like these – where food (and product or service) is produced locally, without the interventions of BigChem, Big Pharma or profiteering supermarket chains - have developed new meanings.

Let’s stay local, always try to pay in cash (or barter an item), and support local, family-owned, ethical businesses.

Lockdown Memories

Being excluded from society is emotionally traumatising. It certainly brings new meaning to our interpretations of historical narratives of discrimination. During lockdowns and discriminatory jab mandates, I’ve seen children in tears because they couldn’t join their team-mates in a sporting or performance event; adults venting anger at not being allowed into their regular gym. As an educationalist engaged in promoting widening participation in lifelong learning all my career, I was appalled to witness my students prohibited from entering a public or campus library. There’s a shameful element to exclusion that is highly effective, even for those included who feel they cannot speak up. That feeling of shame – the most powerful of social control tools, especially when it is based on anti-science and fearmongering propaganda - can be overwhelming. We cannot let this trauma be swept under the rug as if it never took place. We must remember and at some point in the future, we have to believe, there will be acknowledgements, understanding and genuine apologies for the harm caused. But there were important elements of that experience that were positive too, and let’s not forget what brought us together, with new friends. Fortunately, during the jab mandates, many businesses faced with enforcing rules of social distancing and exclusion, instead decided to ignore those illogical policies.

Here in New Zealand, some companies bravely stood up to the tyrannical Ardern Government, asserting discrimination was illegal in NZ: all their customers would be welcomed, whatever their medical status. Many subsequently suffered fines, harassment or other challenges. Those who wanted to proactively avoid potentially stressful situations, whatever their vaccination status, sought-out and supported these businesses (still do, today). To empower people to take-up this opportunity, many websites and Google Docs were quickly generated to help Kiwis navigate this new (and exciting) terrain.

Now, we even have a Freedom App: "Resonance", which is growing with resources:

Thus, like many countries around the globe, our new parallel communities began. And what a relief it was to so many families desperate for a good hug and a natter!

It was heartening, back during those horrendous 2020 Lockdowns, then later during the imposed "no jab, no job" mandates, to see the growth of regular ‘pro-choice’ groups meeting locally throughout the country and helping each other. Some were establishing their own mini-libraries, some were offering their swimming-pool for others to enjoy learning to swim in a safe and informal environment. Home-schooling is continuing to becoming extremely popular; there is apparently months of a waiting-list for the necessary paperwork from the authorities that allows families to study at home in New Zealand. At the height of the madness, when many of us were excluded from workplaces, highly-skilled parents with qualifications and valuable skills, (eg in healthcare, teaching, carpentry, music or sports etc,) shared time with groups of children and young adults, to share their knowledge and passion for their subjects. Experiential learning is front and centre; essential literacy and numeracy skills are embedded with hands-on practical skills, like caring for animals or changing a vehicle tyre. The creativity of these groups of professionals, working together for our children’s future is inspiring. My own role includes helping parents with understandings of assessment theory and curriculum content, and children often lead the way in this journey.

After lockdowns eased, we attended the local Freedom Farmers’ Market. It was our first time at any retail space for many months.

Lockdowns and endless changes to rules had made us wary of anything other than grocery and online shopping, but this market was a ‘breakaway’ group of numerous stall holders, who had decided the discriminatory rules were too restrictive:

• Why should face masks be compulsory in a spacious open-air environment in Summer?
• Why shouldn’t healthy, attractive produce be available to everyone?

We heard the soothing live music from the car-park and instead of masked security gate-keepers there were smiling, friendly faces handing-out colourful balloons for the kids.

The smell of freshly-cooked pop-corn, and spicy hot pizzas permeated the open garden, with shady trees. The buzz of lots of happy smiling people, of all ages and backgrounds, without masks or anxieties, was a joy to be a part of. Music played and laughter was abundant.

It reminded me of ‘the old days’. We lingered longer than we planned - even through a Summer rain shower - met friends old and new, and spent lots of cash on delicious fresh food.

If only every day was like this, I remember thinking, an escape from the insanity of the world around us, was so appreciated.

At a recent World Council for Health webinar, Eugene Trufkin presented some valuable insights into The Truth About What You’re Eating and Why Food Quality Matters.

For instance, animals can be fed all kinds of low quality feed and synthetic chemicals etc, and still be presented for sale as ‘free range’ or ‘grass-fed’. This is because of the loopholes in the laws – which are lax in some countries and states compared to others. The same applies to vegetables and crops, an misleading label of 'organic' can still apply even when a lethal poison like 1080 has been applied to the land, so long as it's a few metres away! As Eugene pointed out in his presentation, one way around these ambiguities, is to speak (or maybe even work) directly to the producer in question. An ethical farmer will be happy to answer questions about the stock levels, animal husbandry, feed and fertiliser practices. This is one of the benefits of attending a Farmers’ Market – often it’s the owner (or a family member) manning the stall, and there’s the best opportunity to have valuable conversations.

The collective ACTION STEP we can take

Get out there and engage with your local Farmers' Market! And if it's run by a Freedom Fighting group, even better.

If you already support a Farmers' Market near you, then why not help it grow? Spread the word, bring friends and family, spend some cash, regularly, and ensure its future is secure. Here is why that's crucial:

These are real people behind these stalls, with stories to tell and produce or service to share in good faith. Let's keep the positive vibes going, and keep our bodies and economies alive and well.

Do let us know about your local event and even better - what your grow yourself, to share and help make our future more sustainable.