Thursday, August 19, 2010

Abundance and Scarcity: Two Opposing Cognitive Forces Driving the Way We Live and Farm

When it comes to farming, there are one of two thought processes, or belief systems, governing the mode of operation for each and every farmer and each and every farm (big or small).  One is abundance and the other is scarcity.  The dominant thought process, or belief system, maintained on the farm will be made evident by the farming practices on the farm.  Same goes with orchards, gardens, ranches, or any of other words and phrases from the agricultural vernacular used to describe the places where food comes from.  No matter where you farm or what you farm, the way you farm is dependent upon the way you think and believe.  So, let's review the two ways of thinking.

Scarcity is a belief system based on the idea that there is not enough to go around; not enough hours in a day, not enough money, not enough play time, not enough of anything.  Someone has to go without.  Something has to be sacrificed.  Someone must pay.  In order to get by, you have to stay ahead of the game or stay on top of the heap.  Snooze you lose.  Only the strongest survive.

In order to solve the world's problems with a mentality of scarcity, one must learn to be efficient.  They must learn to do a lot with a little, which falls in line with the kill-two-birds-with-one-stone idea.  Everything is gauged by how feasible the solution is to the problem.  Stick with a single crop, or animal, so as not to complicate the operation.  Soon the issue of economies of scale comes into play.  The producer then decides how large their single crop operation needs to be in order to provide for themselves and their family based on the market value of their product. Assuming the market is a free-market and the value, or cost of the product, is based on the producer's willingness-to-sell price vs. the consumer's willingness-to-buy price, then the producer would most likely find the size of operation that is optimal for their welfare and most likely the welfare of others around them.

However, the markets are not free and if there is anyone that believes the markets are free and void of manipulation and price fixing, then I've got an underwater potato farm I'd like to sell them off the coast of Greenland.  The markets are rigged (or at least overly managed) and are based on a relatively small group of people's belief system of scarcity, where there is not enough to go around in the world and they are the ones who will determine who gets what and when.  They make most of the commodity purchases and sales (or broker them) which determines the market price of each and every commodity.

This puts the producer at odds with the consumer, or at least makes the relationship much more distant.  The agreed upon price between consumer and producer is based on someone elses' determination.  The producer has a harder time figuring the optimal size of their operation and either decides to go big or decides to go under.  The consumer, who is usually the last person to touch the product and contemporaneously speaking is usually the 6th person to touch it, is stuck deciding on which product is cheapest, because they too are conducting feasibility studies when they prepare to make purchases.  Especially since their resources are scarce and they too are most likely living with a mentality of scarcity.  The system of scarcity rarely leads to a happy ending for all. 

The real products in a life based on scarcity are:  fear, skepticism, frustration, dependence, manipulation, competitiveness, exploitation, high amount of credit/debt, decrease in number of producers, increase in number of consumers, market destabilization, and ecological imbalance.

Abundance, on the other hand, is a belief system based on the idea that there is more than enough to go around; 24 hours in a day, enough money to suit your needs, plenty of play time (distinction between work and play becomes unclear), and more than enough of everything.  No one has to go without.  Nothing has to be sacrificed, but if it is, it is rewarded.  Payment is reciprocated.  In order to get by, you have to share and cooperate.  Snooze, try again.  The strongest and weakest survive.

In order to solve the world's problems with a mentality of abundance, one must learn to be effective at cohabitation and cooperation.  They must learn to do a lot with a lot, which falls in line with the use-two-birds-to-make-six-birds idea.  Everything is gauged by how functional the solution is to the problem.  Maintain a multi-specied environment so as not to disturb the natural order of the operation.  Soon the issues of multi-use, multi-purpose, and multi-function come into play.  The producer decides what they need to learn about the ecology of their operation in order to shepherd the natural processes that will benefit themselves, their family, and their co-inhabiting species.  Whether the market is free or not, they are more free-er.  The size of their operation will be in direct proportion to their will, their abilities, their cooperation with nature, and their cooperation with their fellow man.

This puts the producer and consumer on even ground and brings the relationship closer.  The agreed upon price between the consumer and producer is more likely determined by the consumer and producer.  The producer has an easier time maintaining their existing size of operation and usually decides to find new uses for their farm, thereby diversifying their land use.  The consumer is usually one of the first people to touch the product and is left with many options as to which product to purchase, and at what price.  They are less worried about what is feasible and are more concerned with what they want, regardless of price constraints.  They are also more inspired to be a producer themselves, and therefore more likely to become a producer, thereby increasing the number of producers, which increases the amount of overall production.

The real products in a life based on abundance are:  faith, trust, happiness, independence, nonintervention, cooperation, decency, low amount of credit/debt, a balanced number of producers and consumers, market stabilization, and ecological balance.

These two opposing forces that drive the way we live and farm are nothing new.  They have been around forever and they will be used to bring about much happiness or bring about much sadness.  On the global scale the happiness and sadness will be mixed, where, some will be happy and some will be sad.  At the individual scale it is not mixed.  Either we will be happier or we will be sadder, based upon which belief system we choose to live by.  I would hope we choose wisely and discover how an abundant life will make us happier.  Forever.

1 comment:

  1. Words cannot express how grateful I am to have found your blog & read your words. Thank you, from another New American Farmer at heart...still not a farmer, just a dummy with a vision:-)

    ReplyDelete