In AWE of Public Discourse: New Ruralism

I'm from a rural county in Florida. Calhoun County isn't as famous as Dade County. It isn't one rambling city like Duval County. It doesn't house a popular theme park. It doesn't grow row after row of orange trees. It doesn't have a well known swamp or lake or beach. You've probably never even heard of it. But the one thing that Calhoun County is rich in is green space. Unfortunately, not every county in America is as fortunate. Urban sprawl is slowly inching across our nation. Soon, America won't just be a country, it will be one big city. However, our country cannot survive solely on urban communities. We need green space to grow crops to provide food for our ever growing population.

One solution to reduce urban sprawl and provide much needed green space for growing crops is New Ruralism. New Ruralism is a way to ensure that certain rural areas are preserved and do not succumb to urban sprawl. Emily Stratton states her proposal in her white paper, “New Ruralism.”

“New Ruralism is a response for those rural areas on the urban edge that are most at risk for the encroachment of suburbanization, environmental degradation, and industrialization... [It] is the preservation and enhancement of rural areas as places that are indispensable to the economic, environmental, and cultural vitality of cities and metropolitan regions... The purpose of the preserved land can be conservation or sustainability, or a combination of both.”

New Ruralism would protect fields and farmlands to ensure that our country will always be able to grow crops to produce food for local consumers, not only those in the rural community, but consumers in nearby urban regions as well. “The goal is to eventually establish permanent agriculture preserves as sources of fresh food for urban regions,” (3). New Ruralism hopes to create more sources of fresh food for consumers, helping them stay healthy, reconnecting with nature, and helping our nation's economy.

With New Ruralism, our nation would be able to grow more crops to produce fresh food for consumers. Stratton says on page 3, “There is fear that the lost connection with nature and our food sources will create troubling consequences such as widespread obesity and disease outbreaks from mass-produced foods.”

350.org is a website dedicated to spreading knowledge that will guide people to making smarter and healthier choices for themselves and for our planet. The website states the following:

“Getting back to 350 is a unique opportunity to remake our communities in ways that are healthier, more locally self-sufficient, and honor traditional and indigenous wisdom. We can get away from relying so heavily on sources of fuel and food that come from far away, and instead grow more of our own food locally, ride bikes and public transit, depend on local energy systems like wind and solar, and create economies that aren’t as dependent upon limitless growth. These types of solutions help create communities that are not only friendlier to our climate, but are also healthier for our children’s lungs and our collective well-being.”

350.org is in line with New Ruralism. Not only will New Ruralism provide a self-sufficient country which grows and consumes it's own local food source, it will help consumers to stay healthy with fresh, preservative-free food.

What about genetically engineered food? The Biotech Manual states, “From years of research, we know that the benefits of food biotechnology are tremendous. The scientific consensus is that the risks associated with food biotechnology products are fundamentally the same as for other foods. Current science shows that foods made from biotechnology are safe to consume, and safe for the environment.” New Ruralism, however, doesn't want to break away from that connection with the land and all that it offers naturally. “New Ruralists hope to re-connect with the land itself... Industrialized agriculture is just as dangerous as sprawl in its lack of regard for nature and disrupting the connection between food source and the consumer,” (3). New Ruralism includes letting nature take its course instead of forcing nature into unnatural positions.

Locally grown food also helps to sustain our nation's economy. Outsourcing has become a big issue as of late. One thing that we can do to help raise our GDP (gross domestic product) is to produce an abundance of healthy crops within our nation both to sell to local consumers and to sell abroad. In order to grow such crops, we have to have the space in which to do so. New Ruralism gives us such space as is needed.

New Ruralism is a way for us as a nation to become more self-sufficient, become healthier, preserve land, and generate more local revenue. It provides food for local consumers. It reconnects with nature. It brings us back to a more natural state. It will help out everybody in America. But who will take care of these New Ruralist communities? Well, that's why God made a farmer...