Geography asks three questions:I have visited Volante Farms in Needham, Massachusetts a couple of times; I think the first time was during one of the many explorations we make in our travels around the state with Project EarthView. Even a brief visit to the farm store reveals that this is a remarkable property.
A ten-minute discussion with Radio Boston journalists Jaime Bologna and Deborah Becker hints at just how remarkable the story of this family farm is. Their Farming for 100 Years story is rich with lessons about the geography of food, particularly the importance and challenges of producing food in a suburban region. I would elaborate on some of these connections here, but I am going to wait, since this will be the first writing assignment for my Land Protection class this fall.
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| Productive farmland, a dozen miles from downtown Boston. Image: WBUR |
I just saw this quote from Henry David Thoreau, whose lived only a few miles from this farm and whose writings are a big part of the course I am teaching.
The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.I share it because I think it is relevant to how we think about buying food. I can always find an onion or a tomato that is "cheaper" than the same product from a place like this. But the products really are not the same, and the real cost of cheap food can be much higher than it appears.
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