Growing our own food is a big step toward self-sufficiency. Gardeners can provide themselves with fresh, local produce grown with their own hands. And farmers bolster the self-sufficiency of their region while also creating their own livelihood.
Nevertheless, many farmers and gardeners still rely on off-farm inputs for fertility. These inputs can drain fertility from other regions, can increase CO2 emissions through transport, and can be the products of environmental and animal exploitation. When moving toward self-sufficiency, beyond growing our own food, we should consider how it is being grown. Through veganic agriculture, farmers and gardeners can increase their level of self-sufficiency on their own land, and reduce their participation in practices that cause harm in other places.
Veganic growers limit their off-farm inputs, and maintain fertility as much as possible using the resources available on their own land, with techniques such as cover crops, green manure, and careful crop rotations. If inputs are used, sustainable and natural materials from the local region are favored, and products that are imported, fossil-fuel demanding, or environmentally harmful are avoided.
Veganic growers strive for minimal or even zero dependence on outside factors for fertility. The aim is for a closed system, where food can be grown sustainably using the resources available on the grower’s land. By producing their own sources of fertility, this brings more self-sufficiency, and also more financial independence for farmers by lessening their engagement with the money economy.
