Farming for Freedom
Sustainable farming and its related safety and trade is possibly the most fundamental pillar to a robust and peaceful society. Of all the things we should want to be open and transparent, how we get our food should be at the top of our concern.
Food resiliency is likely the most effective way to increase personal freedom and local stability. For far too long, we (as a society) have taken the easy way out. Corporate factory producers have had their way with those freedoms as well as our personal and environmental health.
Buying from trusted local farmers decentralizes food production and secures it in many ways.
Out with the old
At this time, governments (lobbied by corporations) are in control of most aspects of our food and the trade thereof. There are a few large companies controlling supply and distribution. Buying local has huge impacts on these companies by reducing their revenues and tax payout and therefore also their ability to control trade through enforcement.
In with the new
We are currently seeing a significant market shift from the inhumane practices and unhealthy products of corporate factory production to local humane and clean farming.
The snake in the grass
There are plenty of stories of corporate legislation retaliating against local and backyard farmers.
Interestingly, we see most of this retaliation in states that house large corporate producers. For example: we see Wisconsin attacking farmers for trading in dairy products and Michigan is aggressively pushing against small pig farmers [ * ]. * Needs elaboration.
The hatchet in our hand
That shift is further decentralizing food production through the boon of urban farming and the popularity of restorative agriculture and Permaculture practices.
The things we need to work on to establish an open source and decentralized food production culture.
This is an on going effort to find and promote the people leading the way to meet our needs. At first glance, open source and peer-to-peer options are very under served in the area of farming and food preparation.Safety information
Guides and procedures. So far, the only people I have found working on this are opensourcefoodsafety.org
Safety certification/ inspection
I can't find any evidence of anyone working on this.
Coops
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and local community oriented organizing is often very interesting, but still no principled open source strategy seem to be available.
Nutrition data
The best I have found is this Gigaom article