A day at "The Farm"
Tennessee's sustainable community has moved beyond agriculture
Robyn Hyden
Issue date: 11/7/07 Section: News/Features
The hippies who founded The Farm are older now and much diminished in number, but in many ways, the place still seems like a holdover from the late 1960s. Residents like to wear tie-dyed clothes and sing the praises of classic rock and roll - although they canceled their music festivals years ago after the crowds became too rowdy. The oldest member is now 89, and only one-third of the population is under 40. The community's private school hosts only 11 students between kindergarten and grade 12.
While the community's name references its agricultural foundations, The Farm long ago ceded its ideological goal of complete self-sustainability to the more pressing matter of profit earnings. Large-scale organic farming was their original business venture, but early attempts failed miserably and left the group several hundred thousand dollars in debt. Now, the residents buy much of their food from an outside organic co-op.
Since 1985, Farmies have turned to manufacturing Geiger counters, publishing books, producing soy ice cream and selling organic foods via mail-order catalogue to make a living. They have maintained their commitment to core environmental ideals while still managing to survive in an increasingly competitive green marketplace.
It has not been an easy transition for the group, and along the way, they switched from a communal economy to a more individualistic co-op system. They lost much of their population and deposed their former leader, Stephen Gaskins, on their way to community restructuring. Residents now pay a minimum of $75 per month to reside in the community. The town council wrestles with reaching consensus among the residents before making each decision, and finances are always a source of controversy.
Residents of The Farm are eager to share their thoughts on radical politics, ecological sustainability, permanent agriculture (permaculture), global warming, the coming Peak Oil crisis (which some in the community see as a significant threat) and their commitment to an organic, vegan lifestyle. They also share some of their spiritual beliefs, which emphasize the sacredness of birth, marriage, death and other life events. They maintain they are a "spiritual community" rather than a political one. Much of their political rhetoric seems to stem from their spiritual beliefs about the Earth, human life and interdependence. Many members are political activists who feel led to engage the problems of the outside world.
While the community's name references its agricultural foundations, The Farm long ago ceded its ideological goal of complete self-sustainability to the more pressing matter of profit earnings. Large-scale organic farming was their original business venture, but early attempts failed miserably and left the group several hundred thousand dollars in debt. Now, the residents buy much of their food from an outside organic co-op.
Since 1985, Farmies have turned to manufacturing Geiger counters, publishing books, producing soy ice cream and selling organic foods via mail-order catalogue to make a living. They have maintained their commitment to core environmental ideals while still managing to survive in an increasingly competitive green marketplace.
It has not been an easy transition for the group, and along the way, they switched from a communal economy to a more individualistic co-op system. They lost much of their population and deposed their former leader, Stephen Gaskins, on their way to community restructuring. Residents now pay a minimum of $75 per month to reside in the community. The town council wrestles with reaching consensus among the residents before making each decision, and finances are always a source of controversy.
Residents of The Farm are eager to share their thoughts on radical politics, ecological sustainability, permanent agriculture (permaculture), global warming, the coming Peak Oil crisis (which some in the community see as a significant threat) and their commitment to an organic, vegan lifestyle. They also share some of their spiritual beliefs, which emphasize the sacredness of birth, marriage, death and other life events. They maintain they are a "spiritual community" rather than a political one. Much of their political rhetoric seems to stem from their spiritual beliefs about the Earth, human life and interdependence. Many members are political activists who feel led to engage the problems of the outside world.
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James Harper
posted 11/08/07 @ 9:58 AM CST
Ina Mae Gadskin's book emphasizes women helping each other in birth, a practice only possible in a state in which midwifery was specifically exempted from the practice of medicine. (Continued…)
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