Progress

[topground]

It was Sunday evening idealistic ramble. I've floated the kibbutz idea in the pub before now. People tend to lose interest when you mention they'd be lucky to earn minimum wage at least in the set up phase. Then there the tax and accounting issues. Are they employees, self employed, shareholders, directors etc? And it needs good and experienced leadership if it isn't to quickly end in failure.

It would be interesting though to hive off say 3 acres and let my lefty friends get on with it. Not sure I could cope with such a system. I like to be in control of my patch. As I said earlier though there are lots of people around nowadays who are what I would call semi employed who would have the time to do it, and initially the enthusiasm.

Would letting plots as allotments be an option, that way the 'communist' element would be taken out of the process since it individuals would reap the rewards of their hard graft.

 

[DrWazzock]

Would letting plots as allotments be an option, that way the 'communist' element would be taken out of the process since it individuals would reap the rewards of their hard graft.

I'm seriously considering doing this on 3 acres. I can supply them with muck and help with initial cultivations, spraying off etc.

 

[Giles1]

Call me a communist but I've often wondered about setting up a "community venture" where volunteers can come and grow and harvest the spuds. Plenty of people about here with part time jobs, semi retired etc who could do it. Would be an interesting experiment. Volunteers could invest their cash in shares in the venture to pay for the inputs then share the produce or profits from sales amongst themselves. I'd be happy to trouser the basic payment as a rent for the plot as its paid by the taxpayers anyway. My mate at a university near here is running these schemes quite successfully getting inner city people involved with quite good results.

Allotments.

 

[Giles1]

Allotments.

Bug**r,should have read the next post or two............

 

[Old Boar]

When I first moved here, I was part of a group - we shared equipment (crush, roller, baler etc). We all chippd in with labour, and we knew what was happening, who was in trouble, who we could go to for specific help and just to have a good chat. All the hay was small bales and we shifted thousands amongst us. We all had a particular skill, whether it was drainage, mechanics or in my case, calving cows. We knew we could all call on these skills from everyone - no money ever changed hands. Only 3 of us left farming, and the other two have expanded their herds, bought land, and are chasing their tails. Not even time for a chat if you pass in the road.
No doubt the area is producing more milk, and there is far less hard labour, and probably better physical health as a by-product, but I would hazard a guess that the mental health is not so robust, and the sense of community has gone. I know we would all still drop everything to help each other, but it is not the same. Yes, progess in some aspects but not in the community feeling. People used to be important, now it is machines. I dont think it can come back and that is a real shame for those who knew it and now miss it.