When looking through the lens of collaborative consumption, it’s easy to see how many of our needs can be met through sharing with others to some lesser or greater degree. Surveying this communally inclined world, we find that our homes, cars, jobs, time, and more can easily be shared. Land is another asset that can and should be shared, one that is in high demand as rising food prices and the desire for healthy food blooms alongside the ‘Grow Your Own’ movement.
Cornwall, England sits at the tip of the southwestern peninsula of Great Britain. During the Middle Ages, the area was ripe with mining that waned as agriculture and fishing took hold. As those industries have trickled off, tourism has stepped up. The wild, moorland landscapes, glorious coastline, and mild climate of Cornwall draw visitors from all over.
I spent a couple of months working with the fantastic folks at Red Damsel Farm just outside of Victoria, BC this summer. Here’s what I found there…
Like most other Malawians, William Kamkwamba and his family were corn farmers who were hit by the devastating 2001 famine. Within five months, many people had starved to death or were well on their way. William’s family, which includes six sisters and his parents, was eating only one meal a day in the evening. It consisted of three bites of nsima, a cornmeal-based staple food in Malawi.