Since earliest civilizations, humans have recognized that food is a product of farmland (and, yes, pastureland, fisheries, etc) and have managed to cultivate enough land to feed themselves. Yet today we routinely convert farmland to urban use. American Farmland Trust (AFT) seek to ensure continued agricultural use of some land by buying development rights from farmers, and try to make farms more viable by facilitating community supported agriculture. The geoist fiscal reform provides an alternative way to encourage more conservative and productive use of all land. With additional material from YES! magazine about the slow food revolution, this presentation by HGS instructor Bob Jene suggests that an alliance between AFT and geoists might benefit both.
This session introduces Progress & Poverty, including an overview of what we cover in the course. Even if you don’t plan to take the full course, you can expect this introductory session to help you gain a new and useful perspective on today’s problems of wealth concentration, poverty, and lack of opportunity.
America in the 1870s faced increasing poverty, rising unemployment, rule by an elite and their corporations– many of the same problems we’re experiencing today. Henry George described the cause of these problems and proposed a remedy which is even more applicable today than it was in his time. His book Progress & Poverty, perhaps the best-selling nonfiction book of the 19th century, presented his analysis and solution.
In this “classic” version of the course, students are encouraged to read the original 1879 text, and/or modern summaries and supplements, and to evaluate what George says against their own experience and understanding. You’ll gain a new understanding of how the economy works, which public policies promote liberty and prosperity, and which don’t.
Class meets every Tuesday, beginning 6:15PM on January 19, ending March 22. More information about the course is here and here. Pre-registration is helpful but not required.
As farmland yields to “higher-value” uses, how (and how well and how inexpensively) will we eat? Bob Jene reviews data from a leading agricultural preservation organization, the American Farmland Trust (AFT). Among other things they buy development rights from landowners to insure continued farming use, and attempt to facilitate community supported agriculture which makes family farms more viable. A Georgist fiscal reform encourages more conservative and productive use of all land and reduces sprawl, thus preventing encroachment on farmland. An alliance with AFT would benefit us both.
Urban sprawl is threatening to destroy much valuable farmland. We will look at data from one of the leading national organizations trying to mitigate this damage, The American Farmland Trust (AFT). Among other things they buy development rights from farmers to insure the land’s continued use in agriculture and attempt to facilitate community supported agriculture which makes family farms more viable. The Georgist fiscal reform reduces sprawl alleviating pressure on farmland.
(image credit: Kristian Bjornard ; Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0); https://flic.kr/p/8RYWFy)
More information about this six-session course is here. and here. This section of the course is free but you should preregister.
Event description at the registration link
Event description at the registration link