2016-08-18
Ian James
Agriculture has changed a lot from the old days when a farmer would drive a team of horses around a small field all day. Back then two or three families worked together to sow and harvest a crop big enough to feed themselves and hopefully even grew some extra to sell for clothes and equipment. Too far away from town, children often missed out on learning how to read and write. Today however, farming is very different, a single paddock can be large enough to grow sufficient food to last a small city a year, and the same paddock can be sown or harvested in the time it takes for the sun to rise and then set again. It is common for children from isolated farming families to now spend years at school in the city, learning science and math far away from their Mums and Dads.
In the days of old, farmers travelled deep into the tremendous forests of the Southwest and Northeast to find an abundant land of incredible natural wealth, ripe for the picking with flowing rivers and creeks and lakes, full of fish. Today though, the same land seems dry and withered, the trees twisted, the creeks dry and the rivers full of salt. The families that lived on the farms have mostly moved to the city streets. The old towns are empty, the school yards silent and the farm houses have all fallen down, forgotten. Yet, there is a ray of hope, a light, still flickering, recently new young families are beginning to move in to fix up old homes and fences and build new sheds.
It is easy for city folk to get the idea that country people just dont care about the land they live on. By the look of all the salty areas, the sick trees, cleared paddocks and the salty rivers it would seem they dont. The real truth though, is that country people do have an extremely deep connection with the land and with the environment in which they live and depend upon. In fact, the connection goes back generations and is ingrained in every facet of country life. However, the hard reality of rural life is that the land upon which we live must provide us with a living, it has to make a buck. With every decision a farmer makes on how to manage his land he must grapple with the conflicting priorities of profit and sustainability.
When I look back at the history of farming in Western Australia and compare the abundant natural landscape that existed only three or four generations earlier with the damaged and destroyed landscape that we have today, I cant help but wonder why we failed to sustain the natural healthy environment and I am struck with the realisation that this degradation occurred even though we cared. I know we cared, in my family around the kitchen table, every day we held discussions about land care, salt and erosion. The same discussions would be held with neighbours near and far and in the bar at the local watering hole and in the sporting club rooms and on the golf course. So we cared, yet still degradation occurred. We acted, yet degradation continued, and even today, degradation continues.
I remember as a young farmer, changing our practices, discovering new ways to farm in order to solve degradation issues. I remember seeing the results of mistakes made and studying the cause and effect with my father and neighbours and implementing new practices to avoid degradation. In many cases we were successful, in some cases we were not, but we never let up, because our livelihoods depended on our success. After many years of implementing change I began to realise just how big the problems were and how far we still had to go. I realised that we were only fiddling with the edges of the problems which are so deep and vast. I realised that we needed help. We needed more help than we were getting. It was at this time that I first became aware of a political movement dedicated to preserving and restoring our nature, The Greens.
Other farmers also became aware of the Greens but the feedback was not positive. I heard the phrase “Bloody Greenies” often spoke with a growl. I was dismayed because I realised that without the assistance of the city folk we were never going to overcome the problems we were facing. I would try to explain to farmers that here was a movement gaining power and recognition that could work with us and provide us with government resources. This was exciting and positive, however, farmers were resisting.
Over the last decade though there has been a change in mood. Some significant new factors have entered the fray, some farmer driven, some by consumers and others by geopolitical and economic pressures all combining to make the farmers far more receptive to outside organisations willing to work with them. The Greens as well, have matured and grown. They have learnt how to communicate with farmers and recognise that farmers will have to be part of the team to tackle serious environmental degradation problems and emerging threats. Farmers who wisely choose to avoid chemical herbicides, fertilisers, insecticides and fungicides have discovered a large market for their healthy produce and have learnt to speak directly with their new consumers through modern communication tools and traditional farmers markets.
This communication enriches farm life, it provides a break from the traditional farmers isolation and gives farmers inspiration and encouragement to tackle the challenges of implementing more and more sustainable farming methods. Farmers fighting fracking companies who threaten to invade and destroy treasured farmlands and nature reserves have found valuable allies in the Greens and have established trust and discovered their common values. The same has happened for the farmers fighting the sudden occupation and control of their industry by multinational petrochemical companies and their genetic manipulating science departments who promise great rewards while simultaneously infiltrating all levels of government legislative, health, safety and environmental regulatory bodies, distorting scientific findings and rendering resistance near impossible.
Traditional farmer lobby groups too, have been overtaken by the formidable might of multinational influence, democratic functions have been ignored or disabled and dissent silenced or excluded. Farmers who have suddenly found themselves excluded or silenced are realising they no longer have a vehicle to represent their voices. The traditional political party of the farmers have cut themselves free of all dissent and aligned themselves tightly with the economic powerhouses of multinational corporations, but they have done so at their own peril, for the multitude of those who they once represented are now forming new alliances. This profile of the voiceless, excluded farmer is one I recognise and understand well for this is the path I have travelled. My goal is to wave the flag, be seen and provide a welcoming point of resistance.
The challenge now presents itself to the Greens to provide a voice for those searching for a vehicle to champion their cause and to recognise the good intent that exists which has in the past been hidden by the harsh reality of survival on the land.
Photos: Header - Ian James pointing to common issues between The Greens and the farming community; all in a day's work in the Wheatbelt; Ian locking his gate All photos Jodi James