Sustainable Volunteering in the Age of Digital Currency
This topic is inspired by this post by @jennislay, and subsequent off chain discussions with my friends @burntoblog and @ogbrog.
Please know that even if you use chemicals, I do not stand in judgement of you & I pledge to stand WITH you to support you in every way possible to help you transition your property to a healthy management system...
-@jennislay, in a pledge I'm working within myself to make.
Her post, and the above paragraph in particular was inspiring to me, and almost singlehandedly spurred another paradigm shift. The people using these products are doing so from a position of love and good will. There's just more to the story than what they're told or what we've been told. My enmity for them is falling to the wayside, and it's got new wheels turning. I'm working on harboring less disdain for people embedded in that system, and turning that previous negative energy into hope and love that I aim to use to help shift other people's paradigms.
The notion that we can help others is empowering. Once this tide shifts, once the paradigm breaks, there's no stopping human progress in this field of nourishment and regeneration. We just need to help reach that critical mass where consumer consciousness meets ecological consciousness.
How can we help?
Money is tight for people that are embedded in these industrial systems. It's built to be that way. You hear it constantly that "there's no money in farming." As it stands, that is true. There are farmers that are deeply in debt, torn between trying to sustain a family and trying to sustain a job on the farm. With the rising cost of equipment and the falling pay of commodity crops, they're between a rock and a hard place.
In fleshing out these ideas, I've come to the idea of volunteer work. People in the permaculture world have solutions that can help industrial farmers. The problem comes in that we need money too in order to live in this system, and the people that we want to help may not be able to support themselves while simultaneously paying their debt to the old ways and monetarily sustaining a shift to a better way. That's an immense financial burden, so those of us who are willing need to be able to help them free of charge.
Enter systems like STEEM and crowdfunding.
In the amazing times we're living in, people are wanting to help a cause, but perhaps they don't have the resources to physically help. They can donate value to a cause by contributing money, thanks to regenerative systems like STEEM, Fundition, Patreon, or GoFundMe.
What I envision
I wonder how fast it would come about if we could facilitate change by working for free.
Imagine -- and I may be out of my league here -- something akin to a non-profit, where you could raise a donated salary for yourself for a few months to help a farmer transition part of his life to a regenerative system. That's kind of what I'm envisioning here. Lord knows you're gonna have your own bills to pay in the process, so it would be tragic to have to choose between helping someone (and the earth) out or taking care of your own business. Maybe now we don't have to. I'd like to see someone make a regenerative business out of this, and I'll be making steps in that direction myself as I am able.
Imagine being able to show up on day one with a bag of non GMO seeds, ready to plant a garden. Or the money in a crypto wallet for a dozen fruit trees to help start a small family orchard. Or what if you were able to buy a laser level and shovels for you and a few friends and get to digging swales for someone? I imagine that'd make a difference for someone that's looking to jump track. Heck, imagine crowd funding a side gig of your own farming mushrooms, then using the mycelium leftovers to help remediate soil damage for a local farmer! There's a lot of possibilities here with this kind of idea.
What I'm Doing
As it sits, I've put myself out there a few times to local farmers and I've recently found a taker. Not someone that is switching from industrial farming, but a family that's starting a regenerative farm in my area. Melissa goes to Bible study with a woman who is starting a pastured meat farm with her husband. Cows and chickens on pasture, and pigs in a stand of forest. We signed up to be their customers as soon as we found out about them, committing to spend a minimum of $250 a month on their products. It'll be a regular part of our grocery spending now. At the same time, I let them know that I'd be able to help for free around the farm, and they accepted! I worked two days out there a couple weekends ago, and intend to do more! What's more, they're now in our raw milk co-op, which is super cool! So, even before this idea is developed, I'm committed to it.
As I'm jumping into the idea, I've adjusted my footer on my posts to include crypto addresses for donations. The goal here will be to save up time off from work so I can go do a week or a long weekend of helping someone and be able to cover my own expenses and at least some project materials. Depending on the level of success, of course. I'd like to build a small business on this model, as I think it meets a demand for something that can help people move forward. I may not be able to find a farmer wishing to transition, but I may find a neighbor wanting a small food forest or fruit tree guild. Honestly, I don't care as long as someone wants something regenerative.
All that said, I'm in this and I'd like to see others in it too. I'm excited with the possibilities here, and want to develop this idea moving forward. If anyone else tries it, let us know! The world of sustainable volunteering is new and needs all the minds, hands, and backs it can get.
I'm keeping my thoughts here open source, and will be sharing more as I go. This is information that I want to make available to anybody that wants it. I'll be working with @porters to get relevant posts gathered in the same place so other people can have easier access to them.
What are your thoughts on sustainable volunteering? Does this make any wheels turn for you? Let's talk more in the comments!
All action for the good of all.
Nate.
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A while ago I read an article on an organic farm, in the US, being mandated to use weedkiller on a "noxious weed" because it was decided that their management systems weren't keeping it under control well enough. I kept thinking that surely an army of volunteers could get in and eradicate that weed by pulling it all up and I was glad to see that I want the only one with that thought. I hope that article raided enough interest for them to get that army, but I'll never know.
Something like this could be a lifesaver for all farmers in so many ways. I wish I had the time to do it myself. Maybe some day in the future.
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Great train of thought! Once crypto starts moving significantly, then even blogging whilst doing this voluntary work should be enough to provide - that's how I'm approaching it :D
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TrufflePigLoving your thoughts, Nate. I just spent several days in the mountains along the Burmese border teaching organic composting to a group of landless, indigenous people. I volunteered. I paid my own costs for transport, hotels etc and am sucking up the lost business days. Today I sucked up the mega fatigue as I came back to a pile of urgents. But it matters ad is the only way. I'm going up once a month minimum for the next 3 years. Committed. Appreciating you opening this dialogue.
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I'm checking out your post on it now :)
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This is fantastic! I've been meaning to write something about working for "free" after a post I read by @kennyskitchen, also in relation to general well being. Here I was going to write a similar comment I left on that post, but I think you just inspired me to lay out these thoughts in more detail, in form of a post. Thank you so much, the post is coming soon...!
That's it, I typed it up: https://steempeak.com/freedom/@stortebeker/working-for-free-working-for-freedom Let me know what you think!
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Love this concept and to actually be able to get a volonteer force together to transition some farmers would be wonderful! It's got me thinking for ways I could help out in my local. I know they have the food bank garden in the city which always needs volunteers and I'm always sharing what ever plants, trees seeds to new folks just starting their homesteads or even backyard gardens. I'll have to think more of ways to reach out to local farmers. Thanks for initiating this and here's hoping it really takes off! ---
I've never thought of volunteering in a farming sense but what an excellent idea. We have hundreds of people growing mealies and cabbages in the area called the Transkei hear where I live and they would do well to be supported by others better off.
I volunteer my time in an underprivileged nursery school..........I take a story and an activity now and again hoping to widen the children's horizons a little.
This is a cool idea, @nateonsteemit!
We already do this and have for 10 years, in a very small way, teaching anyone who wants to learn about what we do. There's no energy left to go and work for someone, but we do what we can for local people.
I will be fascinated to watch this project grow. :))
Oh wow... I am a little speachless. I really like the idea there. True, a lot of farmers are doing what they do because of the old story of farming. I never thoight of it this way thanks for the mind opening words there.
What can we do...? There is probably so much that can ne done in this world of volunteering to help with the transition. We have to get that can of worms to open up!!!
Thanks man, I'll be thinking about this a while now.
Yes!!!! We can't operate from.a place of judgement because there’s so many REASONS for things being what they are.
One of the stories that stuck in my head all these years is the story of Indian farmers RUINED by years of Monsanto, so much so that the rates of suicide among indigenous farmers were higher than anywhere in the world... so people went in and taught them biodynamic farming and things not only.got better, but generational better. Its like things need to get awfully bad before help is accepted. What i love about you is your boundless enthusiasm to help people. I wish i was rich and i would just give you a gazillion to set up a non profit x