It's interesting (in a very sad way) what happens when people are abruptly moved from self-sufficient hunting and farming into a different, more 'modern' economy.
The same sort of problems occur in parts of the world that were colonialize, like Africa and Latin America. People who used to grow their own food were forced to switch to commodity crops like cocoa, tobacco, or coffee. With all their arable land claimed by cash crops, they had to buy imported food to eat, and malnutrition and disease followed.
One hopeful note is that, unlike people who live in urban poverty, Native people still have land they can use to grow good food, for themselves and for their community. Someone needs to get in there and show people how to create a farm and grocery cooperative.
That's the sort of thing Peace Corps workers with agricultural specialties do overseas. Couldn't there be an AmeriCorps version for Indian Reservations? I'd be happy to send my tax dollars there.
Thanks to you and FOB for the thought-provoking article.
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Date: 2006-12-04 08:53 pm (UTC)The same sort of problems occur in parts of the world that were colonialize, like Africa and Latin America. People who used to grow their own food were forced to switch to commodity crops like cocoa, tobacco, or coffee. With all their arable land claimed by cash crops, they had to buy imported food to eat, and malnutrition and disease followed.
One hopeful note is that, unlike people who live in urban poverty, Native people still have land they can use to grow good food, for themselves and for their community. Someone needs to get in there and show people how to create a farm and grocery cooperative.
That's the sort of thing Peace Corps workers with agricultural specialties do overseas. Couldn't there be an AmeriCorps version for Indian Reservations? I'd be happy to send my tax dollars there.
Thanks to you and FOB for the thought-provoking article.