TOWARD A NEW ECONOMY, Jay Martin
Given the fact that approximately 2% of the population of the U.S. controls about 90% of the wealth of the country, I think it is safe to say that the present economic reality is not working for most of us. Which would further say that we need to change the model.
Buckminster Fuller once said, “You never change anything by fighting the existing, to change something build a better model and make the existing obsolete”.
That is what I would like to do with Provident Farm.
Our society associates freedom with wealth. But when we pursue wealth we find it is a mirage, receding as we approach it and the chase itself enslaves us. Lynn Swift, co-founder of Project Hunger, formulated the Myth of Scarcity as part of her fundraising efforts. It goes like this:
- There is not enough to go around.
- More is better.
- It has always been this way and always will be.
I will set my prices in the farmers markets where I presently sell my produce at a level that will cover my expenses and provide me with a fair profit. If you cannot afford the set price, I will ask you to give me what you can afford. If you are blessed and can afford to give me more than the set price, I will accept your “donation” to offset the cost of providing those less blessed with well grown produce. I will track sales at each market and donate the excess to a worthy local organization helping the disadvantaged.
Greed is simply a response to the perception of scarcity and along with unbridled consumerism is the foundation of our present economic model. We can begin the process of changing this paradigm one vegetable at a time.
Onward,
Jay