Source: Berry, Wendell. 1995. Conserving communities, p. 8-24. In Wendell Berry. Another turn of the crank: essays. Counterpoint, Washington, DC.

The nation's farms are disappearing at an alarming rate under the assault of competition from giant-scale agribusiness corporations. As small farms fail, the integrity of the rural community is being deliberately undermined by the forces of global competition which are supported by government policies and research priorities biased in favor of global-scale high-technology business organizations. Berry proposes seventeen rules that must be followed in order for a community to reach sustainability-- defined in his own words as "to cohere, to flourish, and to last." The connection between ecology and economics, which is at the root of the survival of the community, must be established. Berry says there are two political parties taking shape: the global economy party versus the local community party. The local community party has two objectives: to preserve ecological diversity and integrity, and to re-establish the principles of culture and ecology of local economies and local communities. The local community party has a vested interest in the survival of the environment and the community. The global economy party acts to exploit, undermine, and destroy both the environment and the community on the premise of profit. To reinforce itself, the local community party should follow various guidelines as outlined by Berry, for example, including local nature within the concept of community, keeping money circulating within the community, and building an economy based on cooperation. He emphasized the importance of regenerating local food and forestry economies to sustain the land and to sustain the people of the land. Establishing a sound local community affords protection against global economic and environmental dissolution.

Abstract author: Hilairie Schackai, 14 November 1999.

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