Embracing Biblical Agrarianism

By Tim Gamble
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If you missed my previous article, Biblical Agrarianism - A Way Forward?, you may want to read it before reading this article.

Bottom Line: Time to embrace self-reliance and build local economies around agrarian communities. 

Why embrace Biblical agrarianism? 

• Supports Local Economy & Businesses
• Supports Local Agriculture
• Supports Local & Regional Supply Chains
• Supports Local Jobs
• Local Accountability / You Know Your "Leaders" and They Know You - They Live and Work in Your Community
• Less Dependence on China 
• Less Dependence on Middle East / Islamic Countries
• Less Dependence on Fragile Global Supply Chains
• Less "Foreign Entanglements" / Foreign Wars
• More Sustainable Lifestyle On Many Levels
• More Sustainable Energy, Natural Resources
• Physically Healthier Lifestyle
• Emotionally Healthier Lifestyle
• More Conducive To Living God's Way / Following His Will
• Less Control Over "We The People" By The Elites
• Smaller, Less Costly and Less Powerful Government

I have been and will continue to pound home this thought: The only real path forward to our multitude of problems is a return to the old paths of self-reliance and local economies built around agrarian communities. This is far more than just stockpiling a lot of food to ride out a short-term event. 

The time we have left before things get much worse, and any additional time that our food storage buys us, needs to be spent preparing for what happens when the food stockpile runs out. Preparing for what happens when the supply chains break permanently. Preparing for when the dollar finally collapses and the economy tanks with no coming back. 

The Elites are preparing, so we need to prepare, too. Otherwise, they win. It will be the Elites who get to decide What Next, not us. And the Way Forward, for the Elites, is a world with them permanently at the top, and the rest of us as little more than serfs completely controlled by them. 

Our way forward starts with self-reliance. Self-reliance means providing for ourselves and our families on an ongoing basis (buying food is a one-off event - you buy it, you eat it, and its gone). I just did an article on self-reliance on my Resistance website, TimGamble.com, if you're interested --->> R-07 Building the Foundation (aka Becoming More Self-Reliant).

It begins with raising much of our own food - through gardening or raising livestock (chickens, goats, etc.), and through planting fruit and nut trees, and berry bushes. This may seem easy for country folks with a bit of land, but city folk and suburbanites can do it, too. You'll be surprised how much you can grow on a small plot of land, even if its less than a quarter acre! (See my articles on City Farming and on Small Plot Gardening.) There's still time to plant a garden this year! You don't have to raise all your food, but every little bit you do raise will help, even if it is just a few tomatoes and peppers. 

I also recommend the books Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre and The Mini Farming Bible: The Complete Guide to Self-Sufficiency on ¼ Acre, both by Brett Markham.

I could also mention hunting, fishing, and foraging, but really this is only a supplement to your food production at best. Game will quickly become scarce once the grid goes down, like it did during the Great Depression.  

We also need to develop personal relationships with the local farmers. Learn where the farms are in your area. Visit the local farmers' markets. Actually shake hands with a farmer and learn his name. 

Don't stop with getting to know the farmers in your area. You need to know other people, too. Do you know an honest mechanic? A good and dependable plumber? A babysitter you can trust with your kids? Do you know your neighbors?

Know your locally-owned small businesses. Chances are you know where the Wal-Marts, Targets, Sam's Clubs, and Home Depots are in your area.  But what about smaller stores, and Mom-and-Pop operations? Over the years, I've found many things at these places that I couldn't find at the Big Box stores, sometimes at real bargain prices. And I've met some wonderful people.

If, like me, you are a prepper on a shoestring budget, it is a good idea to learn the locations of the various flea markets, salvage stores, thrift shops, and pawn shops in your community. It may also be a good idea to find all your local antique stores, coin and stamp dealers, gun stores. used bookstores, small hardware stores, feed stores, and gardening centers. I'm putting together a notebook of all these places near me, along with notes on what I can find where, owner's names, and so forth. Start building your post-collapse networks, now. 

Yes, you are going to have to get out and meet people. And not everyone is going to be friendly towards you, or open to your ideas. Thanks okay. Just smile, wish them a nice day, and go find someone else to meet. This is the first step to building an agrarian community. 
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