100 years ago, we could feed ourselves. In 20 years, we will do it again.
FRC
A people that do not own their own food supply, are not free.
The restoration of sustainable and self-standing food economies, in one generation, is the purpose of the 20-Year Plan. We must be able to feed ourselves with a food system that preserves the health of our people, our land, our economies - and our freedom.
ABOUT THE FRC
The 20-Year Plan for Food Security
The restoration of sustainable and self-standing food economies, in one generation, is the 20-Year mission of the Farm Resettlement Congress. The goal is clear. The timeline is now.
The FRC is inspired by Wendell Berry’s classic book: Unsettling of America: Culture & Agriculture.
Read it.
Then, read it again.
Many are moving in the direction of the FRC instinctively - they are back on the land, learning to grow food, aligning with farmers, rebuilding food infrastructure, starting famers markets, nurturing relationships with their communities. They need the FRC 20-year plan to take the next step – so that young people can return to farms with confidence and we can reverse the 50-year loss of a million farms and return to feeding ourselves and our neighbors.
We are focused on the Ozarks. You can grow the dream wherever you are - or join us here.
Contact us. We’ll come to you. In the interest of authentic relationships, we do not work on the Internet or depend on electronics.
We are well aware of the irony of even having a website. And we put it here just for you, because something told us you'd check here first.
OUR PROGRAMS
FARM FAMILY FUTURES
Change starts now
Thousands of would-be farmers are seeking to grow healthy, nutritious food for their neighbors and local markets. Farm Resettlement Congress' foundations attract these talented and ambitious people by providing access to land through affordable lifetime leases of Foundation property where they can establish their farms in exchange for 5% of their working life in service to the local food system.
After 3 years of helping develop food resources in the watershed, individuals and their families become voting members of the Foundation and are eligible to create a farm or an enterprise using Foundation assets.
GRANDCHILDREN'S GROVES
Food security for the future
Grand Children’s Groves are areas planted with food producing perennial crops – like pecans, chestnuts, berries, and fruit trees.
These areas are dedicated as a food security blanket.
Whether they are natural bounty for local food enterprises and supplemental income or food-rich green spaces and parks, each Watershed Foundation must dedicate some area to its descendants.
LOCAL SEED LIBRARIES
Locally adapted; diversified.
A wise man has said local food is only as local as its seeds.
Stop the loss of plant diversity by creating a local seed library of varieties that have adapted well to local conditions and have become local favorites; teaching seed saving and preservation skills; and helping farmers and gardeners choose the best performing and the best tasting varieties.
"You must change people's minds. And you can't just root out a harmful complex of ideas and leave a void behind; you have to give people something as meaningful as what they've lost--something that makes better sense than the old horror of Man Supreme, wiping out everything on this planet that doesn't serve his needs directly or indirectly."