Food Chain Radio Show #1021

Michael Olson, Author & Urban Farming Agriculturalist

Owners Vrs Renters

Farmland Speculation

This Poll is closed!!

Which will grow the most food in the future: farmers who own, or farmers who rent?

Renters

Owners

*

40%

60%

Guests: Anuradha Mittal, Oakland Institute and Dean Kuipers, Orion Magazine

Can farmers who rent sustain farmland for the future?

Try this:

Walk, ride or drive through any residential street in the world, and guess which residence is owned and which is rented.

Michael Olson Food Chain Radio: Can farmers who rent sustain farmland for the future?

Its easy because of two elemental facts:  

First, owners must keep their residence in good shape or lose some of value in what they have invested. Second, renters cannot keep their residence in good shape because they would simply be investing their time and money to increase another’s investment.

So the well maintained homes and yards are most likely occupied by owners, while those not well maintained are most likely occupied by renters.

Now please turn your attention to farmland.

Knowing every country needs more farmland to feed their future, financial speculators are buying up farmland. And so farmers who once owned farmland now must rent. This leads us to ask…

Leave your comment below: Can farmers who rent sustain farmland for the future?

Tune in here, for the syndicated Food Chain Radio Show #1021 July 18, 2015 Saturday 9AM Pacific