Narratives and the New Farmer in Cape Breton:“It’s Who We Are”

Abstract

Can small, diversified farms thrive, or even survive, in Canada’s current agricultural milieu? Can they stand against the highly industrialized operations encouraged by Canadian policy, international trade, and capital interests? This study suggests that there is reason for optimism. Well-known visionaries, Canadian and worldwide, note a “new trajectory” in the context of the looming failure of current systems in agriculture, based on concerns for the environment and on the relationship between producers and consumers. Approaches to small, diversified farming operations come under several headings: economical, post-productive, civic. But it is the concrete experiences of individuals, families, and communities that truly give weight to the potential for sustainable food production. This research on Cape Breton Island farming—where self-sufficiency in food production is a strong tradition—presents a range of farming “styles” (as defined by Jan Douwe van der Ploeg) that are related to land acquisition, innovative marketing, support services, decisions about farm size and products, and the benefits of non-farm work as a farm subsidy. Interview narratives give voice to the actions of Cape Breton Island farmers who work within an “isolation paradox” as a way forward for their small farms.