Hello there, friends!
If you're here, you almost certainly found me on Twitter, where I've been posting my thoughts on eco-socialism, permaculture, and homesteading. This newsletter will expand on those themes, touch on some new ones, and offer new forms, like fiction.
You’ve told me that my posts on eco-socialism have resonated with you because they offer a concrete vision for the future that is both achievable and utopian. The problems we face seem both dire and insurmountable, and the solutions on offer range from outright fraud to dystopian to improbable. That dog's dinner of bad vibes and worse ideas leaves a lot to be desired. To quote one follower on Twitter: “I am starving for visions of a better future.”
The eco-socialism I propose does not require vast resources nor unproven technology; it does not rely on the generosity of billionaires nor the intervention of an alphabet soup of non-profits; it is not handcuffed to outdated ideologies nor opaque agendas; it does not wait until after the revolution. It is as well-suited to the Global North as the Global South. It makes sense to pursue even if you think collapse is inevitable because it is as much an agenda for survival as it is for transformation.
The purpose of this newsletter is to answer the question: what should we do now? How should we as individuals and as a society face this fraught moment?
The perspective will necessarily be personal. I’m the only author here, and I don’t speak on behalf of any groups. I’ll focus on practical actions and proposals, with some theory when it provides useful context.
Ideally, this newsletter will also help build a community around these ideas and around the permaculture practices I employ. I really enjoy thoughtful feedback, collaboration, and (friendly) critique, so I'm hoping to get lots of that, as well.
Here's my framework and backstory:
My political perspective is degrowth ecosocialism. This means that I believe we need to use drastically less net energy & resources; that we must put the health of our ecosystem at the core of our politics & economics; and that we should live in an egalitarian manner. I believe all three are desirable and necessary for our long term survival.
I’m a homesteader, and I practice permaculture. Being a homesteader means that I live and work on the land and that my primary goal is to provide for my own subsistence. Permaculture is the framework through which I do that: it's a design philosophy which seeks to harmoniously integrate humans with our ecosystem by providing for our needs through resilient, diverse, closed-loop production systems.
This newsletter will cover politics and permaculture/homesteading in roughly equal proportion, although there will be some seasonal fluctuation. On the permaculture/homesteading side, you can expect lots of information on the planting of my food forest sites, my extensive vegetable garden, various natural building projects, a handful of oddball low-tech stuff, and the various other ways in which I'm shaping my land to make it a good habitat for me, my girlfriend, and our cat & dog.
On the politics side, you can expect me to flesh out the various "infrastructure agenda for municipal eco-socialism" threads, the means of achieving & implementing that agenda, the role of democracy and bioregionalism, the necessity of degrowth, the meaning of luxurious subsistence, the role of industrialism, and on and on.
You can also expect some utopian ideas and fiction. And if people show interest, I'll throw in the occasional post about more general topics, like travel and food. I aim to post once or twice a week, depending on how much needs to get done on the land.
For now, this whole thing will be free, although if you feel inclined to support this project by paying for your subscription, I would be HUGELY appreciative. Frankly, I'm poor, and I need any support I can get. If this thing catches on a bit, I'll probably make the homesteading/permaculture/fiction posts for paid subscribers only, while the political posts will always remain free (since the whole point is to get them out there).
Thanks so much for being here; I'm tremendously excited to get started.
—The Last Farm