到底什么是社区？社区所要支持的农业是什么样的农业？

到美国之后，让我最有感触地就是“社区”（Community）这个词，几乎周围所有的人在谈话之中都会提到这个概念，到底什么是社区？为什么社区有这么重要的意义？

中国的农村是一个“熟人社会”，因为在农村人口的流动性较低，而家家户户又居住在一个固定的村落范围内，人的活动范围也局限在这个区域内，而在农民农闲时，又经常会聚在一起唠嗑，盘着腿往土炕上一坐，说说东家长、西家短。于是，这些信息就流动起来了，一个村子的人村东头的和村西头的可能走动不多，但却可能彼此了解。这个信息网络就建立起来了。这样一种“社会资本”对于中国传统农村社会是重要的，正因为我们彼此了解，所以可以彼此信任，正规的组织进入传统的农村社会会产生较高的交易费用，比如农村中的借贷关系，我朝你家借点钱，咱们规定一个利率，不怕我不还，因为在这么多年的生活中，我们已经足够了解，我如果不还的话，我在村中的名声肯定就不好；然而正规组织一旦进入，哪么就需要建立一套非常完整的评价体系，并承担较高的风险。

在我所在的Madison这个镇，1700多社区居民，我感觉他们也是处在一个“半熟人社会”中。举两个例子：

第一个，有一次我和KAY、ANETTE去镇上的一个饭店吃饭，在整个吃饭的过程中，我们和几乎所有在餐馆吃饭的人打招呼，因为很多当地居民不喜欢自己做饭，便成为了饭店的常客，而且她们两个在这个社区生活了六十多年，所以，她们自然和很多人都熟悉。

第二个，一般来说，外国人在美国办理银行账户和信用卡都比较麻烦，因为银行无法在短期内考核你的信用，即使是可以办理，也需要较多的个人资料，比如护照、社会安全号码、签证等。可是，当我试图办理一个银行帐号和银行卡时，出乎我意料的顺利，银行说只需要Kay的签名就可以了。在镇上的这些机构也因为开办了这么多年，所以他们熟悉他们的每一位客户以及他们的信用，他们可能不会相信我，但是会相信KAY。

于是，我想得出这样一个建立社区的理念：

在这样一个地方，你可以不必认真思考每一句话，而只是将这句话带激情的说出来；

在这样一个地方，当你需要帮助时大家的手随时都对你开放，每一个人都注视着你的成长，当你取得成绩时，每一个人都会为你欢呼；

社区就意味着增强我们的力量一起去完成必须完成的工作，当我们踌躇不知所措时，她们会张开臂膀拥抱你，周围都是亲人和朋友；

在这样一个地方，你会感觉到你是自由的。

那么，这个社区内要支持的是怎样一种农业呢？

首先，他是健康、安全、环保的有机农业；

其次，他是本地化的，新鲜的。

有机农业其实并没有那么复杂和高深，中国几千年来的农耕文明几乎都是某种程度上的有机耕作，只是到近代工业化以来，我们错误的认为那些能杀掉一切害虫，能除掉所有杂草的农药是“高科技”，我们错误的认为那些带有催长素的化肥是“先进”，为了出口创汇，我们加入认证，给农产品戴上一顶“有机”的大高帽子。

在英文里Oganic（有机的）这个单词有“古代的”的意思，古代没有化肥和农药，栽培的材料均取之自然，而且没有污染。现在中国农业几乎已经成为面源污染、立体污染的罪魁祸首了。

如果我们足以彼此信任，又何必让那些认证增添我们本来的成本呢？

有机农业、生态农业、永久农业、可持续农业，不要被这些概念具体含义所困惑，其实都讲的是一个道理，我们要吃健康的食物同时还要让这种健康可持续。

我们的农场没有经过认证，但是我们已经有机耕作十多年了。我们用的除虫药是天然的除虫菊素，非化学合成，我们没有大型喷洒设备，所以要经常喷洒；肥料是虫粪便，在种植、移植、生长过程中都要施用。这自然需要更多的劳动力来完成喷药、施肥、除草的工作。从这一点上看，CSA还是很适合在中国推广的。

我们的有些植物已经被虫子吃的面目全非了，她们看起来很难过。

 The ‘community’ and ‘agriculture’ in ‘community-supported agriculture’

What is community, after all?  What kind of agriculture is the agriculture that a community wants to support?

After arriving in the US, the thing that really got me pondering was the word ‘community’; it seemed that everyone around me would reference this concept in conversation - what is community, anyway?  Why does community have such an important significance?

China’s countryside is a society of “known people”; because the mobility of the rural population is fairly limited, and every family lives within the boundaries of a particular village, the scope of a person’s activities is limited to that place.  When farmers are done with work, they often get together to chat and munch on seeds, sitting cross-legged on an earthen sleeping platform and gossiping about the neighbors’ business.  That news starts to float around, and though maybe the person on the east end of the village and the one on the west don’t get around much, they can still understand one another.  The net of news has been established.  This kind of social capital is important for China’s traditional rural societies: because we understand each other, we can trust each other.  Formal organizations entering traditional rural societies can generate fairly large transaction costs - take debtor-creditor relationships in a village for example.  I borrow some money from your family, we determine an interest rate together, and there’s no fear that I won’t repay the loan because after this many years of knowing each other, we already understand each other well enough; if I don’t repay it, my reputation in the village is definitely ruined.  But once formal organizations come in, you have to establish an extremely comprehensive system of uation and take on comparatively high levels of risk.

So I thought out this idea for establishing a community:

In such a place, you don’t need to seriously think over every sentence, you just say it with feeling;

In such a place, when you need help everyone’s hands are open to you at any time, and everyone’s looking out for you as you grow into maturity; when you’re successful, everyone cheers for you;

Community implies strengthening our power to complete the work that needs to be completed, together; when we hesitate and don’t know what steps to take, they can open their arms and give you a hug, and everyone around you is family and friends;

In such a place, you can feel that you are free. 

So then, what kind of agriculture is supported within this community?

First, it is healthy, safe, environmentally-friendly organic farming.

Second, it is local and fresh. 

Organic agriculture isn’t actually that complicated or profound; China’s multiple-thousand-year-old farming culture was organic to a certain extent - it was only when it came to modern industrialization that we mistakenly thought agricultural chemicals that killed all insects and weeds were “high tech,” and that fertilizer with growth-promoting chemicals was “advanced.”  In order to earn foreign exchange with exports, we joined in with certification, convincing agricultural commodities to wear the organic label.

Organic agriculture, ecological agriculture, permaculture, sustainable agriculture – one shouldn’t be confused by the concrete meanings of these concepts.  They all follow from the same reasoning, that we should eat healthy food and allow this kind of health to be sustainable.

Our farm hasn’t been certified, but we’ve already been farming organically for more than ten years.  The pesticides we use are natural pyrethrins, not artificial chemicals, and we don’t have a large spraying apparatus, so we have to spray often; our fertilizer is compost, and we use it throughout the process of growing and transplanting plants.  This naturally requires more labor for the work of spraying, applying fertilizer, and weeding.  From this perspective, the CSA model is suitable for wide use in China.

We have some plants that have already been eaten beyond recognition by insects – they look pretty unhappy about it.