---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It has become increasingly clear that the…"
description: "\"“It has become increasingly clear that the way we farm affects the local community, and that the economy of the local community affects the way we farm..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/wendell-berry-236_economics_it-has-become-increasingly-clear-that-th_891568.jpg"
---

#  It has become increasingly clear that the way we farm…

![“It has become increasingly clear that the way we farm affects the local community, and that the economy of the local community affects the way we farm; that the way we farm affects the health and integrity of the local ecosystem, and that the farm is intricately dependent, even economically, upon…” quote by Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/wendell-berry-236_economics_it-has-become-increasingly-clear-that-th_891568.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/wendell-berry-236_economics_it-has-become-increasingly-clear-that-th_891568.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/wendell-berry-236_economics_it-has-become-increasingly-clear-that-th_891568.jpg)

> ““It has become increasingly clear that the way we farm affects the local community, and that the economy of the local community affects the way we farm; that the way we farm affects the health and integrity of the local ecosystem, and that the farm is intricately dependent, even economically, upon the health of the local ecosystem. We can no longer pretend that agriculture is a sort of economic machine with interchangeable parts, the same everywhere, determined by “market forces” and independent of everything else.””

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Agriculture is deeply linked to community health, economy, and ecosystem; treating it as a uniform market ignores these interdependencies.

**In simple terms:** Farming affects community and environment; community and ecosystem affect farming.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and nurture the mutual dependence of farms and their local systems.

Themes

sustainability community economy ecosystem agriculture

Mood

thoughtful concerned

Type

analytical reflective

When to use this quote

- policy making
- farm management
- urban planning
- education
- consumer choices

Key Concepts

interdependence localism ecology

Questions to Reflect On

- How can policies reflect the unique needs of local farms?
- What practices strengthen farm‑community ties?

A Different Perspective

Assuming all farms can be treated the same overlooks regional differences and cultural values.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Agriculture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agriculture/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/)

## Related quotes

> [“Safety Another factor that affects a local real estate market is the crime rate. A high-crime area is likely not going to yield you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-bondanza/safety-another-factor-that-affects-a-local-real-estate-market-is-the/)

Jackie Bondanza

> [Biological diversity is the key to the maintenance of the world as we know it... Eliminate one species, and another increases to take its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/biological-diversity-is-the-key-to-the-maintenance-of-the-world-as-we/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [“The word agriculture, after all, does not mean "agriscience," much less "agribusiness." It means "cultivation of land." And cultivation is at the root of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-word-agriculture-after-all-does-not-mean-agriscience-much-less/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [ It is possible, I think, to say that... a Christian agriculture \[is\] formed upon the understanding that it is sinful for people to misuse… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/it-is-possible-i-think-to-say-that-a-christian-agriculture-is-formed/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [Industrial agriculture characteristically proceeds by single solutions to single problems: If you want the most money from your land this year, grow the crops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/industrial-agriculture-characteristically-proceeds-by-single/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [I’ve been thinking about that question about what city people can do. The main thing is to realize that country people can’t invent a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/i-ve-been-thinking-about-that-question-about-what-city-people-can-do/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [Why should conservationists have a positive interest in... farming? There are lots of reasons, but the plainest is: Conservationists eat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/why-should-conservationists-have-a-positive-interest-in-farming-there/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [If you eat, you are involved in agriculture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/if-you-eat-you-are-involved-in-agriculture/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [Urban conservationists may feel entitled to be unconcerned about food production because they are not farmers. But they can't be let off so easily,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/urban-conservationists-may-feel-entitled-to-be-unconcerned-about-food/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [The passive American consumer, sitting down to a meal of pre-prepared food, confronts inert, anonymous substances that have been processed, dyed, breaded, sauced, gravied,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-passive-american-consumer-sitting-down-to-a-meal-of-pre-prepared/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“It could be said that a liberal education has the nature of a bequest, in that it looks upon the student as the potential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/it-could-be-said-that-a-liberal-education-has-the-nature-of-a-bequest/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“Agriculture must mediate between nature and the human community, with ties and obligations in both directions. To farm well requires an elaborate courtesy toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/agriculture-must-mediate-between-nature-and-the-human-community-with/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“That one American farmer can now feed himself and fifty-six other people may be, within the narrow view of the specialist, a triumph of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/that-one-american-farmer-can-now-feed-himself-and-fifty-six-other/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [Eating is an agricultural act. Eating ends the annual drama of the food economy that begins with planting and birth. Most eaters, however, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/eating-is-an-agricultural-act-eating-ends-the-annual-drama-of-the/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [To husband is to use with care, to keep, to save, to make last, to conserve. Old usage tells us that there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/to-husband-is-to-use-with-care-to-keep-to-save-to-make-last-to/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

## More by Wendell Berry

> [During the last 17 years... I have been working at the restoration of a once exhausted hillside. Its scars are now healed over, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/during-the-last-17-years-i-have-been-working-at-the-restoration-of-a/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [Like the water of a deep stream, love is always too much. We did not make it. Though we drink till we burst, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/like-the-water-of-a-deep-stream-love-is-always-too-much-we-did-not/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [To husband is to use with care, to keep, to save, to make last, to conserve. Old usage tells us that there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/to-husband-is-to-use-with-care-to-keep-to-save-to-make-last-to/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“The two families, sundered in the ruin of a friendship, were united again first in new friendship and then in mariage. My grandfather made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-two-families-sundered-in-the-ruin-of-a-friendship-were-united/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [The living can't quit living because the world has turned terrible and people they love and need are killed. They can't because they don't.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-living-can-t-quit-living-because-the-world-has-turned-terrible/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“I knew a man who, in the age of chain-saws, went right on cutting his wood with a handsaw and an axe. He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/i-knew-a-man-who-in-the-age-of-chain-saws-went-right-on-cutting-his/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“The concept of country, homeland, dwelling place becomes simplified as "the environment" -- that is, what surrounds us, we have already made a profound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-concept-of-country-homeland-dwelling-place-becomes-simplified-as/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [A community is the mental and spiritual condition of knowing that the place is shared, and that the people who share the place define…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/a-community-is-the-mental-and-spiritual-condition-of-knowing-that-the/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“That we can prescribe the terms of our own success, that we can live outside or in ignorance of the Great Economy are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/that-we-can-prescribe-the-terms-of-our-own-success-that-we-can-live/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“The mind that comes to rest is tended In ways that it cannot intend: Is borne, preserved, and comprehended By what it cannot comprehend.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-mind-that-comes-to-rest-is-tended-in-ways-that-it-cannot-intend/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [The mercy of the world is time. Time does not stop for love, but it does not stop for death and grief, either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-mercy-of-the-world-is-time-time-does-not-stop-for-love-but-it/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-soil-is-the-great-connector-of-our-lives-the-source-and/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [I dislike the thought that some animal has been made miserable to feed me. If I am going to eat meat, I want it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/i-dislike-the-thought-that-some-animal-has-been-made-miserable-to/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/laughter-is-immeasurable-be-joyful/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [These are people who are capable of devotion, public devotion, to justice. They meant what they said and every day that passes, they mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/these-are-people-who-are-capable-of-devotion-public-devotion-to/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

[Explore all 847 Wendell Berry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

## More Agriculture quotes

> [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/)

[Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/)

> [To husband is to use with care, to keep, to save, to make last, to conserve. Old usage tells us that there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/to-husband-is-to-use-with-care-to-keep-to-save-to-make-last-to/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [As the first Member of Congress from western Washington to serve on the House Agriculture Committee in over 50 years, I am proud to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-larsen/as-the-first-member-of-congress-from-western-washington-to-serve-on/)

[Rick Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-larsen/)

> [Conventional agriculture has never succeeded in feeding the world, and it's never produced anything good to eat. For the future, we need to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-barber/conventional-agriculture-has-never-succeeded-in-feeding-the-world-and/)

[Dan Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-barber/)

> [I would say my fraternity was nothing but a bunch of farm boys; we weren't really in the whole fraternity scene, but yeah, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/i-would-say-my-fraternity-was-nothing-but-a-bunch-of-farm-boys-we/)

[Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/)

> [I grew up in Italy, and our country is a country of great agriculture and food produce. It wasn't like I was urban and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-rossellini/i-grew-up-in-italy-and-our-country-is-a-country-of-great-agriculture/)

[Isabella Rossellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-rossellini/)

> [Farmers, get out your sense of humor. Congress meets to relieve you again next week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/farmers-get-out-your-sense-of-humor-congress-meets-to-relieve-you/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [Because Iran understands Afghanistan far better than Americans do, making Iran a partner in a long-term effort to transform Afghan agriculture makes sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/because-iran-understands-afghanistan-far-better-than-americans-do/)

[Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/)

> [Sara Scherr and Jeff McNeely have given us a thoughtful, sensible book about a topic of great importance to the world. There is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-serageldin/sara-scherr-and-jeff-mcneely-have-given-us-a-thoughtful-sensible-book/)

[Ismail Serageldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-serageldin/)

> [People want development, modern thinking. They want to encourage and support research in agriculture and other fields.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharad-pawar/people-want-development-modern-thinking-they-want-to-encourage-and/)

[Sharad Pawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharad-pawar/)

> [Growing corn, which from a biological perspective had always been a process of capturing sunlight to turn into food, has in no small measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/growing-corn-which-from-a-biological-perspective-had-always-been-a/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [When politicians talk of loan waiver, they are accepting that agriculture is not economically viable. They are giving a wrong signal that farming is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-s-swaminathan/when-politicians-talk-of-loan-waiver-they-are-accepting-that/)

[M. S. Swaminathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-s-swaminathan/)

> [Nitrogen-based fertilizers, which came into wide use after World War II, helped prompt the agricultural revolution that has allowed the Earth to feed its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/nitrogen-based-fertilizers-which-came-into-wide-use-after-world-war/)

[Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/)

> [Agriculture is one economic activity that does not obey the laws of demand and supply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/agriculture-is-one-economic-activity-that-does-not-obey-the-laws-of/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [More than a mere alternative strategy, regenerative agriculture represents a fundamental shift in our culture’s relationship to nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/more-than-a-mere-alternative-strategy-regenerative-agriculture/)

[Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/)

[Browse all 889 Agriculture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agriculture/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It has become increasingly clear that the way we farm affects the local community, and that the economy of the local community affects the way we farm; that the way we farm affects the health and integrity of the local ecosystem, and that the farm is intricately dependent, even economically, upon the health of the local ecosystem. We can no longer pretend that agriculture is a sort of economic machine with interchangeable parts, the same everywhere, determined by “market forces” and independent of everything else.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Wendell Berry"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/it-has-become-increasingly-clear-that-the-way-we-farm-affects-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Agriculture"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/it-has-become-increasingly-clear-that-the-way-we-farm-affects-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/wendell-berry-236_economics_it-has-become-increasingly-clear-that-th_891568.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/wendell-berry-236_economics_it-has-become-increasingly-clear-that-th_891568.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/375/wendell-berry-236_economics_it-has-become-increasingly-clear-that-th_891568.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It has become increasingly clear that the way we farm affects the local community, and that the economy of…” — Wendell Berry",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Wendell Berry",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It has become increasingly clear that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/it-has-become-increasingly-clear-that-the-way-we-farm-affects-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/it-has-become-increasingly-clear-that-the-way-we-farm-affects-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
