Early-adopters believe that the nation and the world have turned a corner. They understand something the media either ignore or deny. They’re betting on a future of local food systems, not global agribusiness; of community credit co-ops rather than too-big-to-fail Wall Street megabanks; of small-scale renewable energy projects, not a world-spanning system of fossil-fuel extraction, trade, and consumption. A future in which we do for ourselves, share, and cooperate.

The farmers that I have come to know as I’ve become more involved in the local foods movement are genuinely great people. Their enthusiasm for the quality of their products is infectious, and I never have to worry as I see recall after recall of factory foods announced.