Kalistan

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Kalistani Ag Minister Greets Valruzian Counterpart
Technical Visit highlights Activities of the Growers' Syndicate and National Food Bank
Eshar, Duchy of Odufaray
May 3, 5636


Ag Ministers from Kalistan and Valruzia tour permaculture operations in Odufaray and Suldanor, like this one near Plains Suldanor as part of visit

Her Imperial Majesty's Minister for Food and Agriculture Calvin Brennan met with Valruzian Minister of Food Sovereignty Agata Krzycka in Eshar this week to discuss technical assistance to the Western Seleyan republic on the question of food sovereignty.  The purpose of the visit was to discuss Kalistan's food system that has been fine tuned over more than 2000 years and ensures lower prices for consumers, good prices for farmers, and a streamlined distribution system that ensures that Kalistani consumers and food producers have access to steady supplies.  Kalistan's food production system is fairly unique in that it doesn't rely on food commodity pricing, is largely independent of foreign market manipulation and allows Kalistan to remain self-sufficient.

"In so many market countries, food distribution relies on international sourcing, which can be affected by gluts and shortages, both natural and manmade, which make it difficult to ensure that people can get the basic necessity of food without putting a significant portion of their individual resources toward the effort," said Ag Minister Calvin Brennan in Eshar this week.  "The result is food insecurity, inflationary spirals in food prices, poorer quality and more processing to protect against spoilage.  This system also generates upstream disruptions, making actual production more expensive and reducing security for farmers."

Kalistan has long ago resolved most of these issues with agrarian reform, turning farmers into land owners, and encouraging the growth of Growers Syndicates that are regionally based, and provide for a measure of democracy in the economy.  "Her Imperial Majesty's Government negotiates for prices among collective groups of farm owners, who then become employers that pay their workers as any employer would," said Ag Minister Brennan.  "They set a price that they would like to sell their crops at, the National Government, represented by the National Food Bank, has a right of first refusal on all crops, and anything that is designated for export is determined after the need for food is met.  Given a relatively steady population, with replacement being just met in most Kalistani families, we can more easily determine what is needed, and this provides regularity not only in supply, but also in pricing. 

"Farming innovations are encouraged to increase productivity, but careful attention is paid to providing needs in Kalistan first by our growers, and so there is a counterpressure to spoil the land.  We also encourage soil conservation, pesticide free planting, and limit the use of nitrate run off by encouraging native species production as well as vertical hydroponic and aeroponic farming with a closed nutrient system and efficient water usage.  Having large scale vertical farming also allows us to practice permaculture to supplement the more traditional outside crops that are dependent upon the seasons."

Production is managed by the Growers' Syndicates in each Duchy, who themselves oversee county and local collectives, and then when the Syndicates and the National Food Bank reach commodity price agreements (a process which is helped by futures pricing in the KalSiE) the National Service System kicks in to ensure a steady flow of agricultural production to local processors.  Large scale warehouses store food supplies in climate control that ensures that when those crops make it to market, they are still healthy and nutritious, while other crops are distributed to regional food processing plants that will prepare less perishable items like canned soups, pasta, various cereals and breads, and other items that grace the table of most Kalistani Homes.  "We also work with fishermen who daily catch fish and seafood to bring to market, and then either sell directly to consumers or process and freeze to appear on plates locally," said the Minister.  "Most Kalistanis use chicken, fish and tofu as their primary protein sources, and we try to encourage obtaining these items from the closest sources possible so they are as fresh and wholesome as they can be."

Kalistanis also receive some imports from other nations, predominantly Lodamun and Gaduridos, but also other nations in the AESA nations.  "Much of this food provides Kalistanis variety in their diet.  We already produce enough agricultural variety in Kalistan to allow them to have different meals on their plates.  We do get a lot of our spices from especially areas like Gaduridos, but Kalistanis like to have the options to have foreign foods as well to change things up.  Kalistanis especially love Indralan and Gaduri foods, with significant populations enjoying Istalian foods, Lourennais cuisine, and some Artanian cuisines in addition to the staples they consume daily."

Nearly all staples are available for Kalistani acquisition at the National Food Bank Stores.  "We try to keep prices as low as possible," said the Ag Minister.  "Food insecurity is not a thing in Kalistan, and most often we are able to offer surplus foods, especially perishable foods at little to no price to the consumer.  The food is purchased from the General Fund at whole sale, and scale prices, and a lot of that becomes a surplus.  For much of the year, most of the food at the Food Banks will be free, or only a tiny fraction of what other countries will pay for the same items, because we do not allow the market to dictate our food prices. 

"But much of the processed foods and imported foods we bring in go to local commercial operations where the prices are significantly higher as these are seen as Premium food items.  So people will have lots of vegetables and starches, grains and cereals and fish, chicken and tofu that they can make into whatever dishes they like, for basically nothing, but if they want to eat Indralan cuisine or like escargot from Lourenne, they will have to go to the private sector which is driven by profit and market forces for that."  Minister Brennan added, "They will typically need to enter the private market anyway:  The only seasoning we provide at the Food Bank is iodized salt and sugar.  But we also grow a wide variety of chili peppers and cayenne, so if you can cook with these and tolerate them, you can make meals for almost nothing.  Also, almost all beef, pork and dairy comes from imports, as cattle and hogs are not widely ranched in Kalistan, despite several concerted efforts to encourage cattle ranching."

Following the symposium on Kalistan's food independence structure, the two Ag Ministers proceeded to tour several farms in Odufaray and Suldanor.  Some of the establishments visited were a hybrid 215 acre operation near Springfield Odufaray, that is in the process of planting outside while continuing hydroponic vertical operations a large indoor facility, a seaweed farm in Gendaris that harvests fast growing kelp to produce Nori, which is a good source of iron, a 430 acre farm near Dachin Suldanor that produces natural oils for biodiesel and biopolymer operations, a large scale rice farm of about 600 acres on the northern edge of the Lucid Morass, and a 280 acre sugar and citrus plantation along the Lucid River. 

"These operations are just a few of the more than 65,000 syndicated small scale faming operations that account for more than 23 million acres under cultivation in these two districts alone," said the Ag Minister in Lucid Valley at the end of the trip.  "The Central Valley in Nevaras has another 10,000 food producing farms, and there are more than 4,000 additional food producing farms in Vrassa and Ananto, though most of the agricultural activity in Ananto, and a lot of agricultural activity in Vrassa and Nevaras is production of drugs for domestic and export.  Those are also under the Growers' Syndicates, but we didn't cover those in our tour."

The Syndicate model provides for "...communalism, not communism," said Minister Brennan.  "It allows Farmers to work together to ensure that they receive fair pay for the hard work they do that benefits the entire nation, and it allows the Empire to receive a reliable supply of necessary food without needing to import most of it.  This gives the people of our nation a self sufficiency that many in the world cannot boast about."  The Ag Minister was sure to point out the similarity of the climates in Kalistan and Valruzia.  "We are both blessed with longer growing seasons in our south.  In most places in Suldanor, for example, we can reliably count on two and three harvests a year.  But Valruzia sits at about the same latitude as Kalistan does, and actually in many places has a more favorable climate for intensive agriculture.  These techniques could be employed there with ease.  It just takes a sovereignty mindset that I am convinced the Valruzians possess."

Following the week of tours, Minister Krzycka returned to Valruzia with the commitment of a technical assistance package that includes advisory assistance from both the Imperial Growers' Association, the National Food Bank, and the National Service Program to share more indepth operational details about Kalistan's agricultural system, as well as a commitment to help oversee its implementation if the Valruzian Government wishes to build a similar program for their own food sovereignty.

@TheRepublic