Dateline: 28 December 2016

1939

A while ago, I came across a collection of old posters on a government website. These posters, issued by the US Department of Agriculture, encouraged American citizens to embrace self-sufficiency and resourcefulness.

Essentially, the government was urging people to return to a way of life that had sustained civilizations for millennia before industrialization. They wanted people to cultivate land, make it fruitful, and obtain most of their sustenance from their harvests. A significant number of Americans had migrated from productive farms and homesteads to urban areas in the early 20th century. This shift led the government to recognize the nation’s vulnerability, particularly with the advent of the World Wars and the Great Depression.

Today, our government doesn’t seem as concerned about frugality or individual self-reliance. After all, our current economic system thrives on consumption and waste. Individuals or families who choose to lessen their dependence on the government, corporations, and medical systems are often seen as unusual or even subversive.

We’ve certainly taken a different path.

1939

1939

1946

Combating famine in 1946? This was apparently a genuine concern in America at the time.

Famine was a pressing issue in 1946 because Americans had experienced food shortages and malnutrition during the Great Depression just a few years earlier. The exact number of American lives lost during those difficult years remains unknown. While not always a direct cause, starvation weakened immune systems, making people more susceptible to illnesses like pneumonia, which ultimately proved fatal for many.

Do you think the average American citizen today worries about famine? I doubt it. Should they? Only time will tell. However, I believe that cultivating one’s food supply is a wise decision regardless of global circumstances.