A couple of years ago I attended an international conference of people working on social issues. The conference was in my rural New England area, and it was great to see how they viewed it.
One of the side trips for the attendees was a visit to the Community Supported Agriculture farm (CSA) my family has belonged to for over ten years now. It provides us with raw milk and vegetables throughout the year. Eggs, homemade yogurt and other processed goods are available to buy.
The area of New England where I live is rocky and sandy and difficult to farm. Using the methods of Biodynamic agriculture, the farmer feeds over a hundred families. In earlier times, settlers tried to eke out a living from the land, but many had to leave. We now have stone walls in the middle of forests and "Old Home Days" designed to lure the wanderers back, as reminders of those harsh times.