The Economy of Unpaid Labour - Ottawa Valley Farm to Fork | The Hands That Feed Us: On Tour - Ep15
Ottawa Valley Farm to Fork - Douglas, ON
What counts as work when there isn’t a paycheque attached to it… and what happens when we stop measuring the value of a farm solely by its income?
Farmers, researchers, and community members in Renfrew County, Ontario conversed about the often-unseen labour that makes farms, families, and communities possible. The discussion explored unpaid family labour, multigenerational farming, community cooperation, food production, and the ways conventional economics can overlook the value created outside of a financial transaction.
Participants considered what happens when we begin to look beyond wages and profits as measures of economic success. The conversation touched on the changing structure of Canadian farms, the decline of multigenerational farming, rising farmland costs, the specialization of agriculture, and community-based models where land, labour, food, and resources are shared.
“We’re not cooperating, we’re not acting like a community.”
What if a farm’s value isn’t only measured by the income it generates, but also by the food it produces, the people it supports, the knowledge it passes between generations, and the community it helps sustain?
Listen to the recorded discussion in Episode 15 of The Hands That Feed Us On Tour entitled “The Economy of Unpaid Labour” to learn more.
