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While Fields, Factories and Workshops, first published in 1899 (and pictured above), is one of Russian anarchist (and geographer) Pyotr Kropotkin’s more famous publications, I found The Conquest of Bread more to my liking. First published in 1892 (in French, as La Conquête du Pain), the book is quite technical and full of statistics  and it addresses the world as it was over 100 years back, but I still find the ideas and the very down-to-earth descriptions of production to be refreshing and — in a quite pragmatic way — incredibly inspiring. It made me decide to grow more food in the humble space we have available … because we can, and I gather that if you can then you should.

How is it that millions of human beings are in want of bread, when every family could grow sufficient wheat to feed ten, twenty, and even a hundred people annually?
The Conquest of Bread

Now, entangled in the reality of modern day dystopia, striving towards self-sufficiency — even just a degree of self-sufficiency — might seem quixotic. But this striving might very well also be key for humankind if we are to manage the proper course adjustment, if we want to make the changes needed so that our children — and our children’s children — shall have a decent future on an earth where beauty still exists. And there’s really nothing crazy about growing some wheat.

We should grow wheat. Or potatoes. And if wheat or potatoes won’t do, then grow whatever else you can grow where you are. Will that make you an anarchist? No, it won’t. But it will make you a better human being. And it will help make the world stay beautiful.

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Potatoes growing in a container.
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Our harvest of All Blue. The All Blue potato is also called Blue Marker, Fenton Blue, and River John Blue.
They need so much bread, so much meat, wine, milk, eggs and butter every year. They need so many houses, so much clothing. This is the minimum of their needs. Can they produce all this? and if they can will sufficient leisure be left them for art, science and amusement? — in a word, for everything that is not comprised in the category of absolute necessities? If the answer is in the affirmative, what hinders them going ahead?
The Conquest of Bread

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