Distributism and "Preppers"

Distributists emphasize personal and local economic independence as the foundation of personal, political, and economic freedom. For nearly one hundred years, we have been saying that society overall needs to move away from our dependence, not only dependence on big government, but also on big business. As long as we continue to accept these things, we will be in a state of dependence, which means that we will not truly be free. So, what does this have to do with the so-called “prepper” movement that has gained popularity in the last two years? 

Distributism Basics: Foundational Principles

I am happy to announce the publication of my new book, Distributism Basics: Foundational Principles. This is an exploration of some of the core principles underlying the distributist idea. 

The Distributist's Garden, Part 2

by Patrick Toner

The Distributist should garden as though it matters.  Because it does.  In an earlier piece I urged Distributists to grow crops that provide the greatest amount of nourishment.  In this piece, I will urge Distributists to recognize the temporal element in gardening in addition to the spatial element.

The Distributist's Garden

By Patrick Toner

It’s pretty standard (and rightly so) to link Distributism with things like farmer’s markets and small scale organic farming.  If you’re a Distributist, you ought to opt out, as much as you can, from industrial agriculture.  As much as you can, you ought to support small local family farmers. 

But beyond that, it’s also pretty standard to link Distributism with gardening: this is another way to opt out of industrial agriculture, after all.  Instead of buying imported tomatoes in February, grow your own tomatoes and eat them in July, when God intended them to be eaten. 

Distributism and the Local Organic Farm Community

The following is an article by Douglas R. Fox, director of the Center for Sustainability and Global Change at Unity College. This article is reprinted from the Fall 2013 edition of Maine Organic Farmer and Gardener. We thank Professor Fox and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association for their permission to reprint this for our readers.

Is Distributism Agrarianism?

A response to Peter Blair's article in First Things.

A Problem With Over-Centralizing Production

This article was originally published by

The Distributist Review on 20 August, 2010

We distributists advocate the decentralization of production whenever practical. We are challenged by claims that centralization is more efficient in terms of cost. “What’s wrong with Big Business” is a question we need to answer. The founders of Distributism focused on the idea that, when the overwhelming majority of citizens work for a wage at jobs controlled by relatively few wealthy individuals, their situation is a form of slavery. It may not be as bad as the slavery of the 19th century but, in many ways, the house slaves of that era didn’t have it as bad as the slaves of the field.