If you know what Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump, or Gavin Newsom are doing this week—but don’t know your neighbors’ names—you may be part of the problem.
In the first episode of The Agrarian Librarian, I explain why I left my career as a pharmaceutical chemist to build Edmund Farms—and why this podcast is ultimately about something larger than one farm.
We examine the relationship between dependence and political power, why local production matters, and the difference between a producer and a product maker. Using soap, fertilizer, food and energy as practical examples, I argue that stronger communities begin when ordinary people recover the capacity to produce, exchange and solve problems together.
You don’t need a farm to participate in an agrarian community. You need a capacity you can develop, something you can produce, a service you can provide—or simply a willingness to support the people already producing around you.
00:00 Are you part of the problem?
01:18 Why I started The Agrarian Librarian
03:03 Who this show is for 05:02 Politics within our sphere of influence
11:29 Dependence, trade and local resilience
18:44 Building a parallel system
23:50 Producers versus product makers
26:01 Rebuilding a regional soap supply chain
32:00 Economics, autonomy and antifragility
33:43 Locally produced fertilizer
36:46 Closing thoughts
37:53 Bureaucracy Is Violence
Support the show and find the “Bureaucracy Is Violence” shirt: https://edmundfarms.com/podcast
The Agrarian Librarian explores philosophy, production, community and politics from the bottom up.
#TheAgrarianLibrarian #Agrarianism #Localism #BureaucracyIsViolence

The Agrarian Librarian explores philosophy, production, community, and politics through a modern agrarian lens. It’s about reevaluating our priorities, reducing unnecessary dependence, and becoming more connected to the people, places, and systems that shape our lives.