A Christian reformational perspective is introduced and adopted. A critique of modernist, industrialising
agriculture is constructed, drawing partly on the work of contemporary agrarian writers. The notion of a
regenerative agriculture is advocated. The two ways in which stewardship has been used as an
environmental ethic is reviewed: as resource development and conservation, and earthkeeping. The
earthkeeping definition is used to formulate the normative concept of agricultural stewardship. The Christian
Farmers Federation of Ontario (CFFO) was established by Dutch neo-Calvinist immigrants in the early
1950s, the Christian Farmers Federation of Alberta (CFFA) by the same community in the early 1970s. The
history of these two small general farmers' organisations is detailed against the backdrop of separate
Christian organisations in the Netherlands and North America. Direct links are traced back to the
Christelijke Boeren- en Tuindersbond (CBTB), the Christian Farmers and Gardeners Union, established in
the Netherlands in 1918. CFFO and CFFA (which changed its name to Earthkeeping in 1992) are presented
as institutions reflecting a "transformational" approach to Christian social action, existing within the
mainstream of modern society and agriculture, seeking to transform them. The role of stewardship and the
significance of the family farm in the policies of the two Federations are analysed, along with their efforts
to protect agricultural land from urban and industrial encroachment. Both Federations have become leading
farmers' organisations in environmental issues. An analysis of semi-structured in-depth interviews with
CFFA members and non-members in two areas of central Alberta in 1986 shows the significance of
stewardship in the beliefs and farming practices of CFFA members. An ecological stewardship index is
constructed to explore the use of land management practices. In general, the CFFA members interviewed
were using practices that were more environmentally responsible than their neighbours, although there were
differences between the two locales studied. It is concluded that the mode of institutional organisation of
the two Federations has enabled their members to have more influence, to articulate their views more clearly,
and to promote agricultural stewardship more widely.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/9919 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Paterson, John Leonard |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Relation | UBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/] |
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