“As one has a Land sufficient to produce, he is safe”

Prabhupada, Geneva, June 6, 1974: ..That means to own a certain piece of land is the basic civilization. Everyone must have a portion of land to produce his food. There will be no economic problem. And we have seen even in our childhood that poor men, the laborer class, servant, they came from village in the town. We were residents of town, Calcutta, the servants class, they would come… everywhere, not in Calcutta, everywhere.

The villagers would come, and the small salary. Even in our young days, we were paying salaries to the servants, twelve rupees, fourteen rupees, without any food. And still they would save at least ten to twelve rupees out of that.

And this money, the servant would send to his wife at home, and as soon as there is two hundred rupees, he’ll purchase a piece of land. And in this way, when he has got sufficient land for producing food for the whole family, then he would no more come to city for working. We have seen it.

That means as soon as one has a land sufficient to produce, he is safe. His food problem—that is the real problem—is solved. So people are not being trained up to… In America, I have seen.

Now the farmers, the father is working on the farm, and the sons, they do not come. They live in the city. This is the tendency all over the world. They are not producing food grains. Therefore there is scarcity.
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