GROW YOUR OWN: Felicity Kendall and Richard Briers were TV’s most famous self-sufficient stars in ’70s sitcom The Good Life.

GROW YOUR OWN: Felicity Kendall and Richard Briers were TV’s most famous self-sufficient stars in ’70s sitcom The Good Life. File

SELF-sufficiency was a dream of mine and many others in the 1970s.

Still today that desire to be free of commercialism and eat chemical-free, tastier food hasn't lost its appeal.

Inspired by popular TV series The Good Life and other "back to basics" influences, many of us hankered after a simpler life - keeping backyard chooks, having our own vegetable patch and powering houses "off the grid".

I'd rather be heading in that direction than towards an age when everything we consume in Australia is produced overseas or on factory farms.

Providing for oneself without relying on supermarkets wasn't a new idea. The entire population of the world was, at one time, self-sufficient. Some fortunate people still are. Post-Industrial Revolution, most city-bound workers of the world depend on farmers to make food for us.

This year the United Nations has stressed the value of preserving small-scale farming by designating 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming.

Both in developing and developed countries like Australia, family farming is the predominant form of agriculture in the food production sector.

It makes sense to me that our food should be produced as close as possible to where we live, not shipped, airlifted or trucked thousands of miles. The food is obviously fresher and we don't waste money on resources like fuel.

Simon Thomsen, quoted on goodfood.com , illustrates the precarious existence of Australian family farms.

"To get the same fruit and veg all year, we turn to cold storage, or imports. Winter cherries from California, asparagus from South America," Thomsen says. "More food is coming from overseas, to the point where the balance of trade on food is roughly even.

"In Food Shock, Loughnan recounts how 50,000 tonnes of navel oranges rotted in Australian paddocks as juice manufacturers used Brazilian concentrate instead.

"Yes it's cheaper for consumers - and a high dollar hasn't helped - but the result is that Australian farmers uproot trees, leave farming, and manufacturers close, including several canneries."

If we're not careful, family farms will go the way of corner shops and most of our manufacturing businesses - either swallowed up by multinationals or killed by imports. Fresh, wholesome food is something we all have a vested interest in.

"Family and small-scale farming are inextricably linked to world food security," says the UN.

"Family farming represents an opportunity to boost local economies, especially when combined with specific policies aimed at social protection and well-being of communities."

Importing food from countries where government safety regulations are practically non-existent carries a significant health risk.

There are enough worries about food grown here, in relation to chemicals and pesticides.

Buy local produce - it's an oft-repeated precept, but it's the only way to preserve our own food industry.

Take time out during a shopping trip to check the manufacturers' labels and find out where your food is coming from and what's in it.

While many of us would love to grow our own food, for various reasons it's often not possible.

The next best thing is to look after Australian farmers and consume what they produce.

National Farmers' Federation figures show the importance of preserving family farms.

"There are approximately 134,000 farm businesses in Australia, 99% of which are family owned and operated," they point out.

"Each Australian farmer produces enough food to feed 600 people, 150 at home and 450 overseas.

"Australian farmers produce almost 93% of Australia's daily domestic food supply."

By protecting our own farmers and the food they produce, we also help other countries which do, now and in the future, need our food to sustain them.

In 2014, give a farmer a big pat on the back, and eat well.