Food Crisis Solution: Go Back to the Beginning?

Much has been said, over the years, about the global food crisis and world hunger. At the same time, food waste in many countries is at an all time high. Perhaps part of the problem is that food production has become too big; too global. Perhaps the answer is to go back to the beginning with local/regional food production and distribution.

A return to seasonal selections of food based on local/regional geography. Less transportation costs, shorter distance from field to table, less waste. A resurgence of small family farms able to offer healthy, produce, meat, fruit, nuts, eggs, cheese, etc. in a sustainable way. Personal relationships between farmers, grocers, butchers, bakers, restaurants,

and consumers.

“Slow Food reminds us of the importance of knowing where our food comes from. When we understand the connection between the food on our table and the field where it grows, our everyday meals can anchor us to nature and the place where we live.”

~ Alice Waters, chef, author, Vice President of Slow Food International

In metropolitan areas, abandoned buildings and vacant lots are being converted to vertical farms and urban gardens, eliminating food deserts, and providing employment opportunities for inner city inhabitants. Will Allen's Growing Power is testimony to the ways a community can benefit from urban farms. Urban farms can be found in New York, Chicago, London, Paris, Berlin, and Sydney, as well as many other cities around the world.

"Our connection to, and knowledge of, the food we eat, the land upon which we grow it and the people who plow, plant and pick it is more important to our future than all the money in the world. "                      ~Nancy Kotting-Two Men, Two Farms and a Legacy We Can All Learn From

Small, local farms can also successfully eliminate the issue of food waste in communities by using waste food from restaurants, grocery stores, and schools as compost. California Safe Soil has developed Harvest-to-Harvest, or H2H, a liquid fertilizer made from food waste. Comprised completely of organic matter, H2H vastly reduces the amount of chemical fertilizers needed by a crop. Just as important, the liquid can be applied to crops with farmers’ existing irrigation equipment, reducing the necessity for extra labor or equipment costs. The company sources food waste from a number of Sacramento-area grocery store chains to create its product. 

Great Lakes Brewing Company in Cleveland, which has an extensive sustainability policy, uses their grains in almost every area of its business. After brewing, some of the waste go to local farms where it’s fed to the livestock and poultry that end up being served back at the brewpub. Some of it goes to the baker who makes the bread and pretzels on their menu. Another portion is composted for use at their urban farm and another urban farm in the city. The grains, which are rich in the nitrates and sulfates on which fungi thrive, are also used by local mushroom cultivators to grow mushrooms that end up as toppings on pizzas or salads. 

It's time for agriculture to become, local and sustainable, if we are to have a secure, healthy food supply in the future.

Until next time...become the change you imagine.

Industrial Ecology and the Future of Sustainability

Industrial Ecology has been defined as a "systems-based, multidisciplinary discourse that seeks to understand emergent behavior of complex integrated human/natural systems". The field approaches issues of sustainability by examining problems from multiple perspectives, usually involving aspects of sociology, the environment, economy and technology. The name comes from the idea that we should use the analogy of natural systems as an aid in understanding how to design sustainable industrial systems.

The good folks at GOOD (for people who give a damn) have published a story this week that makes my heart glad!  A former meatpacking plant in Chicago is being re-purposed as a self-sustaining vertical farm. Wait, there's more!  The Plant, as it is called, is focusing on becoming a net-zero waste facility.

Reduce, reuse, recycle...the 3 R's of sustainability.  Anyone who knows me, knows how excited I am. We have so many opportunities in this country (and around the world) to take abandoned, unused, buildings and make them useful again.

Farming in the inner city is a worthy goal, indeed, and this is just what the slow food movement is all about. Locally produced, healthy foods, grown in a sustainable fashion. Utilizing new processes as well as established traditions to create an environment that produces, food, jobs, and hope for the community.


“Industrial ecology—the concept of using other people’s waste as input—is fascinating. In nature, there’s no waste, but there is so much waste in human consumption and development,” says Melanie Hoekstra, The Plant's director of operations. “This is an obvious problem that we can resolve with a building that can do so many things. It’s not a perfect system, but it’s really close.”

Watch this video about the exciting things going on at The Plant.

Why not try your own sustainability project?  Here are some ideas:

 

Until next time...become the change you imagine.

The Future of Food and Farming

In 2002 the US government counted farmers - the last time they have done so - and found that the average age of a farmer was 55 years old. The good news is that thousands of young people are becoming farmers, especially organic farmers. Truly good news for society, food production, and awareness of the need for greater sustainability in agriculture.

According to a story in NPR's food blog, The Salt, there is "a new surge of youthful vigor into American agriculture — at least in the corner of it devoted to organic, local food. Thousands of young people who've never farmed before are trying it out."  The old priorities of corporate ladder-climbing and the pursuit of big paychecks is giving way to the lure of the outdoors, and a return to living off the land.  Our current global economic crisis is, at least partly, responsible for encouraging some to try growing their own food.


Victory gardens were started during World Wars I and II as a way for civilians to counter extreme shortages in the food supply. In the same way, today's families could benefit from a small garden planted with vegetables, raised organically, to provide healthy food for little money.  Apartment and condo dwellers with sunny patios or balconies can plant container gardens with vertical supports for pole beans, tomatoes, peas, squash, etc.  Strawberry pots can be used for growing a kitchen herb garden - several common herbs all in one container.

Small family farms have been on the decline for decades.  One idea for making those farms profitable again would be for small farmers to offer plots of land to individuals or families who want to grow their own food. The plots could be rented monthly and the revenue would help keep land in families that have farmed for many years, but can no longer make a living at it.


Small farms are also ideally situated for CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture. The farmer sells "shares" for each growing season.  The investors help the farmer share the risk, and the reward is fresh, locally grown, usually organic, produce, eggs, milk, and meat.  Local Harvest is an excellent resource for finding local CSAs, farms, and farmer's markets.

The slow food movement also makes a case for growing and consuming locally produced food.  Slow Food began in Italy with the founding of its forerunner organization, Arcigola, in 1986 to resist the opening of a McDonald's near the Spanish Steps in Rome.  Promoted as an alternative to fast food, Slow Food strives to preserve traditional and regional cuisine and encourages farming of plants, seeds and livestock characteristic of the local ecosystem.

Jennifer Maiser is the editor of the Eat Local Challenge website, which is a place for authors nationwide to share their experiences with finding locally grown and locally produced food.
In her article, 10 Steps to Becoming a Locavore, she states:

"Locavores are people who pay attention to where their food comes from and commit to eating local food as much as possible. The great thing about eating local is that it's not an all-or-nothing venture. Any small step you take helps the environment, protects your family's health and supports small farmers in your area."

In these difficult times there are opportunities for all of us to become closer to the land,
re-establish healthier eating habits, and support a way of life that is on the brink of extinction.

Until next time...become the change you imagine.