"The Awakening That's Happening": Local, Sustainable Food
"The Awakening That's Happening": Local, Sustainable Food
Sunday, 09 June 2013 00:00
By Tory Field and Beverly Bell, Other Worlds | Harvesting Justice Series
[font size="1"]Harvesting greens at Next Barn Over Farm in Hadley, Massachusetts. CSA members visit the farm weekly from June to October to pick up their share of the harvest. (Photo: Tory Field)[/font]
“People are realizing that we can’t rely on the industrial food system much longer. The awakening that’s happening is our greatest opportunity,” says New Mexican farmer and activist Miguel Santistevan. This awakening has sparked the revival of local, sustainable food systems.
At its most basic, sustainability connotes a system capable of continuing indefinitely without compromising future life. Sustainability is also sometimes described as a three-legged stool: in order to be balanced, it must sit equally on sturdy legs of economics, environment, and equity. A food system contributes to community sustainability if it is economically viable for small farmers; nourishing of the earth and elements; and socially equitable for all involved, including farm and food workers and consumers.
Examples in the movement to create local, sustainable food systems are virtually endless. Here are just a few:
* Community gardens are sprouting up everywhere, with an estimated 18,000 in the US and Canada. In most cases, members rent a small plot for a modest fee. These patchwork-quilt gardens, primarily in urban areas, provide a local food source, build community relationships, beautify the neighborhood, and give more people the opportunity to eat homegrown food.
* Educational gardening projects give children and teens the opportunity to get their hands dirty and learn about growing food. In East Oakland, California, youth with Oakland Food Connection grew over 3,000 pounds of produce in school-based gardens in one year. Now they’re branching out to create value-added products, like sauerkraut and jelly, and to run a catering business. On the other side of the country, in Orange, Massachusetts, Seeds of Solidarity works with rural and working-class youth to tend gardens at schools, a homeless shelter, and an elder care facility. ...........................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://truth-out.org/news/item/16853-the-awakening-thats-happening-local-sustainable-food
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The hospital where I work gets locally grown food for its cafeteria and also offers it for sale. Of course I pass farm stands everywhere. Even our local supermarket now features locally grown food. Not to mention we were listed as the organic farm capitol of the US in some DU thread last year 
In my own garden this year I've decided to think of it as my 3rd part time job, focusing my limited space on high-nutrient and expensive or not generally available veggies. To whit, my purple peruvian potatoes (very high in phytochemicals) are coming along. Speaking of which, this latest rain shot them up, so I've got to mound them up this afternoon 
One of 5 or 6 new things I'm trying this year.
not only do we have a biweekly farmers market we can ride bikes to (and contrary to popular opinion, it is NOT that expensive, <$10 for a weeks worth of veggies for two!) ive got a backyard garden and at least 4 houses in my neighborhood that have very large FRONT yard gardens.
one of them is like a 'community garden', people in the neighborhood help tend it and then can harvest from it. little different b/c you arent really renting a plot, just volunteering time, materials, etc.
HOAs don't like it...but luckily we dont have one of those
chicken in the front-yard coup around the corner says 'holla!' heh
it can be done. urban areas included.