I just returned from a panel discussion at University of Colorado’s famous Conference on World Affairs titled “The Future of Food.”
The panel consisted of Jim Hightower, a well-known radio personality who was elected twice as Texas Agriculture Commissioner; Sarah Rich, a writer specializing in design, food and sustainability; and Terrence McNally, a journalist from Los Angeles and radio host of Free Forum (A World That Just Might Work).
It was a wildly informative session, full of passion and hope. Here’s just a taste of what was said there:
“In the past few decades, control of our food system has passed into the hands of the lawyers, CEOs and accountants of big corporations whose interests are not ours. Food to them is not something you eat or taste, but a profit center.”
“Eaters are participants in the global agriculture systems, not just consumers, though they don’t know it. Industrial eaters are passive and uncritical, and have no connection to the land.”
“The organics movement began as a revolt against corporate food. All of this came from us. It didn’t begin with policymakers or corporations, it began with normal people who wanted to take back control of their food, and it is a growing coalition of people.”
“Some people think that Whole Foods brought the organic foods revolution, but Whole Foods simply rode the wave that was already created.”
“If your calorie intake is 2,000 a day, it takes 20,000 calories of energy to bring it to your table. This is unsustainable.”
“Global warming is a real threat. A rise in temperatures of one-degree celsius brings about a 10 percent decline in crop yields.”
“Perhaps the biggest problem we have to solve in the U.S. is the Agricultural Bill that comes up for vote every five to seven years. It defines U.S. food policy, and is what has created innumerable problems. The vast majority of farm subsidies we pay go for soy and corn, almost none of which reaches our plates as food. For decades, the farm program has focused only on expanding production.”
“Our system is precarious. Food safety is a matter of national security. Eighty percent of our meat production is controlled by only four companies. 300,000 people are hospitalized from food poisoning in the U.S. every year.”
“There exists in all our major cities food deserts, where the only place for miles where you can by anything to eat is at liquor stores.”
“There are 52,000 acres of backyard space in New York City that could be cultivated into vegetable gardens.”
“The future of food is now. It is local, sustainable and unstoppable. Farmer’s markets are growing in number at amazing rates. School lunch program reform is going on all over the nation. There are food festivals in cities all over the nation, restaurants are touting their local and organic sourcing. People are working on zoning for fast food restaurants, and people are working to create school gardens. Michelle Obama is championing organic gardens and raising awareness about the dangers of the obesity epidemic.”
Here are some of the resources the participants recommended:
Websites:
Books:
Hard Tomatoes, Hard Times
The Pleasures of Eating
Soil, Not Oil: Environmental Justice in an Age of Climate Crisis
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I have a backyard big enough to garden in and have but a small one this year. A sure bet though for those who are nervous and not wanting to get their hands dirty is the so-called "earth-boxes" - so simple a neophyte can do it & get great results. City dwellers especially should check this product out - it produces high-volume (both organic or non) vegetables in a "guaranteed" to grow system. My wife and I are well satisfied with ours and are getting more of them for this year.
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