Food and Agriculture
Food and agriculture are at the heart of any relationship with land. Each time we sit down to eat we have the opportunity to grapple with where our food comes from, how it was grown and processed, who grew it and how much autonomy those growers had, how far it traveled, and how many in the world go hungry. Here we offer some readings that speak to some of the political and social issues around food, as well as resources that offer powerful alternatives to the industrial model of agriculture.
Resources
More and more food is being grown in urban areas, in small neighborhood plots and on vacant lots reclaimed by conservation or community groups. The Community Gardening Association has a number of practical publications and resources for those working to establish gardens in urban areas.
There’s a strong movement in parts of the country linking eaters with local, seasonal food, supporting family farms and local economies in the process. This movement calls itself the Localvore (or Locavore) movement and is having political clout as well as a strong impact in the marketplace. In Vermont the Localvores pushed through legislation that allows small farms to sell poultry to restaurants and farmer’s markets. The Mad River Localvores' website is full of readings on food, as well as resources on how to bring this movement to your own community.
A whole thinking approach to conservation seeks to preserve the relationships of those working on the land. Throughout its history, the Vermont Land Trust has been committed to supporting those who work the land. These essays tell some of the stories about the farmers they have partnered with.
Thurber Farm. See PDF
Foote Barn. See PDF
Ryan Farm. See PDF
The Community Food Security Coalition seeks to address hunger, poverty, and the inequity of food distribution in this country. Their website has a wealth of information about the issues facing communities whose source of food is not secure, and how to be part of the solution in your own community.
The Robyn Van En Center is a national resource center on community supported agriculture, named after the woman who developed and fostered the idea in North America.
And, our renowned Head Chef and Food Program Director, Caesare Assad, has her own blog, Chef Chez's Farm Freshies, where you can see some pictures and learn the secrets of some of the recipes she uses here at the farm.
Readings
Bahnson, Fred. 2007. "The Field at Anathoth: A garden becomes a protest." Orion Magazine July/August 2007. [Online soon.]
Berry, Wendell. 2002. “The Agrarian Standard.” Orion Magazine Summer 2002.
Brown, Janet. 2005. “Leadership, Policy, and Change.” Center for Ecoliteracy.
Deumling, DIana, Wackernagel, Mathis, and C.Monfreda. 2003. "Eating Up the Earth: How Sustainable Food Systems Shrink our Ecological Footprint." Redefining Progress Agriculture Footprint Brief July 2003. See PDF
McWilliams, James. 2007. "Food that Travels Well." The New York Times August 6, 2007. A nuanced analysis of the "eat local" movement.
Pollan, Michael. 2005. “We are What We Eat.” Speech delivered at the Ecological Farming Conference, Asilomar, CA, January, 2005.