Barbara Kingsolver speaks to the tribe of farmers–some born to it, many self-selected–with love, admiration, and regret. Dan Barber traces the rediscovery of lost grains and foodways. Michael Pollan bridges the chasm between agriculture and nature. Bill McKibben connects the early human quest for beer to the very modern challenge of farming in a rapidly changing climate. US representative Chellie Pingree probes the politics of being a young farmer today. Farmer Mas Masumoto passes on family secrets to his daughter and not-soon-forgotten stories to us all. Letters to a Young Farmer is both a compelling history and a vital road map a reckoning of how we eat and farm; how the two can come together to build a more sustainable future; and why now, more than ever before, we need farmers.

The post Letters to a Young Farmer: On Food, Farming, and Our Future appeared first on Real Food Media.

If your inbox is like mine, it would be impossible to miss this is #GivingTuesday — when those who can make an extra effort to support the organizations and leaders who work hard every day to protect human rights, foster a safe and healthy environment and ensure everyone has access to what they need to thrive, especially food and clean water. 

Here at Real Food Media, we work every day to share the stories of those addressing the root causes of hunger and poverty, to support farmers and food workers, and create a more equitable and sustainable food system—from seed to plate.

Now, more than ever, these folks need our support. So instead of imploring you to support us (of course, you can do that, too), we want to encourage you to support some of the courageous and bold leaders of the good food movement whose work we deeply admire. While there are so many we could include, here are suggestions for seven groups to support right now: 

Food Chain Workers Alliance 

The Alliance is one of our core partners and there’s a reason why: We love what they do and the way they bring together food workers along the food chain—from the farm field to the back of the house in restaurants. Through the connections they make among some of the 21.5 million food workers, they are helping to bring the voice of workers into conversations about health and sustainability and organize for changes that improve the working conditions and lives of workers.  

National Young Farmers Coalition 

We need more farmers! This network is one of the leading forces behind supporting the next generation of farmers. From a fabulous campaign to include farming as a public service to training and networking for young farmers. 

National Black Farmers Association

 This exceptional organization leads education and advocacy efforts on civil rights and land retention, provides agricultural training and rural economic developments services and much more for black farmers and other small-scale farmers. It’s founder, John Boyd Jr., was one of my fellow James Beard Leadership Award winners and he is one of my all-time heroes.  

Civil Eats

We need good media—and we need it now more than ever. Civil Eats is a critical place for reporting on the good food movement and food policy. Started as a labor of love, the platform has grown in recent years and is now largely supported by its readers. It’s my go-to source for understanding the food world around me—and hope it is yours, too.  

Real Food Challenge 

This amazing network is growing the good food movement across college campuses nationwide. Real Food Challenge inspires students to move their campuses to purchase more “real food” — sustainable and fair, healthy and local. What I love about Real Food Challenge is that they also work with young people to understand power in the food system and how to organize in communities for change.   

Coalition of Immokalee Workers

Born out of organizing efforts among farmworkers in Florida, the Coalition has grown to become one of the nation’s key voices for dignity in the fields — and for exposing and rooting out modern-day slavery. I’ve been connected with the Coalition for years and have been impressed with their persistent work on behalf of not just farmworkers in Florida where they are based, but for farmworkers across the country. As Senator Bernie Sanders said in 2008: “The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has proven that when you get up every day to fight for what is right, when you don’t give up even when all the odds are against you, when you don’t compromise on basic principles of fairness, and when you build a strong grassroots movement, economic justice will prevail over greed, and the least fortunate can successfully stand up to the powerful.”

Standing Rock

 If you haven’t already, we would also encourage you to support the fight in Standing Rock against the Dakota Access Pipeline. You can give financial support through Stand with Standing Rock or Standing Rock Medic + Healer Council.

Please let us know what groups you are supporting and we’ll share on our social media, too. 

It feels good to give. We hope you will join us in supporting these groups or others in your community who you love. 

From my experience, I know that every donation means so much. Thank you! 

With warm regards,

Anna and the Real Food Media team  

Photo by Fibonacci Blue/Creative Commons

The post Seven Movement-Building Groups to Support this #GivingTuesday appeared first on Real Food Media.

It seems like there are two questions you’re curious about: is there really a “food movement” and do the ideals of the movement — for fair, sustainable, healthy food for all — really reflect the interests of consumers? In our piece, we included evidence that we believe shows that yes there’s a movement and yes, people care.

But if you want additional evidence to see the emergence and growth of a food movement nationwide, consider:

• the thousands of students on 300+ college campuses across the country pushing to transform school food purchasing through the network, Real Food Challenge
• the tens of thousands of food worker members of the 5-year old Food Chain Workers Alliance, who have as their mission not just better wages but sustainable and health food, too (see our work with this group at voicesofthefoodchain.com)
• the successful passage of the Good Food Purchasing Policy in Los Angeles 2012, with widespread public support, which embeds sustainability and justice values into procurement policy
• the dozens of Food Policy Councils across the country made up of everyday Americans engaged in food system change
• the demand for Food Studies programs, courses and majors alongside new organic farming programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels in universities across the country
• the skyrocketing growth of the new AmeriCorps program, FoodCorps, which brings young people into schools and school districts to help build school gardens and food education programs
• the growing movement of young farmers networked through the National Young Farmers Coalition and pursuing innovative ideas like adding farming to the federally approved professions deemed public service that can defer student loan repayments
• the success of the farmworkers movement in Florida to establish powerful codes of conducts thanks in part to the organizing of clergy and students and everyday eaters for their Fair Food Program across the country

I would also add my personal experience from research and public speaking on food in the last 15 years that has taken me to 100+ cities for 400+ events: Everywhere I’ve traveled I’ve met people who care deeply about all of these questions, from Louisville, Kentucky to Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

As we said in the piece, these examples show there is a food movement alive and well, but if you’re curious about whether polling backs this up, whether polls show that everyday consumers really care, here are some helpful leads. There’s the poll from 2015 that we mention, conducted by well-respected, bi-partisan, pollsters Celinda Lake and Chris Matthews: 94 percent of voters said that it was very or somewhat important that our food system promote equal access to healthy food. A powerful indication that people care – not just about their own health, but fairness and healthy food for all. Voters also expressed concerns about workers in the food industry: 75 percent of voters polled are very or somewhat concerned that five of the eight worst paying jobs in America are in the food system. (There is also this poll). In addition to this polling, the food retail industry analysts that we cite in the piece have good analysis, too. I also think the results from the GMO labeling battles are illustrative of consumer attitudes: In each instance, industry eked out a narrow victory against GMO labeling bills, despite outspending advocates many times over.

What about indicators from the marketplace? Significant growth of organic food sales despite the tamping down of supply because of regulation, subsidies, lack of research and training, and more.

To me, the “hard data” of the limited acreage yet transitioned to organic and the vast majority of meat and dairy still raised in inhumane factory farms tells us more about the entrenched power of the oil, pharmaceutical, fertilizer, chemical, agribusiness and food industries to protect the status quo than it does about the size and intent of the food movement.

Then there are business schools like the Presidio Graduate School of Sustainable Management saying that the rise in students interested in sustainable food business is skyrocketing. The boom of new businesses like Farmigo, Chipotle, Lemonade, Bright Farms and more.

We wouldn’t say that most women don’t care about pay equality just because women still only make 79 cents to the dollar of men’s wages. Or that the environmental movement doesn’t enjoy widespread support because there are still climate denialists in Congress and not everyone buys a Prius. Similarly, just because everyone isn’t munching on farmers market kale doesn’t mean that the values of the food movement — for healthy, fair sustainable food — don’t resonate with people throughout the country and that the movement itself isn’t capturing the imagination of millions. The food movement is alive and well — and growing.

The post Continuing the Washington Post Conversation appeared first on Real Food Media.

After an initial career of community organizing and affordable housing advocacy, a stint with green building construction, a few seasons tending and establishing urban gardens, and four years helping to run a 300 member CSA farm, in 2009, Kristin started Radix Farm, her own farming venture.  At Radix Farm, Kristin strives to make small-scale farming a sustainable, viable and profitable business that treats the ecosystem, the customers, and growers with care and respect.  She grows healthy and high quality produce using organic practices, and by planting a bio-diverse farmscape, nurturing the soil, and giving individual attention to the crops.  Kristin enjoys sharing her passion for sustainable farming with the community and with other new farmers.

“Radix” is the Latin word for root, from which came the words radical and radish. Root, radish, radical: Radix felt like the perfect name for my farm.

Radix Farm’s produce can be found at the Ballston Farmers Market in Arlington, Virginia, at the Petworth Famers Market in Washington, DC, or by becoming a member of Radix Farm’s CSA program.

The post Food Hero: Kristin Carbone appeared first on Real Food Media.