Food Tank

In honor of Earth Day, Food Systems for the Future, the Environmental Defense Fund, and Food Tank are hosting a webinar on April 22 to shed light on methane mitigation efforts in the food systems. Speakers will also explore the effects of reduction strategies on nutrition security and the importance of relationship building to create a sustainable path forward.

“Mitigating emissions while ensuring nutrition security is vital to promote both human and planetary health. We must act now to secure a sustainable future for generations to come,” Ambassador Ertharin Cousin, Founder and CEO of Food Systems for the Future, tells Food Tank.

Methane is one of the most powerful greenhouse gases—it accounts for as much as 30 percent of climate warming and is 86 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20 year period, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration reports. And according to a report released by ClimateWorks, food and agriculture systems are responsible for 60 percent of all human-caused methane emissions.

Participants in the webinar will examine the ways food systems contribute to high rates of methane and identify the barriers that inhibit industry progress towards lowering emissions. They will explore the links between health and climate, examining the nutritional implications of methane reduction efforts and the tangible ways to deliver on both nutrition and climate goals. Speakers will also have the opportunity to discuss strategies that increase cooperation in anticipation of the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP30), set to take place in the Fall of 2025.

Speakers include: Matthias Berninger, Executive VP of Public Affairs, Science, and Sustainability & HSE at Bayer AG; Ertharin Cousin, Founder & CEO of Food Systems for the Future; Bruce Freidrich, Founder & President of Good Food Institute; Britt Groosman, VP of Climate-Smart Agriculture at Environmental Defense Fund; Lisa Moon, President and CEO of The Global FoodBanking Network; Danielle Nierenberg, President of Food Tank;  Katherine F. Pickus, Vice President of Sustainability and Global Impact at Tyson Foods.

The webinar is a virtual event that welcomes global participation, and will begin at 10:00AM ET. Register now by clicking HERE.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Tam Mai, Unsplash

The post Exploring the Intersection of Climate Action and Nutrition Security appeared first on Food Tank.

This spring Food Tank is recommending 20 books that take readers on a journey through food and agriculture systems. These resources highlight ways that eaters can make more informed decisions in the grocery store, garden, and kitchen to support more sustainable production and consumption choices. And they celebrate the joy that food brings to communities around the world.

Here are 20 titles that Food Tank is reading this spring.

1. Bite by Bite by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

Bite by Bite is a collection of essays that explore the emotional and sensory connections people have to food. Through personal anecdotes with illustrations from Fumi Nakamura, Nezhukumatathil explores how flavors and aromas shape memory and identity. The book uses personal reflections to celebrate the richness that food brings to eaters’ lives.

2. Chimi Nu’am: Native California Foodways for the Contemporary Kitchen by Sara Calvosa Olson

In Chími Nu’am, Sara Calvosa Olson lifts up Native foodways from California while reimagining traditional dishes for modern home cooks. With more than 70 seasonal recipes featuring Indigenous ingredients, from elk chili beans to huckleberry hand pies, the cookbook guides readers through the culinary richness of the year.

3. Company: The Radically Casual Art of Cooking for Others by Amy Thielen

Company by Amy Thielen welcomes readers into the world of casual yet elegant entertaining, offering inventive recipes and twenty enticing menus for gatherings of all sizes. With a focus on cooking that is enjoyable and stress-free, Thielen encourages readers to embrace the art of hosting everything from intimate dinners to larger celebrations.

4. Corn Dance: Inspired First American Cuisine by Loretta Barrett Oden

Corn Dance narrates Loretta Barrett Oden’s culinary journey, as she blends Potawatomi and Mayflower heritage into dishes showcased at her renowned Corn Dance Café. Oden shares insights into Indigenous ingredients and cooking practices, from utilizing piñon nuts to incorporating cedar branches into braises. With practical wisdom and cultural reverence, this illustrated book invites readers to explore the vibrant flavors and traditions of North America’s Indigenous cuisine.

5. Cultivated Meat to Secure Our Future: Hope for Animals, Food Security, and the Environment by Michel Vandenbosch and Philip Lymbery

This anthology dives into the world of cultivated meat, featuring essays by experts including biotechnician Isha Datar, author Chase Purdy, and cell-cultured food researcher Hanna Tuomisto. Readers can find insights into the latest studies and perspectives on cultivated meat and how it can address pressing environmental challenges. With a foreword by Ira van Eelen, daughter of cultivated meat pioneer Willem van Eelen, this book helps readers envision alternative models of food production.

6. Cured: Cooking with Ferments, Pickles, Preserves & More by Steve McHugh with Paula Forbes

Discover the transformative power of curing with Steve McHugh and Paula Forbes’ comprehensive guide, Cured. Featuring over more than 150 recipes, the book teaches readers to elevate everyday meals with pickles, jams, preserves, and more. Dishes include Kimchi Meatloaf, Creamy Smoked Seafood, Parsnip, and Celery Root Soup, and Smoked Nuts Chocolate Tart.

7. Edible: 70 Sustainable Plants That Are Changing How We Eat by Kevin Hobbs and Artur Cisar-Erlach and illustrated by Katie Kulla

Edible presents an exploration of lesser-known edible plants from around the globe, offering insights into their growing conditions, nutritional value, and culinary uses. Authored by Kevin Hobbs, Artur Cisar-Erlach, and Katie Kulla, this book features 164 color illustrations and provides tips for growing, cooking, and incorporating these plants into one’s diet. Edible highlights the diversity of plant-based foods and serves as a source of inspiration for sustainable eating.

8. Food in a Just World: Compassionate Eating in a Time of Climate Change by Tracey Harris and Terry Gibbs

Food in a Just World explores how global food systems have brought harm to both people and the environment. Tracey Harris and Terry Gibbs argue that positive change will come by giving communities greater control over their food choices. They also emphasize the importance of urgent action for a more just and sustainable food system. The authors also share stories from activists, workers, and policy members to illustrate the relationships between people and the natural world.

9. Peasant Politics of the Twenty-First Century: Transnational Social Movements and Agrarian Change by Marc Edelman

Peasant Politics of the Twenty-First Century examines how global movements led by farmers are reshaping rural communities and food systems worldwide. Edelman dives into the objectives and the alliances of these movements, which advocate for issues like land rights and food sovereignty. The book highlights challenges farmers face, including land grabbing and climate change. And it stresses the importance of collaborative activism and research to overcome them.

10. Our Little Farm: Adventures in Sustainable Living by Miriam Wohlleben and Peter Wohlleben and translated by Jane Billinghurst

Our Little Farm is a memoir by Peter and Miriam Wohlleben, known for their work on sustainable living and forest conservation. Drawing from their beginnings in a remote forest lodge and their experience creating a harmonious homestead, the Wohllebens share practical advice to help others live in harmony with nature. As they relay experiences planting crops and caring for animals, the couple convey a deep appreciation for living in alignment with their values while caring for the Earth.

11. Practicing Food Studies edited by Amy Bentley, Fabio Parasecoli and Krishnendu Ray

Practicing Food Studies provides a deep dive into the emergence of the field of food studies and how it has changed over time.  New York University’s Food Studies Professors share their experiences and insights, helping readers understand what food studies entails and its relevance today. This book offers insight into how academic fields evolve and the factors that shape them.

12. Principles of Sustainable Aquaculture: Promoting Social, Economic and Environmental Resilience by Stuart Bunting

The aquaculture industry has seen significant growth in recent decades, and in his new book Stuart Bunting focuses on how it can contribute to social, economic, and environmental resilience. Drawing on case studies from around the world, Principles of Sustainable Aquaculture lays out approaches that can enable widespread adoption of regenerative practices. Chapters touch on issues including equitable aquaculture development, sustainable coastal and marine aquaculture, as well as urban and peri-urban aquaculture.

13. Remarkable Cities and the Security and Sovereignty of Food and Nutrition: 41 Ways to Regenerate the Local Food System by Jonathan Rosenbloom

Jonathan Rosenbloom, a Professor of Law at Albany Law School, delves into local governance and sustainability with a focus on land use in Remarkable Cities. The second installment in the Sustainability Development Code project series, this book aims to catalyze a shift towards healthier, fairer, and more environmentally conscious communities. Rosenbloom also presents 41 recommendations to revise development codes, enhance food and nutrition security and sovereignty, and foster healthier communities.

14. Slow Drinks: A Field Guide to Foraging and Fermenting Seasonal Sodas, Botanical Cocktails, Homemade Wines, and More by Danny Childs

Slow Drinks is a comprehensive guide intended to help readers create cocktails and other beverages using botanical ingredients. Organized by season, it features recipes that blend botany, history, and culture, while honoring traditional and contemporary techniques. With photography and illustrations, this book can serve as a resource for bartenders, homebrewers, and anyone interested in the art of botanical drink making.

15. Thank You Please Come Again: How Gas Stations Feed & Fuel the American South by Kate Medley

Thank You Please Come Again offers a visual and narrative exploration of service stations, convenience stores, and quick stops across the American South through Kate Medley’s lens. Beyond capturing food and gas, her images reveal the profound sense of community, generosity, and creativity found within these iconic gathering spots. Medley invites readers to ponder whether these rural and urban pit stops are the true “filling stations” of our time, making this book an artful and heartfelt testament to the richness of Southern food, culture, and connection.

16. The Antiracist Kitchen: 21 Stories (and Recipes) edited by Nadia L. Hohn and illustrated by Roza Nozari

The Antiracist Kitchen offers a flavorful blend of personal narratives and culinary creations from racialized authors across North America. Through tales of food, family, and activism, these writers showcase the power of cuisine in combating racism, reclaiming cultural identity, and fostering unity. With a diverse array of recipes and reflections, this book highlights the potential of shared meals in building understanding and solidarity among people of all backgrounds.

17. The Avocado Debate by Honor May Eldridge

The Avocado Debate explores the global fascination with avocados while shedding light on their environmental and social impacts. By examining the journey of avocados from local crops to international sensations, the book prompts readers to consider broader questions of food sovereignty, justice, and sustainability within the global food system. Author Honor May Eldridge aims to empower readers, helping them to critically evaluate their food choices and understand the complex relationship between farming, the environment, and diet.

18. The Globalization of Wheat: A Critical History of the Green Revolution by Marci Baranski

In The Globalization of Wheat Marci Baranski looks at the complex legacy of Norman Borlaug, hailed as the father of the Green Revolution. Borlaug developed high-yielding dwarf wheat varieties and is credited with significantly increasing crop yields worldwide. But these developments also came with drawbacks. Baranski works to shed new light on Borlaug’s role in agriculture science, contending that his technologies ultimately favored wealthier farmers and led to the erosion of traditional farming practices.

19. The Practical Permaculture Project by Sophie McKay

Sophie McKay’s The Practical Permaculture Project helps readers embrace permaculture, improve their health, and restore their connection to the land. McKay provides a detailed roadmap, offering tips on garden design, water management, soil improvement, composting, and more. The book is designed as a guide to help individuals increase their independence and uplift their communities.

20. You Can’t Market Manure at Lunchtime: And Other Lessons from the Food Industry for Creating a More Sustainable Company by Maisie Ganzler

You Can’t Market Manure at Lunchtime offers business leaders five essential lessons for achieving sustainability, profitability, and recognition for their efforts. Author Maisie Ganzler draws from her own experiences leading a US$1.7 billion corporation towards sustainability, sharing insights gained over three decades of successes and failures. Through anecdotes from time spent on pig farms and into boardrooms, Ganzler demonstrates how businesses can integrate sustainability into their operations while driving growth and earning due credit.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

The post 20 Books Redefining Our Relationship with Food and the Planet this Spring appeared first on Food Tank.

A trade dispute between Mexico and the United States over genetically engineered (GMO) corn is pitting science against the power of the pesticide industry. On both sides of the border, and perhaps worldwide, this dispute promises to focus a new generation of eaters, public health scientists, and political leaders on what is known, and not known, about the safety of food made from GMO corn.

Mexico is seeking to make a bold move—prohibiting the use of GMO corn in tortillas and other traditional corn-based foods. In response, the U.S. government has taken Mexico to court under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement (USMCA). For the U.S., this is primarily a symbolic fight, as less than one percent of U.S. corn exports to Mexico are under question. The U.S. is by far the world’s most dedicated proponent of GMO crops and the pesticides that go along with them. Decades of evidence show deep collusion between the U.S. government and pesticide corporations like Bayer-Monsanto that develop and profit from GMO corn.

While the Mexican government issued a 189-page report detailing the scientific basis for the ban, the U.S. submission to the USMCA dispute resolution tribunal is long on proclamations and short on facts.

In the final days of March 2024, technical comments that we co-authored for Friends of the Earth U.S. were posted by the tribunal. Our comments support Mexico’s extensive presentation of the science and reject the U.S.’s grossly inadequate safety assessments.

Our comments highlight that U.S. approval of GMO corn is largely based on industry assertions, not science. Shockingly, reproductive, developmental, neurological, metabolic, microbiome, or GI tract-related health risks haven’t been addressed in a meaningful way by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or via any other process in the public or private sector.

That’s worrisome given the fact that the toxicity of GMO corn has been increasing in two ways.

First, take the insecticidal toxins that have been engineered into every grain of GMO corn. Early varieties had just one, but today, two thirds of GMO corn varieties have been engineered to have three or more. Levels of these toxins in GMO corn grain now measure 50-100 parts per million (ppm), up from 2-6 ppm, the average when very limited GMO corn food safety studies were carried out up to 30 years ago. These levels exceed maximum food tolerances for widely used corn insecticides by 40 to 2,000-fold.

Second, consider the herbicides that are integral to GMO corn. Originally, GMO corn was engineered to withstand the weedkiller glyphosate (aka Roundup)—a chemical that would otherwise kill the crop along with weeds. The use of this cancer-linked chemical has increased in the U.S. over 10-fold since the introduction of GMO crops. Today, 86 percent of GMO corn varieties are engineered to withstand two to four toxic herbicides.

Together, these trends have driven up the number of toxins and pesticides used on the average hectare of GMO corn four-fold since the 1990s when GMO corn was first introduced.

The scientific evidence on glyphosate-based herbicides is damning. They are linked to increased risk of blood cancers, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma and leukemia, metabolic syndrome, kidney and liver disease, preterm birth, neurodevelopmental problems, and disruption of the bacterial microbiome in humans and other mammals.

While much of the focus on the health harms of GMO corn rightfully centers on glyphosate, emerging evidence on the genetically engineered insecticidal toxins the corn contains is also concerning. Data show the potential for risk of adverse impacts on the human microbiome and GI tract, and risks of allergenicity stimulating an immune system response as potent as that elicited by cholera toxin.

There is no science evaluating the consequences of people’s exposure to the toxic cocktail that comes along with GMO corn —exposure to multiple genetically engineered toxins along with residues of glyphosate and other harmful herbicides. This is a massive scientific gap in our ability to accurately assess the human health risks of GMO corn.

In addition, any health risks are likely to be amplified in Mexico, as corn is the caloric backbone of its food supply, averaging 50 percent or more of the calories in the Mexican diet. In fact, Mexicans eat ten times more corn than Americans.

The Mexican government is both wise and on solid ground in refusing to allow its people to participate in the experiment that the U.S. government—in cahoots with the corporations profiting from GMO corn—seeks to impose on Mexico.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Jesse Gardner, Unsplash

The post Mexico Is Right to Reject GMO Tortillas appeared first on Food Tank.

According to a recent report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), food upcycling is one of the three most environmentally friendly ways to mitigate food waste. As companies try to reduce their impact on the environment, many are rescuing food and using innovative methods to produce upcycled products.

Upcycled foods are made with ingredients that would not have otherwise been consumed by humans, according to the Upcycled Food Association. These foods might have gone to landfills, anaerobic digesters or incinerators, or been converted into animal feed.

Anna Hammond, the CEO of upcycled company Matriark Foods, tells Food Tank that by creating upcycled foods for human consumption, “the food system will change for the better and the positive impact of that will make it possible for us all to exist in a healthier world. I know it’s possible, I’ve seen what we’ve been able to accomplish in just a few years and so I have a lot of hope for this space.”

Food Tank is highlighting 12 companies that upcycle food waste into new products from snacks, to ready-to-eat meals, cooking ingredients, and more.

1. ÄIO, Estonia

ÄIO uses waste streams from the food, agriculture, and wood industries to produce fat substitutes for food and cosmetics. Their products serve as sustainable alternatives to butter, oil, nutritional yeast, and more. ÄIO’s products produce 160 kT less CO2 per year in comparison to the palm oil industry; this is equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions per year of over 34,000 passenger vehicles, according to estimates by the EPA. Palm oil is the most commonly traded vegetable oil in the world and has a very large carbon footprint because it is often linked to deforestation or conversion of carbon-rich environments.

2. Bake Me Healthy, United States

Bake Me Healthy founder Kimberle Lau struggled to find healthy baking mixes for her kids, she also became lactose and egg intolerant and was unable to eat soy. These life changes inspired her to create clean plant-based baking mixes. Bake Me Healthy mixes are free from the nine most common allergens and made with fruits and vegetables that do not fit aesthetic standards to be sold in grocery stores and byproducts from fruit and vegetable processing.

3. Barnana, United States

Barnana partners with indigenous-run regenerative farms in Latin America to source bananas and plantains that are diverted from market. Typically, while these fruits are perfectly edible, they are considered too ripe for the journey to market. From these fruits, Barnana makes plantain and banana snacks like chips, bites, and scoops.

4. Cascara Foods, Chile

Cascara Foods rescues fruit pulp and byproducts like peels and stems that hold key nutrients essential to a healthy diet. They transform these materials into nutritional supplements, vegetable protein powders, and even bars and pancake mixes.

5. Crust, Japan

Crust Group operates in Singapore and Japan and partners with restaurants and hotels to help them reduce food waste. The company primarily upcycles surplus bread and other ingredients into beer and surplus fruit peels into non-alcoholic fruit juice. Crust incentivizes partnerships by creating custom branded products with their food surplus partners and is open to upcycling a wide range of food products.

6. Green Bowl, United States

When two food scientists became overwhelmed by the amount of nutritious food going to waste, they created Green Bowl. The company makes ready-to-eat, shelf stable, and preservative free plant-based meals with a mix of fresh and upcycled ingredients. Their complete rice, quinoa and lentil bowls include ingredients like brewer’s spent grains, fruit and vegetable pulp from juice factories, and cereal residue from plant-based milk factories for added nutrition and flavor.

7. I Am Grounded, Australia

From the time coffee is harvested to when it is consumed, research published in the Journal of Food Science and Technology shows that over 95 percent of the plant’s biomass is wasted. This is because there is demand for the seeds, but not the surrounding fruit or other parts of the plant. I Am Grounded has turned coffee fruit into energy bars since 2019, saving over 15,000 kilograms of fruit, or the equivalent weight of about 2.5 African elephants. The company also works with workers along the coffee supply chain to empower them to commercialize coffee byproducts.

8. Matriark Foods, United States

Rather than wasting surplus vegetables from farms or fresh cut remnants, Matriark transforms them into healthy, low-sodium vegetable products like pasta sauce and vegetable broth. According to Matriark, every gallon of their vegetable broth concentrate contains 0.9 pounds of waste diverted from landfills, reduces 2.23 pounds of greenhouse gas, and saves 102 gallons of water. Matriark also works with restaurants, schools, hospitals, and other large institutions to ensure wider access to their sustainable products.

9. Oisix, Japan

Oisix ra Daichi is a Japanese retailer that focuses on selling quality organic and additive free products to consumers. Upcycle by Oisix and Radish Boya are two lines from the company that rescue quality, edible food from the waste stream and return it to consumers. Upcycle by Oisix is a line of products made from ingredients that are considered aesthetically or texturally undesirable, like seaweed with holes in it and brewed coffee grounds, while Fuzoroi Radish by Radish Boya rescues and distributes substandard ingredients like fruits, vegetables and other products.

10. Planetarians, United States

Since it was created in 2013, Planetarians has focused on creating nutritious food products from upcycled ingredients. Over the years, the company’s mission has been to create nutritious, affordable and upcycled food. Currently, Planetarians uses spent yeast and soybeans to create a vegan meat product; they have made the product as cheap as chicken and cheaper than beef and it produces 120 times less greenhouse gas emissions than beef.

11. Pluck, Canada

Toronto-based tea company Pluck was founded in 2012 to produce quality sustainable teas from local ingredients. Pluck sells a wide range of teas, but one of their lines is made with locally produced waste products like fruit peels and cacao shells. Pluck also uses zero waste packaging, locally sourced ingredients that reduce transportation emissions, and small batch production.

12. Rootly, Denmark

Rootly produces plant-based meat products like falafel and steak using surplus beet, carrot, and mushrooms and excess pulp from juice production. Along with these products, the company sells flavored carrot snacks from carrot parts that do not fit traditional standards.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Aaina Sharma, Unsplash

The post 12 Companies Creating Upcycled Food from Waste Products appeared first on Food Tank.

There have been real shifts in United States trade policy over the last few years, with significant changes to rules on investment, digital trade, and worker rights. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai rightfully takes pride in the most worker-centered trade policies in recent history. New tools in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) give workers in all three countries new ways to advance their labor rights. It’s time now to test another innovation in USMCA—rules that ensure governments can enact programs to protect Indigenous rights and biodiversity.

The U.S. trade challenge to Mexico’s rules to limit the use of genetically modified (GM) white corn in tortillas, flour, and other foods for human consumption presents such a test case. A central debate in this case is whether insecticidal and herbicide-resistant GM corn are safe, especially where, as in Mexico, white corn is such a significant part of the diet. The Mexican government has produced voluminous scientific evidence supporting their concerns over the negative impacts of GM corn using glyphosate on human and animal health and biodiversity, claims backed up by evidence submitted to the USMCA trade dispute panel by the Center for Food Safety, Friends of the Earth, the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, and Poder del Consumidor, among others.

But corn is more than a food ingredient in Mexico. Corn holds tremendous cultural, symbolic, and spiritual value for Mexico’s Indigenous peoples. Preserving the integrity and diversity of native corn species is essential to protecting Indigenous rights and cultural heritage.

This is a first opportunity to interpret an Indigenous Rights General Exception in any trade agreement involving the U.S. USMCA Article 32.5 on Indigenous Peoples Rights allows parties to adopt or maintain measures “necessary to fulfill its legal obligations to Indigenous peoples,” provided the measures are not unjustified discrimination or disguised restrictions on trade. It builds on similar, but vague, language in other trade agreements. The language of the USMCA general exception is bolstered in the Environment chapter, which elaborates on the links between Indigenous rights and biodiversity.

These provisions were the direct result of pressure by First Nations communities on the Canadian government, which has hailed the inclusion of the Indigenous rights exception as historic. Indigenous leaders also recognized the sweeping scope of the exception. Perry Bellegarde, former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (Canada) and an advisor to USMCA negotiators said: “This clause is pivotal. It assures the parties freedom to meet their legal obligations to Indigenous Peoples and to act in the interests of Indigenous peoples without the concern that such actions may run afoul of trade or investment rules, meaning that one state cannot bully the other at the cost of Indigenous peoples’ rights.”

Our organizations submitted comments in the official USMCA dispute resolution process. Our analysis establishes that Mexico’s measures regarding glyphosate and GM corn are necessary to fulfill its legal obligations to Indigenous peoples, including protecting biodiversity and ensuring access to safe, healthy, and culturally appropriate food. Mexico’s Constitution includes multiple provisions recognizing Indigenous peoples and rights specific to them. Indigenous rights are also protected through national legislation, executive decree, and international treaties to which Mexico is a signatory, including International Labor Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, the Convention on Biological Diversity and other United Nations conventions ensuring Indigenous peoples’ rights. Unlike in the U.S., in Mexico the ratification of such treaties is at the level of the Constitution and automatically made part of Mexico’s laws.

In 2019, Mexico enacted a Federal Law for the Promotion and Protection of Native Maize. The law designates over 60 varieties of corn developed with traditional and indigenous agricultural methods as part of Mexico’s national heritage, making its conservation a human right on par with nutrition, health, and culture. According to a sponsor, Senator Ana Lilia Rivera Rivera, a primary motivation for the legislation was “…the debt that [Mexico] still has with indigenous communities since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement [NAFTA] in 1994.”

The purpose of Mexico’s February 2023 Decree banning use of GM corn in tortillas or flour and instructing Mexican government agencies to gradually substitute non-GM corn for GM corn in all products for human consumption and for animal feed “is to protect the rights to health and a healthy environment, native corn, the milpa, biocultural wealth, peasant communities and gastronomic heritage; as well as to ensure nutritious, sufficient quality diet.”

The measures enacted in the Decree are necessary to fulfill the legal rights of Indigenous peoples in Mexico. They are neither unjustified discrimination nor disguised restrictions on trade. In fact, the measures could create new markets. U.S. farmers wishing to export corn to Mexico have had three years to shift to non-GM varieties. U.S. white-corn farmers still have that option, and some farmers have either made that shift or have expressed a willingness to do so. Yields of non-GM corn are comparable to GM corn, according to seed industry sources, and can earn a premium price estimated at 10-20 percent higher than GM varieties. Rather than face economic harm, U.S. corn producers may reap higher returns in response to Mexico’s February 2023 Decree.

This case presents an opportunity to show that recognizing human rights in trade agreements and putting people at the center of trade policy is meaningful and realistic—not unenforceable window dressing. People-centered trade must include the rights of Indigenous people to healthy foods that honor their traditions.

The contributions of non-governmental organizations from the U.S., Mexico and Canada are available in English and Spanish on IATP’s resource page on the dispute.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Judgefloro, Wikimedia Commons

The post The United States Must Respect Indigenous Rights in Mexico GM Corn Case appeared first on Food Tank.

El Valle de Guadalupe, one of Mexico’s most prolific wine and agricultural regions, has recently come under threat due to increasing urbanization and economic development in the area. In response, winemakers, chefs, and community members launched Rescatemos El Valle, a campaign to preserve the valley.

El Valle de Guadalupe is an area of Ensenada Municipality in Baja California, Mexico. The region contributes to more than three quarters of the country’s total wine production, according to a paper in Wine Economics and Policy. And wine-related tourism brings in US$180 million of annual revenue to Baja California.

Between 2014 and 2019, 18 percent of the agricultural and wine region in El Valle de Guadalupe was lost to urban development, members of Rescatemos El Valle report. The land has been subdivided and sold for the construction of private homes, businesses, and concert venues. The Municipal Institute for Research and Planning (IMIP) of Ensenada expects that less than half of the 5,445 arable hectares that existed in 2017 will remain by 2027. And if urbanization is not halted, IMIP predicts the region will cease to be known as “wine country” by 2037.

In a virtual press conference, members of Rescatemos El Valle–including President of Baja California State Council of Vine Producers Fernando Pérez Castro and winemaker Natalia Badan–emphasized the impacts of deforestation on the land. “In general terms, the uncontrolled growth of human settlements is identified as the main cause of the problem in Valle de Guadalupe,” a Spokesperson said, “which results in direct effects on water, soil agriculture, the community, and the landscape.”

In 2010, a Sectoral Program for Urban-Tourism Development of the Wine Valleys (PSDUT) was created to conserve 95 percent agricultural land for the next 30 years. But officials considered the plan a failure and replaced it with an updated version which reduced the declared area of conservation.

Rescatemos El Valle, howerever, wants more regulation. They are calling for the creation of federal agencies to protect the agricultural and biocultural heritage of the land. The campaign also proposes the naming of El Valle de Guadalupe as a “zone of natural and cultural beauty.”

“The campaign was to emphasize the importance of agricultural land use,” Ileana Espejel, campaign member and Professor of Ecosystems Management at Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, tells Food Tank. “Only 9 percent of the soil of Baja California is suitable for agriculture. We cannot yield an inch of this valuable land, even if its use is to produce alcoholic beverages. These beverages greatly increased the state’s income and put Ensenada on the world map.”

Espejel and her team have prepared regional plans to order land use laws in El Valle de Guadalupe since the 1990s. Espejel says she sees the valley as a “transdisciplinary laboratory” where different members of the community, with varying backgrounds and expertise, unite to advocate for the land.

Espejel says the campaign has helped restrict concerts in the valley, end illegal constructions, and support a project to update the aquifer data and build green infrastructure this summer.

Members of Rescatemos El Valle hope that the concrete and immediate actions to protect this national heritage will be used as an example to save other agricultural areas in the country.

“Cities can be built in so many other places,” Espejel tells Food Tank, “but losing fertile soil is unforgivable.”

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Boudewijn Boer, Wikimedia Commons

The post El Valle de Guadalupe Under Threat: The Campaign to Save Mexico’s Wine Country appeared first on Food Tank.

I spend a lot of time thinking about how to be a citizen eater.

A citizen eater is engaged in food systems, active in pushing policy forward, and focused on building policies where everyone is nourished and can access and afford healthful food. So many of the local food system wins we’re tracking at Food Tank are made possible thanks to tireless advocates working in the communities where they live.

Just as one example, let’s highlight the city of Atlanta—where we’ll be next week for a Summit on Sunday, April 14, starting at 1:30PM, in partnership with Emory University and Spelman College and in consultation with the CDC Foundation, in support of the Biden-Harris Administration National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. And please feel free to forward this message to your networks in Atlanta! It’ll be an unforgettable afternoon.

There, many leaders and organizations are working hard to support local food producers and food economies, provide educational resources and agricultural training, and—at the heart of it all—make sure their neighbors are nourished.

Open Hand Atlanta, for example, delivers meals free of charge to folks in Atlanta and around the state with the goal of eliminating diet-related chronic illnesses, and they operate a teaching kitchen to offer nutrition support. Mariposas Rebeldes focuses on building access to ecology and community gardening for queer folks, and The Grocery Spot exemplifies a sustainable, community-first model for a nonprofit grocery store.

There are many inspiring organizations working across Atlanta, so I hope you’ll read the full list HERE. So many citizen eaters, stepping up as changemakers!

The Acres of Ancestry Initiative and Black Agrarian Fund work to restore land ownership by boosting food and fiber economies across the South and connecting people with financial resources through the Black Belt Justice Center—and Tracy Lloyd McCurty, the center’s Executive Director, will be at our Summit.

Wholesome Wave Georgia works to increase access to nutritious food options and help folks enroll in assistance programs—and Will Sellers, their Executive Director, will be at our Summit. Save Our Legacy Ourself, or SOLO, works to uplift heirloom crops and preserve the heritage of the Saltwater Geechee people—and Maurice Bailey, the organization’s President, will be at our Summit. Diversity Dietetics fosters collaborations to build a more diverse field of nutritionists and dietitians—and the Co-Founder and Executive Director, Tamara Melton, RDN, will be at our Summit.

And many of the most amazing food system leaders, farmers, researchers, scientists, journalists, lawmakers, food bank leaders, and others are joining us at the Empowering Eaters Summit next Sunday, April 14.

I hope you’ll join us, too. The event is completely free and open to the public, whether in-person or via livestream! So please CLICK HERE to secure your spot at the event.

Here’s a partial list of speakers, which you definitely won’t want to miss: Maurice Bailey, SOLO; Fedele Bauccio, Bon Appétit Management Company; Ravi Bellamkonda, Emory University; Kelliann Blazek, Special Assistant to the President for Agriculture and Rural Policy; Caree Cotwright, USDA; Andre Dickens, Mayor, City of Atlanta (via video); Rachel Ferencik, CDC Foundation; Diane Harris, Centers for Disease Control; Dr. Nik Heynen, University of Georgia; Kevin Holt, H&H Hospitality ; Dr. Kimberly Jackson, Spelman College; Steven Jennings, Ahold Delhaize USA; Sabrina Li, Emory University; Tracy Lloyd McCurty, Black Belt Justice Center; U.S. Congresswoman Lucy McBath (GA-07); Will McIntee, The White House; Beth McKibben, RoughDraft Atlanta; Tamara S. Melton, Diversify Dietetics; Alastair Pullen, Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School; Karuna Rawal, Nature’s Fynd; Tambra Raye Stevenson, Women Advancing Nutrition Dietetics and Agriculture (WANDA); Rose Scott, NPR-Atlanta; Pamela Scott-Johnson, Spelman College; Kashi Sehgal, Rataaza; Will Sellers, Wholesome Wave Georgia; Arthur Tripp, USDA Farm Service Agency; Kyle Waide, The Atlanta Community Food Bank; and Raphaela Ysrael, Atlanta Harvest, and many more!  More info is HERE.

We will also have breakout sessions, where discussions will inform a policy report submitted directly to the White House, and an amazing reception with our food and beverage partners.

As I mentioned: Progress in the food system comes down to empowering eaters, today and for generations to come.

That idea is at the core of discussions at the Summit around food and land justice, healthier school foods, food is medicine, procurement and business solutions, student best practices, and so much more.

HERE’s that registration link, so we know you’ll be joining us.

I look forward to seeing you next weekend! And, as always, my inbox at danielle@foodtank.com is open to Food Tankers around the world—send me the questions and concerns on your mind, and let’s keep the conversation going.

One last note: What’s amazing about the food movement is that every city in the world has so many amazing projects we can learn from! This week, we highlighted these fantastic 20 organizations just in and around Atlanta, including Acres of Ancestry Initiative/Black Agrarian Fund; Atlanta Community Food Bank; Community Farmers Markets (CFM); Diversity Dietetics; Friends of the Urban Food Forest at Browns Mill; Food Well Alliance; Georgia Foundation for Agriculture; Georgia Organics; Giving Kitchen; Global Growers Network (GGN); Mariposas Rebeldes; Open Hand Atlanta; Recovery Eco Agriculture Project; Save Our Legacy Ourself (SOLO); Slow Food Atlanta; The Common Market; The Grocery Spot; Truly Living Well Center for Natural Urban Agriculture (TLW); Umi Feeds; and Wholesome Wave Georgia. I hope you’ll read more HERE about the many best practices and replicable models in Atlanta.

And at the same time, I hope you’ll find some organizations carrying out these best practices in your community! We can’t take these local organizations for granted—it was not always the case that our cities had thriving food networks, so let’s celebrate empowered eaters!

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Markus Spiske, Unsplash

The post Progress in The Food System Means Empowering Eaters—Today and for Generations to Come appeared first on Food Tank.

Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute (FTPI) is a Native-American women-run organization dedicated to teaching sustainable indigenous ways of living in Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico. The Institute provides resources that support the Pueblo people through knowledge preservation and education.

Roxanne Swentzell created FTPI in 1987. Swentzell tells Food Tank that before creating FTPI, she learned about permaculture and built her own sustainable homestead. By doing this, she discovered what farming techniques worked in her area and then began sharing this knowledge.

“The name, Flowering Tree, came from the novel “Black Elk Speaks,” in which there is a prayer to make the tree of life bloom again,” Swentzell explains. “We felt that this was what we were trying to do also. Flowering Tree would be our living prayer.”

Today, FTPI offers workshops and resources to promote healthy and sustainable lifestyles and to pass on traditional knowledge. While the programs are designed for the Santa Clara Pueblo Tribe, the Institute also opens them up to other members of the community. The Institute has three seed banks, a greenhouse, ceremonial women’s house, restored adobe, and more. It offers classes on how to lead healthy and sustainable lifestyles and facilitates seed saving and other cultural practices. These include farming and gardening, composting, animal husbandry and processing, adobe construction, mud plastering, pottery, and weaving.

“As a native-, woman-run organization that focuses on the health of the local communities, Flowering Tree has been impactful around areas of home, food security, teaching youth, and empowering women of color,” Swentzell tells Food Tank. She explains that there is a limited understanding of the sustainable life-ways of Native American knowledge but that there is also a growing interest in the subject.

“Indigenous knowledge is needed more than ever to find balance and meaning in these challenging times,” Swentzell says.

One important indigenous practice is seed saving which, according to the First Nations Development Institute (FNDI), has been historically necessary to preserve seeds critical to indigenous culture and food systems. According to the FNDI, many indigenous communities have developed ways to save seeds for hundreds of years.

At FTPI, Swentzell says the seed banks are an important resource for the health of the planet. The Institute has facilitated seed saving and sharing for decades. By saving seeds, she tells Food Tank people can ensure that these seeds continue to exist and increase biodiversity.

“Industrial farming has shrunk and depleted so much of the food diversity and stability of ecosystems that we are in grave danger of having it all collapse,” Swentzell says. “Instead of our food systems being in millions of hands caring for crops they love, it’s in a few mega corporations that don’t care about individuals but only about making money.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, four companies control the majority of crop seed sales in the U.S. Two of these companies provided more than half of the United States retail sales of corn, soybean, and cotton seeds from 2018-2020.

Swentzell believes heirloom seeds can serve as “helpers” for a biodiverse healthy future and saving them does not necessarily take a lot of effort. By saving and sharing seeds, she believes, people also develop community and a shared appreciation for the planet.

“If we all saved seeds of one variety of plant we loved, there would be so many cool diverse plants being nurtured because of all our unique tastes,” Swentzell tells Food Tank.

For the Pueblo people, Swentzell says their tribes have survived because the community continued passing on of knowledge. She tells Food Tank that FTPI is working to preserve this knowledge and that doing so could provide an alternative and more sustainable way of life.

“It is so important for us to understand our traditional tribal ways in order to continue as Pueblo people,” Swentzell tells Food Tank. “It’s something we love and as a diverse culture within the USA, it seems vital that there be different views on how to live that might be better than the mainstream cultures that are proving to be self-destructive.”

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Shelley Pauls, Unsplash

The post Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute: Sowing Seeds of Sustainability appeared first on Food Tank.

The World Rural Forum recently held its 8th Global Conference on Family Farming and the Sustainability of Our Planet at the Europa Palace in Vitoria-Gasteiz. More than 200 participants gathered from 55 countries to discuss the challenges family farmers face across the globe, as well as opportunities to better support and prioritize family farming and the sustainability of the planet.

Participants recognized that family farming has long deserved a leading role in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as it contributes to at least 11 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, if not all of them. Policies, strategies, and ministries were called upon to recognize this role in contributing to the 2030 Agenda, and the need for family farmers must be part of the decision making process, including not only those that directly concern agriculture, but also those on climate change and food systems, among others.

President of the World Rural Forum, Martín Uriarte, spoke about the vulnerability of the food system to illnesses from lack of diversity and climate change. But he also acknowledged that “family farming is resilient and can and should face these challenges” with the appropriate support, including an international commitment, which he noted is fundamental to the future of the planet. 

Álvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) touched upon the importance of family farming for sustainability and food security. He noted that 70 percent of the rural population depends on small family farms of less than five hectares to have access to food.

The conference also examined the role that y​outh play in the transformation of the food system. Speakers addressed the critical need for new alliances to address environmental, social and food challenges and noted the importance of partnerships and collaborations, including public-private partnerships to strengthen systems. 

One panel, titled “New Alliances to Address Environmental, Social, and Food Challenges,” discussed how philanthropy can catalyze funds to move the needle and the need to focus on scaling deep rather than up or out. Panelists called on food system leaders to embrace diversity, value each other’s time, and position farmers at the center of systems and solutions to sustainability and food security and further recognized the leadership role of rural youth in generating employment and ensuring the stability and sustainability of family farms.  

Another session focused on innovative and effective public policies for young farmers, recognizing that the inclusion of youth is imperative to a sustainable and equitable food system. Given that family farming provides nearly 80 percent of the world’s food and the age of farmers is increasing worldwide, the need to provide youth with the political and socio-economic conditions to thrive as the next generation of farmers is critical to ensuring food security and gender equity, combating climate change, and creating a more sustainable planet.

The final day of the conference was committed to recognizing and empowering rural women and committing to gender equity in farming. Gender inequalities in rural areas need to be urgently addressed to advance female farmers, specifically in areas such as land tenure and access to funding and education, the speakers argued.

Women’s participation in the agricultural labor force varies from 20 percent in Latin America to 50 percent or more in parts of Africa and Asia, supporting the role of women can also help to achieve most of the 2030 Agenda. There is a need to both recognize the daily actions of family farmers and define them as localizing elements of the 2030 Agenda.

During the session “Family Farming Leading the 2030 Agenda: A Commitment from the Local to the Global Levels” speakers discussed how to further incorporate family farming’s contribution to the 2030 agenda, from the local to the national level. Panelists included Ms. Rossana Carolina Ayala, Vice-Minister for Family Farming, Paraguay; Ms. Fernanda Machiaveli Morão de Oliveira, Vice-Minister of Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture, Brazil; Mr. Leonard Mizzi, Head of Unit Sustainable Agri-Food and Fisheries Systems, DG INTPA, European Commission; Mr. Gabriel Ferrero, Ambassador of Food Security, Government of Spain; Mr. Minoru Nishi, President and General Director, Pacific Island Farmers Organizations Network; and was moderator Alexina Cather.

Participants shared how their governments were promoting the contributions of family farmers, the social impacts of policies, and how women can be empowered in local communities to encourage greater commitment to family farming at the most local levels of administrations and governments.

And a final declaration called on everyone to recognize the “vital” role family farmers play in the food system and the need for “catalytic actions that improve the lives of family farmers while ensuring a sustainable future for all.”

The post From Local to Global: Harnessing Family Farming for a Sustainable Future appeared first on Food Tank.

Across the city of Atlanta, Georgia, many organizations are working to build a food system that centers community wellbeing with the health of the planet.

These organizations are supporting local food producers and regional economies, offering educational resources and agricultural training, and working to ensure that their neighbors don’t go hungry.

On April 14, Food Tank is heading to Atlanta to partner with Spelman College and Emory University for the Summit “Empowering Eaters: Access, Affordability, and Healthy Choices.” Held in support of the National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, the event will celebrate the city’s local food movement and uplift the health and wellbeing of future generations in policy.

Panels will explore food and land justice, healthier school food, student-led food systems research, food as medicine, and the power of procurement. Learn more about the Summit, which is free and open to the public, and register now by clicking HERE.

And check out some of the amazing changemakers working to transform the local food system in and around Atlanta.

1. Acres of Ancestry Initiative/Black Agrarian Fund

The Acres of Ancestry Initiative/Black Agrarian Fund is a multidisciplinary, cooperative nonprofit ecosystem that aims to regenerate custodial land ownership, ecological stewardship, and food and fiber economies in the American South. The Black Agrarian Fund helps to secure land for landless, returning generation farmers, while their Black Belt Justice Center serves as the fiscal sponsor for this work and is the lead organization for the Initiative and Fund.

2. Atlanta Community Food Bank

One in twelve people — and one in ten children — in the area served by the Atlanta Community Food Bank experience hunger. The Food Bank works with almost 700 community-based nonprofit partners to distribute more than 9 million meals across metro Atlanta and north Georgia every month. They also work with their partners to support school breakfast and summer feeding programs to ensure children have access to nutritious meals.

3. Community Farmers Markets (CFM)

Serving as an umbrella organization, CFM was established to meet the demand for more efficiently managed, community-based and sustainable farmers’ markets in Atlanta. They enable food distribution through their markets, organize educational programming and events, provide financial incentives to make fresh food more affordable, and offer resources to their vendors. CFM reports that in 2023, they served more than 65,000 in-person shoppers and over 160 vendors at weekly markets.

4. Diversity Dietetics

Co-Founded by Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Tamara Melton, Diversify Dietetic brings together students, professionals, and educators who are committed to creating opportunities to encourage a more diverse field of dietetics and nutrition. They do this through scholarships and grants, mentorship programs, application support, and educational resources.

5. Friends of the Urban Food Forest at Browns Mill

In 2016, The Conservation Fund, The City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Resilience, and the Department of Parks & Recreation partnered with residents from the Browns Mill neighborhood to create an urban food forest in Atlanta. Friends of the Urban Food Forest was established to ensure the sustainability of the Forest with a community centered focus. The organizations’ programs work to eliminate hunger in the area, improve awareness of healthy behaviors, and provide career and training opportunities for adults and youth.

6. Food Well Alliance

Food Well Alliance brings together leaders of the local food movement to support more than 300 community gardens, urban farms, and orchards in metro Atlanta. Through their Resource Center programming, the Alliance offers trainings and workshops; volunteer and labor support; compost, tools, and equipment; and capacity building grants. They also bring local government leaders together to develop plans that integrate urban agriculture into city planning processes.

7. Georgia Foundation for Agriculture

By developing a pipeline for the next generation of farmers and agriculture leaders, the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture strives to equip people with the tools and knowledge they need to preserve the future of farming. The organization reaches students, teachers, and farmers across the state. Through their programming, the Foundation offers an agricultural STEM curriculum for teachers to use in classrooms, agriculture scholarships, apprenticeship opportunities, and support for local producers to ensure their success.

8. Georgia Organics

Georgia Organics promotes the work of organic farmers across the state to support the health of communities and the planet. Through their farmer services program, the nonprofit provides small and organic farmers with training and resources to help them build and maintain strong agricultural businesses. And in their Farm to School initiatives, they engage children with local, healthy food in cafeterias and classrooms.

9. Giving Kitchen

Giving Kitchen provides emergency financial support and community resources to food service workers in need. Those who meet the criteria can apply for monetary assistance from the network. And the Giving Kitchen’s Stability Network serves as a referral program that connects workers with social services. Their efforts reach workers in restaurants, catering, concessions, food trucks, cafeterias, bars, and taprooms.

10. Global Growers Network (GGN)

Working with a network of 175 families, many of whom are resettled refugees, GGN connects food producers to sustainable agriculture resources and quality farmland. They support 10 farm, community garden and orchard sites in DeKalb and Rockdale Counties, helping communities grow fresh, culturally familiar crops. In 2021, they acquired a 23-acre property that will offer a home to farmers who face barriers of access to land and capital.

11. Mariposas Rebeldes

Mariposas Rebeldes works to make community gardening, ecology, and cultural education more accessible for queer, trans, and intersex people. They offer community events centering food and sustainable land stewardship. The group envisions a space where members can grow food, cook meals, and share resources while following Indigenous land management principles.

12. Open Hand Atlanta

Open Hand Atlanta distributes healthy meals to people in need, with the vision of eliminating diet-related chronic illnesses. The organization delivers meals directly to the homes of individuals in Atlanta and around the state of Georgia free of charge. They also operate a teaching kitchen, where they offer nutrition support programs.

13. Recovery Eco Agriculture Project

Recovery Eco Agriculture Project engages in education, research, and development work in support of sustainable and regenerative land use. These efforts encompass small scale farming, agroecology, agroforestry, and reforestation. They also offer horticultural therapy by providing accessible gardens for physically and developmentally disabled individuals. And they have children’s program that introduces young people to edible playground gardens.

14. Save Our Legacy Ourself (SOLO)

SOLO works to preserve the culture, heritage, and traditions of the Saltwater Geechee people. Through their agricultural program, the organization is incubating heirloom and heritage crops, which they plan to bring to market. They also operate a youth agricultural program to connect young people to the land and teach them about planting, harvesting, and preparing traditional foods.

15. Slow Food Atlanta

A local chapter of Slow Food USA, Slow Food Atlanta works to realize good, fair, and clean food for all. The organization educates the broader community on opportunities to support local food culture, advocates for biodiversity and a sustainable relationship with food producers and brings attention to food and land justice. Slow Food Atlanta also has events throughout the year to engage and educate residents and build community.

16. The Common Market

Working in four regional hubs, The Common Market is a nonprofit food distributor connecting urban communities with local food grown on family farms. Common Market Southeast works with more than 30 producers in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee to distribute food to the Atlanta area and build more resilient supply chains .

17. The Grocery Spot

Founded in 2021, The Grocery Spot first opened as a for-profit grocery store to help the local community access high-quality and affordable food. After connecting with and learning from residents, however, they converted their model into a nonprofit grocery store. The Grocery Spot now operates as a community-funded free grocery store that is open to all, with no applications or appointments required.

18. Truly Living Well Center for Natural Urban Agriculture (TLW)

Since 2006, TLW has worked to demonstrate how food can serve as a bridge to connect people of different cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. They have agriculture training, nutrition, education, and job creation programs. And the organization regularly grows and harvests produce to provide the local community with a consistent source of fresh food. Their farm sites in Metro Atlanta, intended to demonstrate the transformative power of agriculture, produce fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, and other value-added products.

19. Umi Feeds

A food rescue nonprofit, Umi Feeds works to meet the needs of people who are facing food insecurity and unhoused by serving healthy, nutritious meals. They rescue surplus food from consumers, farmers, events, restaurants, and other food businesses then redistribute it in the form of their weekly mobile dinners. They also provide people in need access to personal care items, blankets, clothing, and sanitary products.

20. Wholesome Wave Georgia

The organization operates under the belief that all Georgians should have access to healthy fresh, locally grown food. They work to increase access to and awareness of nutritious food options. Their programs also help residents enroll in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other benefits, match SNAP/EBT dollars at participating farmers markets, and connect households on SNAP with gardening kits.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The post 20 Organizations Cultivating the Food Movement in Atlanta appeared first on Food Tank.

The 2024 Census of Agriculture from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveals a growing number of new and beginning and young producers in the United States. Despite these changes, the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) and USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture say progress is still necessary to support these groups.

 In 2022, the number of farms with new and beginning producers in the United States increased by about 5 percent from 2017. The number of producers under the age of 44 also increased by 7 percent from 2017 to 2022.

New farmers and ranchers can help to improve the national food supply and the future of agriculture, according to Denis Ebodaghe, the National Program Leader for the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. “Supporting new farmers and ranchers will ensure a safe and sustainable food supply,” Ebodaghe tells Food Tank.

The Census shows that farmers in the U.S. are, on average, aging. In 2012, USDA data revealed the average age of farmers to be 56.3 years; the latest report shows it is now 58.1. According to Ebodaghe, “there is the urgent need to ensure that strategies are in place to grow the next generation of farmers and ranchers.”

But the number of producers under the age of 44 is on the rise. This may be because of the COVID-19 pandemic, says Michelle Hughes, Co-Executive Director of the NYFC.

“The pandemic revealed cracks in our consolidated food supply chain. The urgency of the climate crisis and the need for racial justice transformation in our society are all motivators and issues we hear about very often from our members,” Hughes tells Food Tank. 

Of producers under 44 years old, those under 25 increased by the greatest amount.

However, as the number of new and young farmers increases, the total number of farms in the U.S. decreased by about 7 percent from 2017-2022, the Census shows.

To help new farmers and ranchers establish and sustain their careers, Ebodaghe says they need “education, mentoring and technical assistance…to help minimize farming risks and maximize farm profits.” With these, producers “cannot only survive but thrive to grow food and fiber for generations to come.”

The NYFC also advocates for programs and policies that can reduce barriers of entry to help new farmers. They seek to address access to affordable land, capital, housing, health care and production costs, student loan debt, and the climate crisis.

“All of these challenges are multi-faceted, and require planning, coordination, policy development, and program evaluation at every level of government,” Hughes tells Food Tank. “The challenges facing the next generation of young farmers are complex, but equitable land access is foundational to all of the solutions proposed in our work.”

Through the One Million Acres for the Future campaign, the Coalition advocates for the next Farm Bill to invest in 1 million acres of land accessible to new farmers.

These interventions are particularly important to support producers who identify as Hispanic, American Indian, Asian, Black, Native Hawaiian or more than one race, the Census shows. The data reveal that they represent just 7.6 percent of all producers in the United States. A survey of young farmers by NYFC also finds that BIPOC growers experience the most common challenges for young farmers at higher rates.

But these young farmers are also very likely to be motivated by intersectional issues including conservation, anti-racism, and food sovereignty and security, the NYFC shows. Of the Black farmers surveyed, for example, 74 percent say they are primarily motivated by anti-racism work and healing from white supremacy.

“Young Farmers are stewarding and providing the infrastructure for food system transformation that ripples across food access, public health, and environmental and climate outcomes,” Hughes tells Food Tank. “All these values and priorities are demanding a shift in U.S. agriculture and we hope policymakers will invest in this more resilient food system that the new generation is leading.”

More new and young farmers may also aid the environment, according to research published in Organic Agriculture. The study shows that this group is more likely to employ regenerative and organic practices than their established peers. And the NYFC survey reveals that 83 percent of young farmer respondents were primarily motivated by conservation or regeneration.

The number of producers under 44 years old with certified organic status or exempt organic status—meaning the farm meets requirements to represent their products as organic without obtaining certification—also decreased from 2017 to 2022. But the Census does not evaluate regenerative agriculture practices.

According to Hughes, young and BIPOC farmers “are leading the way, modeling solutions at the community level to produce and distribute high quality, fresh, affordable products…As we have clearly seen the connections between small-scale agriculture and the stability of our food systems, as well as our collective well-being, we must do more to invest in and support farmers selling into local and regional markets and directly to consumers.”

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Zoe Schaeffer, Unsplash

The post New and Young Farmers Increasing, According to Agriculture Census appeared first on Food Tank.

A version of this piece was featured in Food Tank’s newsletter, released weekly on Thursdays. To make sure it lands straight in your inbox and to be among the first to receive it, subscribe now by clicking here.

Here’s a trivia question:

Where are the most important transformations in the food system taking place right now?

a. The United Nations headquarters

b. In the U.S. Congress

c. At a high-level dialogue in Europe or the Middle East

d. Within a few miles of where you’re reading this letter

If you answered (d), you’re correct!

When we talk about food system transformation, we’re not talking about a sudden metamorphosis in some far-off place at some indeterminate point in the future.

Rebuilding the food system in a more resilient, sustainable, equitable way is happening right now, as we speak, in neighborhoods and cities across the world.

And it’s not like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly or a tadpole becoming a frog. It’s a gradual process—sometimes it can feel slow, as many of us probably know!—that moves forward sometimes in big leaps but much more often in small steps.

But because of tireless advocates at the local level, we are indeed moving forward. Every step forward is a win: a win for producers, a win for eaters, a win for the planet.

And as Food Tankers know, we don’t just do this work for ourselves. A stronger, more just food system is vital toward nourishing future generations too, which is what we’ll be discussing at our next Summit in a couple weeks.

When I look out at the state of the food system, I see so much that’s going well.

Just take food waste, for example. Last year, the city of Chicago launched a composting program that allows residents to drop off food scraps at 15 locations around the city, where they’re collected and turned into compost for soil. And in Maryland, where I live, policymakers created a food residual diversion law in 2021, which requires any company, store, school, organization, or agency that handles food and is located within 30 miles of a compost facility to divert food scraps away from landfills.

Or look at school meals. Maine and California passed laws in 2021 that guaranteed free lunches for all school students, and several other states including Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Michigan, Connecticut, and Vermont have also done so since then.

And that’s just the beginning! Here are some other food policy wins we’re tracking on the local level around the country:

Minimum wage protections are being strengthened. In Chicago, the subminimum wage for tipped workers is being phased out following city council action last year, so employees including many food service workers will eventually be paid the standard hourly minimum wage rather than significantly less. First-of-its-kind legislation in New York City last year increased the minimum wage for app-based delivery workers, and in California, effective next month, the minimum wage will be raised to $20 for fast food workers at large franchises. Plus, the state created a Fast Food Council with workers, union members, and companies to set standards for workplace safety and wages.

Small-scale food producers are getting the rights they’re due. In Arkansas, a variety of laws passed in 2021 allow for homegrown or homemade food and drink to be sold at farmers markets, farm stands, homes, and even online to help boost local economies. A program called New Mexico Grown helps schools, educational institutions, and organizations serving elderly populations in that state to source food from local producers. And in Nevada, a 2023 law expands sidewalk vendors’ rights to sell food on the street.

Urban agriculture is getting official. In Detroit, the mayor appointed Tepfirah Rushdan as the city’s first Director of Urban Agriculture last fall to encourage and support urban farmers and streamline the use of abandoned lots as farms and gardens. And a couple years ago in Boston, mayor Michelle Wu created GrowBoston, the city’s office of urban agriculture, to work alongside the Mayor’s Office of Food Justice to fund and develop urban ag projects.

States are hearing the needs of rural communities, too. In Colorado, the Consumer Right to Repair Agriculture Equipment Act, which went into effect in January, means that owners of agricultural equipment can repair their machinery independently, rather than being required to go through the manufacturer. And in Missouri, a broad ag law signed last summer includes tax credits for farmers who help new farmers get started, plus programs to boost flood resilience along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.

As I mentioned, the list goes on. Recent laws passed in Colorado and Rhode Island limit the sale and use of neonicotinoid pesticides, which harm bees and other pollinators. The city council of Perris, California, recently passed an ordinance that requires grocery stores in the city to stock healthy food and drink items at check-out counters instead of junk food, following the lead of Berkeley’s similar 2020 regulation.

Municipal food policy councils and neighborhood advocates are making even more advances toward a better food system, too. At the end of the day, progress in the food system comes down to empowering eaters, today and for generations to come.

So I hope you’ll click HERE to grab your spot at our upcoming Summit in partnership with Emory University and Spelman College—in person or via livestream on Sunday, April 14—where we’ll all be inspired by 35+ amazing speakers discussing how food policy can build accessibility and affordability in the food system.

And I hope, too, that you’ll commit to creating more food policy wins in your communities! Again, transforming the food system is not a one-and-done process, nor is it one that only takes place in Capitol buildings and meeting rooms. Building a better food system requires effort from all of us—right where we live.

Let’s chat about how to make that happen. Email me at danielle@foodtank.com to share what’s going well where you live, and let me know how I can connect you with Food Tank’s resources to boost your efforts.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Markus Spiske, Unsplash

The post Where Are You Reading This? That’s Where Food System Transformation Is Happening appeared first on Food Tank.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently announced budget cuts that include the elimination of funding for community composting programs. In response, a coalition of community groups is invigorating its base to keep these initiatives alive.

The New York City Compost Project is a partnership between the City of New York Department of Sanitation (DSNY) and community organizations. The organizations include GrowNYC, Lower East Side (LES) Ecological Center, Big Reuse, and Earth Matter, Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Queens Botanical Garden, Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, and The New York Botanical Garden. Operating 75 compost sites in all five boroughs, the Program provides education and composting opportunities for City residents.

Earth Matter, a New York City-based community and environmental organization, has received funding from the city to facilitate the NYC Compost Project. Earth Matter “makes compost using people’s food scraps to be put back onto the green infrastructure that New York City is so proud to invest in,” Marissa DeDominicis, the organization’s Executive Director, tells Food Tank.

But the ability of organizations like Earth Matter to operate is at risk. The proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2025 includes cuts to DSNY that will lead to the defunding of the NYC Compost Project. According to composting advocates, these changes will lead to a loss of jobs and the closing down of drop-off sites.

Since the announcement, community groups released a petition to reinstate community composting programs, which now has more than 50,000 signatures. GrowNYC, an organization that receives city funding to operate 52 compost drop-off sites throughout the city, is the original author behind it. In 2022 alone, the organization diverted almost 2.7 million pounds of food scraps from landfills to compost, according to its website.

Immediately following the Mayor’s announcement, GrowNYC reports that they were preparing to lay off employees within their composting programs. For now, an anonymous donor has enabled their composting work to continue through June 2024, but layoffs may be imminent.

Other organizations are searching for, and in some cases successfully identifying, similar funding streams. Mill Industries Inc. and Friends and community members recently announced a donation to LES Botanical Garden, Earth Matter, BigReuse, and GrowNYC so that these organizations can also continue their composting work.

DeDominicis tells Food Tank that Earth Matter is also working with city councilors to push for the restoration of funding and is hoping for additional funds by the beginning of the next fiscal year in July.

In response to criticism, DSNY points out that New York City is expanding their citywide curbside compost collection. It is projected to be the “nation’s largest and easiest curbside composting program, picking up compostable material from every resident on their recycling day and putting that material to beneficial use,” a DSNY spokesperson tells Food Tank.

The Department currently collects compost in Brooklyn and Queens and by October 2024, they are planning to serve the remaining boroughs. New Yorkers can also compost food scraps in the Smart Composting bins that are located around the city.

DeDominicis tells Food Tank that these bins don’t turn food scraps into soil. She explains that the city transports the waste to facilities that turn scraps into biogas, creating non-compostable slurry as a byproduct, also according to an investigation by Curbed. Smart Bins are also predominantly available in Manhattan and Brooklyn. But community compost drop-off sites, meanwhile, are set up in all corners of the city for greater reach.

DeDominicis also argues that the NYC Compost Project provides an important connection to the community. According to Natural Resources Defense Council research, 40 percent of the American food supply goes to waste. To limit food waste, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that before throwing food away in a landfill, people should compost it. But, DeDominicis notes that composting is a “lifestyle change.”

Earth Matter sees itself as both a community compost site and a classroom and the organization believes that “as people learn how to compost, they become the advocates, they become the educators, and they go back into their communities,” DeDominicis says.

“People can come to Earth Matter, actually see their food scraps…[and] the transformation into black gold,” DeDominicis tells Food Tank. She believes that the composting site is a place for New Yorkers to learn about where their food waste goes, “making people feel like they belong to a movement, and what they do is a basic act that can make change.”

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo by Charles Bayrer, courtesy of Earth Matter

The post Preserving Community Compost in New York City appeared first on Food Tank.

The National STEM Challenge, presented by EXPLR, is featuring students for their innovative projects focused on bolstering food security, advocating for sustainable agriculture, and advancing agricultural technology. In April, 2024 students recognized through the Challenge will travel to Washington, D.C. to present their work at the National STEM Festival. 

The nation-wide challenge invited submissions of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) innovations, inventions, and research from students in grades 6-12. The projects covered six themes, including Future Food.

“As a STEM-Bassador, an EXPLR co-founder, and board member I believe this work to be the most important of my lifetime,” Chef Andrew Zimmern tells Food Tank. “Just look at what these current pioneering change makers are doing! Sustainable food wraps, bio fortifying eggs, remaking how we identify crop disease while we still have a chance to prevent massive losses, soil conservation and repair. These aren’t future changemakers, they are changing our world right now! And we are bringing them to the world, front and center.”

Hao Li, an 11th grader from North Carolina, is one of the students being recognized for her award-winning submission in April. Looking to address food spoilage, Li sought to understand the science of food ripening. Through her research, she uncovered the role that the compound 1-Methylcyclopropene can play in counteracting the effects of ethylene gas, a natural hormone that speeds up ripening. To extend the shelf life of products, she developed a wrap prototype that she hopes can shape future approaches to preservation. 

Another STEM Champion, 11th grader Laasya Acharya from Ohio, focused her project on improving crop disease protection methods—an issue that results in the loss of 40 percent of global crops, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. Acharya developed Ceres, a device that utilizes advanced imaging and neural networks to identify diseases in fruits, crops, and vegetables. As it develops, she is aiming for at least 85 percent accuracy and a detection time of under 10 seconds per image, while keeping costs below US$40.

And Shelby Scout Hoobler, an 11th grader from Wyoming being recognized for her submission, sought to rejuvenate overgrazed riparian areas. Through detailed soil sample analyses that pinpoint nutrient deficiencies, Hoobler hopes to restore these vital ecosystems and develop a scalable model for environmental recovery efforts globally. 

“This is a big topic in Wyoming and the west, so it is exciting for the National STEM Challenge to elevate this type of research,” Hoobler tells Food Tank.

Li, Acharya, and Hoobler, along with 123 of their peers, will gather at the National STEM Festival from April 12-13, 2024, co-presented by EXPLR and the U.S. Department of Education. The event will spotlight their innovative projects to a wider audience but also facilitate interactions with leading figures in government and industry. Organizers hope that this will help to lay the groundwork for future collaborations and breakthroughs. 

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo Courtesy of Shelby Hoobler

The post Pioneering the Future of Food: Student Innovators Lead the Way in National STEM Challenge appeared first on Food Tank.

An estimated 26,000 biomolecules can be found in food, yet a vast majority are unidentified and their health effects of are largely unknown, according to a recent paper published in Nature Food. A group of researchers are working to unlock these mysteries through a new initiative known as the Periodic Table of Food (PTFI).

The PTFI is a global project that aims to create an open-access platform that will support molecular analyses on food items and standardize the way that data is collected and distributed.

“By providing standardized tools, data, and training to map food quality, we are enabling a common language among a global ecosystem to better understand our food—so we can collectively better manage food systems for people and the planet,” Selena Ahmed, the Global Director of the PTFI through the American Heart Association, tells Food Tank.

As part of a two-day event in New York City around the initiative, the PTFI and partners including Food EDU, The Rockefeller Foundation, the American Heart Association, Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and Food Tank are organizing a celebration of food diversity, scientific advances, and community innovation.

Registration is free and open to the public for livestream and in-person tickets for Day 1 on April 23, 2024.

Read more about the PTFI on Forbes by clicking HERE. And claim your tickets to celebrate the initiative by clicking HERE.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Shelley Pauls, Unsplash

The post The Periodic Table of Food Initiative: Illuminating the Mysteries of What We Eat appeared first on Food Tank.

Nearly 50 million people in West and Central Africa are expected to experience hunger in 2024—an increase of 4 percent, according to the World Food Programme. But with the help of organizations like the West and Central Africa Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF), local stakeholders are working to advance home-grown solutions to improve food and nutrition security.

CORAF, the largest sub-regional research organization in Africa, works in 23 countries in West and Central Africa, supporting farmer-led research to overcome the hunger crisis. “Farmers are knowledge producers, not only doctors have knowledge,” says Ousmane Ndiaye of ASPRODEB, an association of farmers and fishers across West and Central Africa that collaborates with CORAF.

The organization believes that it is essential to leverage the knowledge of producers and bolster their relationships with nonprofits and small and medium sized enterprises to transform food systems in West and Central Africa.

Read more about CORAF’s work and the need for local solutions on Forbes by clicking HERE.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Haytam, Wikimedia Commons

The post Fostering Local Food Systems Solutions in West and Central Africa appeared first on Food Tank.

New African Society (NAS), a youth-led Sierra Leone-based organization, is working for the development of self-sufficient communities to alleviate generations of poverty within the country. The organization offers services that promote the advancement of agricultural projects within the region, seeking to remedy a lack of opportunity for socioeconomic mobility and food insecurity.

 “We have identified the problems our communities are faced with and the root causes of them, and we are working to bring about the various necessary strategies that will help curb the pervasiveness of these problems,” Ibrahim Bangura, the Founder and CEO of NAS, tells Food Tank.

The organization employs young agriculturists, rural development professionals, and social workers whose knowledge and experiences they feel are key in addressing social problems across the region.

Through ongoing engagement with community members, NAS began a seed banking initiative to help them work toward food sovereignty. Their training programs educate farmers on the value of seed banking, strengthening local understanding of seed systems, and helping producers establish independent seed banks in their own communities.

Bangura views seed banking as a multi-layered strategy that increases equitable opportunities within agriculture while retaining cultural integrity. “Our seed aid program is directly involved in engaging producer groups, especially women who are the custodians of local seed breeding and conservation, to multiply varieties of foundation seeds including rice, ground nut, maize and others,” he tells Food Tank.

Seed banking is the practice of collecting and preserving seeds as a means of ensuring food security, especially during planting periods when access to food becomes limited. Despite Sierra Leone’s apt climate conditions for food production, Bangura credits decades-long trauma from war and disease, as well as poor governance as the primary reasons for food insecurity within its Eastern Province.

According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, roughly 75 percent of Sierra Leone’s population is employed in the agricultural industry. These communities are primarily occupied by peasant farmers who survived mainly from small scale semi commercial and/or subsistence farming.

Bangura names underdeveloped transportation networks, limited purchasing power, and a lack of awareness about an individual’s or community’s right to a balanced diet as the “greatest barriers to accessing healthy, high-quality foods” within the region.

Seed banking, Bangura believes, signifies an immediate call to action against food insecurity and equips residents of rural communities with the necessary resources to combat future emergency periods.

NAS’ seed banking initiative also aims to promote agro-biodiversity, encouraging greater food sovereignty through “approaches to farming which incorporate the conservation, growth, consumption and commercialization of diversified food and seed varieties,” says Bangura. This comes at a time when communities are experiencing “the growing extinction of [their] nutrient-dense indigenous seed varieties in the farming system.”

Recently, NAS hosted its Seed Fair program—an event where farmers are given the opportunity to gather and share knowledge about the various uses of seeds, as well as participate in seed exchange. Bangura tells Food Tank, “The community seed fair is becoming an interesting program to farmers as they have learned the needs and impact of seed diversity in the farming system”.

The event included 50 farmers, who had the opportunity to interact in smaller groups and perform individual presentations. Other attendees were representatives of the Eastern Province’s Ministry of Agriculture, and key personalities from various NGOs with interest in agriculture and rural development programs.

The seed fair, offered as a recurring event for members and partners of NAS, provides every farmer an opportunity to secure different varieties of seeds, as well as learn about their maintenance and economic benefits.

“I hope to see New African Society-Sierra Leone as one of the leading organizations that are striving to bring changes in the development wings,” Bangura tells Food Tank, “we are striving to take actions for humanity and bring about developmental innovations to communities that have been left behind and where government support is hardly sufficient enough to reach.”

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of New African Society

The post New African Society: Cultivating Seeds of Change in Sierra Leone’s Eastern Province appeared first on Food Tank.

Walla Walla Community College (WWCC) in Washington is offering a culinary-agriculture curriculum to help students to understand the values of farm-to-fork in a new way. The classes allow students to gain expertise and real-world experience in agriculture, handling livestock, and culinary arts.

The program allows students to “apply [their knowledge] and take it out of the hypothetical realm,” Tyler Cox, Animal Science Professor at WWCC, tells Food Tank. “It’s like: Put your coat on, we’re going to go look at this right now.”

Utilizing the land right next to campus, the program manages 80 head of Red Angus cattle owned by a WWCC professor. Students gain experience in the livestock breeding process while also learning how to grow and tend to crops.

“Our region is our big advantage and the fact that we have these incredibly fertile soils and already a really strong agriculture community,” Robin Leventhal, the Culinary Arts Instructor at the Wine Country Culinary Institute (WCCI), tells Food Tank.

WWCC also offers a Culinary Arts degree, in which students are enrolled at WCCI, accredited by the American Culinary Federation. WCCI operates on the WWCC main campus in a state-of-the-art kitchen as well as a satellite commercial kitchen placed at the Center for Enology & Viticulture.

As agriculture students help grow food and handle livestock, culinary students have the chance to learn the costs and origins of the food they are cooking.

“Students are incredibly invested in what’s happening in production of food that they’re preparing and serving,” says Cox.

As a student-centered program, WCCI is designed to prepare students for the foodservice and hospitality industry. Professors aim to support the development of well-rounded and trained culinary professionals to enter the workforce with the necessary skills to be successful.

Beyond the classroom, internship opportunities help students further their careers, allowing them to gain new skills.

“This program offers another level or layer of the food industry that you wouldn’t get in a conventional culinary arts program and at a time where innovation is essential,” Leventhal tells Food Tank.

Hands-on training and internship opportunities in food production and culinary service and management help students further their careers, allowing them to gain new skills.

“This curriculum is so much more than teaching future chefs,” Leventhal tells Food Tank. “They learn where food comes from, the cost of waste, and how to be responsible stewards of the land.”

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of  Alan James Raeder and Robin Leventhal

The post Field to Plate: Walla Walla Community College’s Hands-On Approach appeared first on Food Tank.

A version of this piece was featured in Food Tank’s newsletter, released weekly on Thursdays. To make sure it lands straight in your inbox and to be among the first to receive it, subscribe now by clicking here.

We’re reaching out to keep you in the loop on the amazing All Things Food Summit next week in Austin, Texas, as part of the SXSW festival. It’s going to be a mega-event, and we hope you’ll join us for free, whether in person or from home!

Next Thursday, March 14, Food Tankers will be at the beautiful Barr Mansion in Austin, in partnership with Huston-Tillotson University and Driscoll’s. We’ll be taking over multiple stages with 60+ speakers, plus film viewings, live performances, delicious food, and so much more.

We’re starting at 10AM CT on Thursday, March 14, and you can reserve your spot in person or via livestream by CLICKING HERE.

And we’re calling this event All Things Food because we’re convening discussions on such a wide range of urgent issues in the food system: From sustainable seafood to accessible food environments, from food is medicine to private sector action, from chocolate to outer space (for real)!

Our lineup of speakers—including farmers, advocates, researchers, filmmakers, actors, policymakers, chefs, business leaders, and more—is incredible, if I do say so myself.

Here’s who will be joining us (alphabetically): Bleu Adams, IndigeHub; Joke Aerts, Tony’s Open Chain, Tony’s Chocolonely; Robert Nathan Allen, Little Herds; Daisy Berg, New Seasons Market; Jayson Berryhill, Wholechain; Carmen Blackwood, EarthRise LLC; Gary Blackwood, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Keliann Blazek, Special Assistant to the President for Agriculture and Rural Policy; A-Dae Briones, First Nations Development Institute; Janaya Bruce, Environmental Defense Fund; Katherine Bryar, BioMar; Peter Byck, filmmaker; Sweta Chakraborty, We Don’t Have Time; Joi Chevalier, Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board, The Cook’s Nook; Andrea Chu, Vital Farms; Ben Collier, The Farmlink Project; Sonya Cote, Eden East Farm and Restaurant; Chaz Daughtry, Sweetwater Farms HTX; Simon and Oliver English, filmmakers and celebrity chefs; Erin Flynn, Green Gate Farm; Larry Franklin, Black Lives Veggies; Luis Guardia, Food Research & Action Center; Anamaría Gutiérrez, Este Garden Manager; Natasha Harper-Madison, Austin City Council; Olivia Hernandez, Hernandez Hospitality; Sarela Herrada, SIMPLi; Jay Huang, Chef; Pat Hudson, farmer, Tilghman Seafood; Steven Jennings, Ahold Delhaize USA; Mark Kaplan, Wholechain; Kimya N. Kavehkar, Texas Monthly; Admiral Rachel L. Levine, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Adrian Lipscombe, The 40 Acres Project; Chaunte Lowe, President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition; Amanda Masino, Huston-Tillotson University; Melanie McAfee, Barr Mansion; Kerri McClimen, Niman Ranch; Will McIntee, White House; Liz Mella, Farmers Fridge; Mike Meyer, The Farmlink Project; Judith Monroe, CDC Foundation; Lamar J Moore, celebrity chef and restaurateur; Charlie Morrison, Salad and Go; Paul Newnham, Chefs Manifesto network; Abe Ng, Sushi Maki; Chris Ninnes, Aquaculture Stewardship Council; Michel Nischan, Wholesome Wave; Genevieve Padalecki, actress; Leah Penniman, farmer and food sovereignty advocate; Nicole Portwood, Salad and Go; Saba Rahimian, Austin Monthly; Karuna Rawal, Nature’s Fynd; Erin Russell, food journalist; Alejandra Sanchez, Driscoll’s; Michael Saing, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Shreela V. Sharma, Center for Health Equity, University of Texas Houston; Patricia Sugui, CJ Selecta; Josh and Rebecca Tickell, filmmakers, Common Ground; Toni Tipton-Martin, best-selling author; Clayton Tucker, rancher; Kate Warren, Devex; Matt Welch, The Farm at Mirasol Springs; and Rick Whitted, U.S. Hunger, plus more to be announced soon.

We truly cannot wait to be able to learn from all these smart and inspiring folks!

Attendees will also have the amazing opportunity to see excerpts and screenings of films including “Roots So Deep,”“Farming While Black,” “Abundance,” “Feeding Tomorrow,” “Making Waves,” and “Field Among Fields,” plus a special featured full viewing of the film “Common Ground.”

If you don’t want to miss out, get FREE TICKETS HERE!

Of course, as always, we’re making this event accessible via livestream, so you can tune in from wherever in the world you are. Be sure to click the link and grab your spot, too.

There’s just one thing that only in-person attendees can do with us—eat! And thanks to so many mission-driven brands, those joining us at SXSW will be eating well.

All day, we’ll serve amazing food—breakfast, lunch, and dinner!—including Nature’s Touch smoothies, Parlor Coffee, Traditional Medicinals tea, Vital Farms/Taco Deli breakfast tacos, Applegate spicy chicken bites and waffles, Strong Roots cauliflower hashbrown toasts, Nature’s Fynd yogurt and breakfast patties, Driscoll’s fresh berries, Nature’s Path rice puffs, Impossible spicy sausage gravy, bagels and Nature’s Fynd dairy-free cream cheese, Acme Smoked Fish Co. smoked salmon, Farmer’s Fridge salads and grain bowls, Impossible meatballs over Gotham Greens pesto, Tindle sope, Salad and Go, paella and peach cobbler from Texas Parks and Wildlife, Floofy’s Fluff popcorn and cotton candy, Daily Harvest popsicles, Little Sesame hummus and veggies, a Niman Ranch charcuterie table, Riverence Trout, Certified Origins olive oil ice cream, and snacks and take-home gifts from Rä Foods, Daily Crunch, Saffron Road Foods, Yolele Foods, Brass Roots Food, Dr. Bronner’s, Hu Kitchen, Guayaki, Bored Cow, Tony’s Chocolonely, and more.

Following the amazing day, we’ll have an evening reception with Bonterra Organic Vineyards wines, Vista Brewing beers, cocktails from Makers Mark and Still Austin, delicious mocktails, and even more amazing snacks and desserts from our wonderful and sustainable partners.

We’re getting more excited every day to head down to Austin for SXSW!

But again, you don’t need to be in Texas to join All Things Food! Spend time with us virtually by CLICKING HERE.

And if you’ll be there in person, say hello! Let us know you’ll join us for All Things Food by registering here—we’re excited to see you.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Duffy, Unsplash

The post Is it Possible to Talk About All Things Food in One Day? We’re Doing it Next Week! appeared first on Food Tank.

The food we consume, the land and aquatic systems that produce it, and its impact on people, nature, and the planet shape not only our sustenance but also our health, economies, and the planet’s wellbeing. What makes food truly remarkable is its local, diverse, and cultural essence. 

Despite this richness, our current globalized approach tends to favor top-down solutions when it comes to policy and innovation. This results in backlash from consumers and farmers who often feel marginalized and undervalued. Recent events, including ongoing farmers’ crises in Europe and previous uprisings in Asia and South America, underscore this disconnect.

Arnaud Rousseau, President of France’s largest farming union, has spoken pointedly about why such protests are erupting across Europe. He emphasizes the lack of understanding between the reality on the ground and the decisions taken by governments. 

Coincidentally, he shares his last name with another Rousseau, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the well-known French philosopher from the 18th century. He believed in the inherent goodness of humans and argued for a society where people collectively shape their destinies, suggesting that genuine change originates from the grassroots level rather than from top-down governance. 

What would a Rousseauian approach to food system leadership look like in today’s context?

This was the type of question and deep reflection that 19 leaders from 16 countries took on as part of the The Rockefeller Foundation-Acumen Food Systems Fellowship in 2023. This yearlong program aimed to equip leaders working on driving transformational change within various parts of the food system with the essential skills and a supportive community to advance our work on the ground. 

By integrating our cohort’s wide-ranging expertise and frontline experiences, the Food Systems Fellowship allowed us to delve into the insights and teachings of historical figures such as Rousseau, as well as Thomas Hobbes, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr., and others, and leverage them to enrich the discourse and broaden our perspectives around managing the complex challenges inherent in food systems today to handle the polarities and challenges today’s world presents.

We believe that an inclusive approach for systems-wide transformation must balance global and local perspectives, incorporate place-based innovation, foster collaboration between top-down and bottom-up approaches for policy and finance, and integrate modern science with traditional knowledge and practices. Inclusivity means bringing together a multitude of perspectives, including smallholder farmers, global research and development, finance, startups, activism, community mobilization, and non-profit organizations. 

The African origin Ubuntu Philosophy on collectivism and interconnectedness of humanity—“I am because we are”—rings similar to Rousseau, providing us with a foundation for inclusive dialogue. “Ubuntu Food Systems” ensures that the most impacted stakeholders are integrated, not just as a token placeholder at the table, but through meaningful collaboration and mutual respect in addressing the complex challenges of our polarized world. Effective leadership in this regard, requires an emphasis on the urgency of action, long-term persistence, boldness, humility, and empathy.

Here, we present a few illustrative case studies from our cohort’s work together that embody the power of place-based innovation and grassroots empowerment in driving positive change within food systems. We hope to inspire other actors with tangible examples of inclusive approaches that balance the necessity of food security within a changing climate, nature based approaches that bridge global and local, top down versus bottom up, and scientific versus cultural.

Producers Direct, led by Claire Rhodes, empowers smallholder farmers through farmer-owned cooperatives, championing farmer leadership and collective action. Since their founding in 2009, Producers Direct has improved the livelihoods of 1.37 million smallholder farmers and their families across East Africa and Latin America, focusing on strengthening resilience, increasing incomes, and building farmers’ leadership. Producers Direct ensures that smallholders have a central role in all decision-making processes, including negotiating better market access and jointly owning their enterprises by championing farmer leadership in governance, program design, and delivery. Leveraging pioneering technology, Producers Direct blends farmer-led solutions with innovation to continue championing farmer leadership and advancing the resilience and prosperity of smallholder farming communities. Looking ahead, Producers Direct will expand its impact by growing an international, smallholder-owned cooperative that amplifies the collective voice and power of smallholder farmers.

Mama’s Kitchen, an initiative by Good Food Fund in China, led by Melinda Hou. Mama’s Kitchen is a space that connects all stakeholders from farm to table, including farmers, nutritionists, chefs, and sustainability experts. Mama’s Kitchen advocates for a plant-rich diet and underscores the importance of food provenance. The organization swiftly gained momentum in 2020 by launching a dynamic public engagement campaign in Dali, China, which included over 25 livestream programs and 80 short films that reached millions on social media. Subsequent initiatives in 2022 and 2023 expanded their impact, leading to widespread media recognition and solidifying their role in driving healthy and sustainable eating practices, both locally and globally. Despite initial challenges and pushbacks, Mama’s Kitchen successfully promoted plant-forward eating in China by aligning with the National dietary guidelines but further adapted to the local requirements and sensitivities. This approach not only addressed cultural sensitivities but also paved the way for broader adoption of sustainable food practices in China, making people’s food choices more conducive to personal and planetary health.

Garda Pangan, spearheaded by Eva Bachtiar, addresses Indonesia’s food loss and waste problem by redistributing safe, edible surplus food and converting organic scraps into animal feed. The organization has firsthand experience of how the absence of supporting regulations hinders many grassroots efforts to rescue edible food and distribute it to those most in need. Recognizing this gap, Eva voiced her aspirations to the government by writing and publishing a comprehensive policy brief. She has since continued the bottom-up advocacy process with Indonesia’s national government for two years. The effort has borne fruit, as the government recently announced they are drafting the first food loss and waste reduction bill.

MA’O Organic Farms, led by Cheryse Kaui Sana Kaui, has a mission to grow organic produce and empower youth leaders in Waianae, Hawai’i. Kaui manages a 281 acre certified organic farm while mentoring 40-50 young adults that participate in a Youth Leadership Training Internship and a staff team of 30 full-time staff. Their mentorship and training include learning about organic farming practices, community engagement, and indigenous leadership development. Hawaiʻi is currently importing 85-90 percent of its food into the islands. MAʻO Farms’ goal is to increase its organic produce production 10-fold to decrease Hawaiʻi’s dependence on imports. The farm is in the middle of a 10-year expansion plan that will increase farm operations to meet this goal. They are building a future of māʻona, of plenty, by connecting people and land through the daily practice of aloha ʻāina (loving/caring of the land), empowering youth to succeed in college and secure sustaining careers, and growing organic produce that yields individual and communal vitality.  

These are just a few examples. In fact, each of the cohort members has a story to tell of Rosseauian leadership and Ubuntu Philosophy lived day to day in their work and throughout their change-making organizations. 

We would like to put forward and pose the following questions to food systems leaders reimagining food systems: 

1. Which issues in the global or local food system are you most passionate to address?

2. What tensions and polarities need to be balanced?

3. How can you create the space for multiple perspectives to be genuinely heard and for collaborative action to emerge?

4. What do you imagine for the future?

Leaning in, we would love to hear from you on your views, experiences. Join us in building bridges, breaking silos and developing more collaborative leadership by sharing your views and insights.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the authors are personal opinions and do not reflect the views of any specific organization.

This article was written by Dan Zook, Executive Director ISF Advisors – Financing Food System Transformation; Sanjoo Malhotra, Food Systems Consultant & Platform Manager WWF Global Action Platform on Sustainable Consumption and Diets; and Christine Gould, CEO and Founder of Thought For Food, Author “The Changemakers Guide to Feed the Planet.”

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Producers Direct

The post Op-Ed | Ubuntu Food Systems: Bridging Top-Down and Bottom-Up Leadership appeared first on Food Tank.