Reclaiming Our Food Blog
I straddle two worlds – the academic world where people are trying to build understanding about our food system, and the grassroots world where people are doing something concrete in their own community to improve their food.
As I conducted research for my new book, Reclaiming Our Food, I was amazed at how many people are hungry for the both kinds of information – the big picture and the practical. People I sat next to on planes, people I met in airports, or in stores, without fail everyone had a personal story to tell about food. And equally without fail, everyone also had a personal concern about the impact of food – on a parent, sibling, child, or even on their own health.
With this BLOG, I want to help people learn about both the big picture and the practical, to help us all spiral toward a better future.
I welcome your feedback, as well as your ideas for noteworthy projects! (For more on the purpose of this BLOG, see my May 1, 2011 post).
@ReclamngOurFood: Farm policies have kept us skinnier? Study raises questions, highlights complexities, but defies common sense: http://t.co/7Cks6EVL
@ReclamngOurFood: Calling Virginians:take the pledge! Spend $10 of weekly food budget on local to grow Va economy by $1.65 Billion! http://t.co/58et74zX
@ReclamngOurFood: Tending summer food gardens fills important void, creates new jobs, grows new urban farmers: a win-win-win! http://t.co/5Gd63AMo
@ReclamngOurFood: Bravo, NC Org Bread Flour Project is milling, connecting farmers to bakers! http://t.co/tOvvKlRu
@ReclamngOurFood: “Food deserts” are swamps; studies say fresh food widely available. Only recourse against obesity: education? http://t.co/KjVcTsMI
@ReclamngOurFood: Astonishing wake-up call: world firm KPMG names food industry worst environmental actor, $2 damage per $1 profit http://t.co/6gF1o4TJ
@ReclamngOurFood: Kudos to Boston Tree Party for “growing civic fruit” & restoring fruit to community life http://t.co/JXcRT1m7
“Local-washing” was probably only a matter of time. Call me naïve, call me hopeful, or call me trusting. Whatever I was, I no longer am. My understanding of the local food movement was turned upside down last week, when I visited a small bucolic farm off a dirt road leading down to the James River. There, a premier artisan cheese maker turned my head when she asked, “You’ve heard of local-washing, haven’t you?” Local-washing is a simple concept, and amazingly easy to execute. Steal the name of one or more local farms, and use it to gain street cred for Read More
@ReclamngOurFood: Finally, not only permission but good health reasons for girls to get down and dirty! http://t.co/jB96AjPy
@ReclamngOurFood: Virginia’s buzzin’ for more bees. Polarized legislature finds common ground to offer money for more honey. http://t.co/elhf8tvG