If you could radically change the food we grow and eat in this country, would you? Would you ensure all children, elders, and adults had enough nutritious food to eat? Would you make it easier for young people, women, and folks of color to start their own small farms? Would you stop funding the devastating mess created by factory farming?

Well, you can.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Emily Walsh / Slow Food USA / 718-260-8000 x154 / emilyw@slowfoodusa.org
Contact: Katherine Deumling / Cook With What You Have / 503-715-7697/ katherine@cookwithwhatyouhave.com

BROOKLYN, NY (May 16, 2012) – Slow Food USA, a national non-profit dedicated to creating a world where the food we eat is good for us, good for farmers and workers, and good for the planet, has elected Katherine Deumling as chair of its Board of Directors.  Deumling previously served as vice chair of the Board and is currently chair of the Finance Committee.  She is also a former southwest regional governor of Slow Food USA and prior to that, was a chair of Slow Food Portland.  Deumling succeeds Chris Carpenter, who served as Board chair since 2008 after being a long-time leader of Slow Food in northern California.

As board chair Deumling will help guide the strategic direction of the organization, including creating visibility for Slow Food’s network of volunteer-led chapters across the country.  She will remain an active member in Slow Food Portland, where she brings her expertise and passion for bringing urban and rural communities together for the sustainability of both to support local farmers, and engages in policy work around land use in the metro area, which is home to a rich, diversified farm community as well as a thriving urban center with ongoing development pressures.

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Slow Food President Carlo Petrini will address the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) today, during the half-day session on the right to food and food sovereignty. His invitation to join the New York meeting at the UN headquarters, as a valued “friend and supporter of Indigenous Peoples”, marks the first time in the ten-year history of the Forum that an external guest has been invited to take the floor.

Petrini will be joined in the discussion by UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Olivier De Schutter, and representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organization and Indigenous and governmental groups. Previously the Forum was only open to Indigenous, governmental or UN representatives.

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Back in March, we told you about the efforts of the Slow Food Western Slope & Rocky Mountain region chapters to defend the North Fork Valley, an agricultural gem that embodies Slow Food’s principles of envisioning a world in which all people can eat food that is good for them, good for the planet, and good for those who produce it. The Valley, they said, was “under attack” due to an announcement that 22 parcels of land (over 30,000 acres) would be up for oil and gas sales. They went on to explain how this would directly affect over 70 winemakers, farmers, orchardists, ranchers and agricultural businesses in North Fork Valley who depend on good and clean water, air and soil for their businesses.

We are happy to report that the agency overseeing the sale, the Bureau of Land Management, thanks, in part, to the of comments submitted by Slow Food members across the Rocky Mountain region, has decided to defer all sales in the region. This is a major win for Slow Food Western Slope and the region at large, but this story is certainly not over. To learn more, see the BLM Press release below:

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Written by Peggy Markel, founder of the Slow Food Boulder Chapter, owner and operator of Peggy Markel’s Culinary Adventures

I first encountered Slow Food in the small Village of Scansano, in southern Tuscany, on a crisp spring day in 1993 with the countryside painted pink in olive tree blossoms. My friend Janet Hansen, an American who had lived in Italy for 30 years, had just finished surveying her olive trees and harvesting a few artichokes for lunch when I pulled up. I knew my way around Tuscany well at this point, perfecting my Italian enough to ask questions and understand the answers. I’d witnessed my own culinary travel program in the hills outside of Florence flourish that year. I’d met farmers who made fresh pecorino (100% sheeps milk cheese) with an old stirring stick, forming it into straw basket molds. I’d seen firsthand the curious relationship between farmer and animal, and the affection with which a small enough farm treats the flock. Tillo could just call his sheep back to the barn in the evenings, no dog necessary. To fatten the pigs with something hearty, Signor Valentini fed them chestnuts.

Italy remains a place of preserved traditions, especially with Carlo Petrini and his friends bringing attention to the importance of protecting these old ways. In the last twenty years, I have noticed the terrible beauty of transition from the traditional to the contemporary. Cars now fill ancient piazzas with exhaust and noise. Urban sprawl has forced farmland to become scarce. We make room for commerce, shipping food from large agro farms and forfeiting the possibility of growing our own. We work too hard, eat on the run and complain to our doctors that we don’t feel well. Families break down. There is also this painful truth.

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On my weekly trips to the grocery store I transform into an avid food inspector for a short period of time: I look for different certifications, growing practices, and any other pertinent information about my food. I am on a constant quest for food that is not only nourishing for my body but also for the earth. Until recently, I thought that organic farming practices was the be-all and end-all answer to this quest; on a recent enlightening (and very rainy) trip to the Ecology Center’s Farmers’ Market in downtown Berkeley, I was informed that this is not the case.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn about biodynamic farming – a practice that actually surpasses organic farming in sustainability and environmental awareness.

I was first introduced to biodynamic farming at this farmers market through a vendor from Flying Disc Ranch, a date and citrus farm located in Thermal, California.  I inquired about their practices and was surprised when the usual response of “certified organic” didn’t come, instead his reply was, “We are a biodynamic farm.” Biodynamic? This sounded intriguing and innovative, I was immediately captivated and rightfully so.

Biodynamic farming is a unique practice that takes organic farming a step further by not only excluding the use of synthetic fertilizer and pesticide use, but also by looking at the farm as a whole, self-sustaining entity with many symbiotic relationships. It essentially views the farm as a living organism. It takes into consideration all the different interdependent factors in the farm such as soils, crops, animals, and even farmers. It then utilizes these ecological relationships to create a harmonious farming technique that is highly productive, while maintaining the integrity of the land. In fact, one of its main goals is to foster the wellbeing of all aspects of the farm by embracing biodiversity, permaculture values, and homeopathic remedies.

Yet another unique component of biodynamic farming is their awareness of the lunar effects on plants, animals, and soils. According to biodynamics.com, practitioners of biodynamic farming “recognize and strive to work in cooperation with the subtle influences of the wider cosmos on soil, plant and animal health.” They typically farm by a lunar calendar and pay close attention to the cosmological influences and natural cycles of their farm.

Biodynamic farming is the culmination of ecologically conscious food practices. It takes into account all of the important elements of a farm to make it the most sustainable and harmonious process. Although biodynamic farming is not a mainstream practice just yet it is gaining popularity and will hopefully be the norm in future farms.

This post was originally published on the Real Time Farms blog as a part of their Food Warrior Internship Program. These interns are collecting data, pictures, and video on the growing practices of our nation’s farms, gathering food artisans’ stories, and documenting farmers markets. Their mission is to do this work because we all deserve to know where our food comes from. Learn more about Real Time Farms & the Food Warrior Program at http://www.RealTimeFarms.com.

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Written by Slow Food USA Intern Lizzy Ott

In this age of take out containers and fast food chains, the gap between food and consumer has become wider than ever. With hopes of establishing a more tangible connection to my food, I decided that I wanted to volunteer on an organic farm. But how? And where? I typed “volunteer on an organic farm” into Google and found my answer—World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (Wwoof for short). Wwoof serves as a platform for connecting organic farmers with volunteers just like me. For $30 members are given access to farms throughout the entire world, ranging from the far reaches of Asia to your next-door neighbor. With over 1,300 farms in the US alone, the possibilities seemed endless and I found the long farm lists insanely daunting. How to narrow down the choices?

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Humboldt Park is one of Chicago’s 77 neighborhood areas, just west of trendy Wicker Park. It’s known for its beautiful 207-acre park, as well as its deeply rooted Puerto Rican community. Every June, thousands descend upon California and Division Streets to celebrate the Puerto Rican People’s Parade, where you can buy corn and arepas and any number of delicious foods. Yet, this neighborhood, comprised of a community with strong ties to cuisine, is considered a food desert.

The term food desert has been buzzing around Chicago since Mayor Emanuel declared it one of the key issues of his tenure. Approximately 40 percent of the city lives in a ‘food desert’, characterized by a lack of access to fresh, healthy food and grocery stores. These areas happen to occur exclusively in low-income African-American and Latino neighborhoods—like Humboldt Park.

Long before Mayor Emanuel took office, groups had been exploring the implications of food deserts on health and community. In 2006, Mari Gallagher produced a notable report examining their negative impact on public health. Around the same time, Sinai Urban Health Institute did a study that identified Humboldt Park’s obesity rate as considerably higher than the city average: 50 percent of Humboldt Park’s children were found to be obese.

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Today, Slow Food USA announces its plan to join Slow Food International to build one thousand gardens in Africa. See the official release below …

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Emily Walsh / Slow Food USA / 718-260-8000 x154 / emilyw@slowfoodusa.org

Slow Food USA, a national non-profit dedicated to creating a world where the food we eat is good for us, good for farmers and workers, and good for the planet, announced that it is joining forces with Slow Food International to build a thousand gardens in Africa.  A Thousand Gardens in Africa is part of a global initiative to bring the Slow Food network together to ensure African food security, as well as to raise awareness of native plant varieties and medicinal herbs.  The community and school plots are located across the continent, particularly in places that have become dependent on foreign aid and imported commodities.

A Thousand Gardens in Africa has raised funding for 567 gardens to date through a worldwide constituency and it is starting to bolster local economies in 25 countries from Egypt to South Africa.  The project is community-driven and based on a training-of-trainers model under the guidance of Slow Food coordinators and horticulturists.  Communities have to apply for and want to maintain the gardens themselves.  Improving farmer autonomy makes certain that knowledge is passed down for future seasons, and helps farmers grow food for their communities rather than for export at the expense of their own nourishment. Through a more sustainable use of soil and water, and a safeguarding of traditional recipes, villages are also gaining a sense of pride for the natural resources that they share and that they want to protect by not using harmful chemicals.

The movement towards a more sustainable approach to agriculture is happening worldwide.  In the U.S., consciousness is increasing, as evidenced by a number of Slow Food USA’s recent projects.  This year alone, the volunteer-run organization engaged more than 150,000 children in school food and garden programs.  In Florida, Slow Food Miami planted 66 gardens in 66 days; and in Colorado, Slow Food Denver’s Seed to Table program organized over 900 parents and teachers to bring gardens and real food to cafeterias in more than 60 percent of the city’s public schools.

“Slow Food volunteers are working to transform food and farming nationwide.  Now, they’re stepping up to support their colleagues in Africa who are working to do the same,” said Josh Viertel, president of Slow Food USA.  “Historically, in the U.S., we’ve fought global hunger by growing cheap grain and dumping it on foreign markets.  In the end, we’ve just displaced farmers in developing countries, and created more poverty and hunger.  We need solutions that give people the resources they need to feed themselves.  We are helping to build One Thousand Gardens in Africa that prove it’s possible.”

“By supporting A Thousand Gardens in Africa, one isn’t just supplying the materials necessary to set up a garden, and guaranteeing a daily supply of fresh and healthy food to local populations, they’re encouraging young people to be farmers.  And that’s a very special thing,” said Paolo di Croce, executive director of Slow Food International.  “It’s an ambitious project but every donation – whether financial or time – goes a long way.”

Each garden costs approximately $1,300 to build, and a donation of any amount supports the initiative.  All donations are tax-deductible.

To donate or to learn more, please visit www.SlowFoodUSA.org.

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Written by Slow Food International

In Africa, the local coordinators of the Thousand Gardens project have already engaged 608 communities in developing sustainable food plots. In the rest of the world, Slow Food’s international network has sprung into action to collect the funds and 561 gardens have been adopted so far.

In the lush green highlands of northern Malawi, the Slow Food network has been busy creating 10 sustainable food gardens with schools and communities, assisted by experienced horticulturalist Frederick Msiska. Around the town of Nchenachena, 500 kilometers north of the country’s capital, Msiska is known as “the plant doctor” for his vast knowledge of sustainable agriculture. Together with the Terra Madre learning community in Nchenachena, he’s organizing seminars to teach local farmers how to make bokash (a solid natural fertilizer made from soil, grass, eggshells and paper) and to build rainwater collection tanks for irrigation. Msiska moves tirelessly from one garden to the next, overseeing schoolchildren, teachers and farmers as they cultivate traditional varieties, like those known as ziku, malezi and kamughangi in the local chitumbuka language.

In South Africa, more and more emerging farmers are returning to land that was taken away from black people during apartheid. In a context in which big farms are benefiting from cheap labor, incentives for young people are lacking and access to land is still a burning issue, even a small garden plot can be of great importance. In the wide valleys of the Western and Northern Cape, the Surplus People Project, the organization coordinating the Thousand Gardens in Africa project on a national level, is working with emerging farmers to plant agroecological food gardens that can satisfy the food needs of their families and serve as educational showcases. Farmers in Porterville, a small town north of Cape Town, for example, are cultivating a site to inspire households and schools in the community to plant their own food gardens. “How can we fight poverty? How can we help people be independent of social welfare?” asks Anthony Cloete, the coordinator of the Porterville community garden. “Teach people how to produce seeds and to plant them each new season.”

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