Featured article in The Ecologist Vol. The USDA proposed standards for organic food and farming has caused quite a stir, and there are numerous writings and web sites that keep you up to date on the issue. It is my position that we need to rethink farming and food in a way that will empower people and local economies to provide for much more of their own food and to reduce their dependency on the corporate food system. At the same time, the public discourse is vital, and you are encouraged to stay informed and involved in this debate. This web site was created by the same person who has done the technical work and original design of this home page, a fellow activist, Soula Culver.
Eating is both a personal and political act.
Food provides us with physical and spiritual sustenance and is a primary way for us to transmit vital cultural traditions and preserve relationships through the generations. Food provides us with a lens through which we can examine our basic values, such as how we form communities and how we use land and water. Food has enormous political and economic implications which involve urgent social questions such as how to cope with rampant urbanization, the trends towards industrialization and corporatization of agriculture, the impact of biotechnology and globalization, and whether or not we value rural life and biodiversity. In a democracy, we should never relinquish our basic right to directly participate, by making informed decisions, in a dynamic and diverse food system, one that provides everyone with access to fresh, healthy, culturally appropriate food from local and sustainable sources. .