My daily life is all about local food. When I’m not making dinner or digging around my garden, I have the pleasure of working with farmers, community members, organizations, chefs, the media, distributors, and retailers to engage people in a more sane agricultural system for the state. There has never been a more exciting time for this work! I eat what I eat—local and organic (lorganic) whenever possible—because it is the easiest (and most delicious) way to support the kind of environment I want to live in: one that regionally provides for my food needs, increases small business vitality, and values community and a more healthful environment. I’m not alone in my love for lorganically grown food—demand has reached a new peak in eater awareness in the past year.
Local food hasn’t been this hot since the Victory Garden days (World War II era) when nearly 20 million Americans were growing their own. In 2007 “Locavore” was deemed word of the year by the New Oxford American Dictionary, and Michael Pollen tipped the issue over the edge with the release of his book, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” This pivotal book exposed many of the underlying disparities and externalities of the food we eat—much to our discontent. Food can be easier to eat if you aren’t aware of the chains that brought it from food to fork (check out the book if you don’t believe me). The reinvigorated interest in locally grown foods are coming from our inherent desire to be more connected with our food, to trust the food that we eat will be safe, to eat a healthier and more delicious diet, to ensure that good food will be available for future generations, and to minimize our dependency on foreign foods and oil. At least that’s the way that I see it.
With the price of oil increasing (over $120 a barrel!), local, state, and federal governments are starting to nibble around the topic of local food security and access. Contra Costa County, California, just passed a progressive resolution linking the Public Health Department with local farming organizations like the Brentwood Agricultural Land Trust. This year October is Local Food Month; we will be encouraging everyone to eat as close to home as possible, and for other counties to pass the same sort of resolutions. Through work in creating the Bay Area Local Food Guide and online searchable database for all things local, I’m finding that by involving everyone in the food chain—from farmer to eater—we are able to improve the economic viability of our farming community.
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