The first annual Brooklyn Food Conference took place over the weekend, bringing a diverse audience, estimated at between 2,500 and 3,000 people, together around the idea of creating a just, sustainable and delicious food system for all. The grassroots effort that resulted from a partnership between a group of passionate volunteers and a small number of like-minded organizations was impressive in its breadth and scope. More than 60 workshops touched on a wide array of subjects ranging from food policy and health to backyard gardening and political organizing. A perusal of the conference offerings from the day points to both the integral role that food plays in all aspects of our lives and the complexities of the issues surrounding it.
At the opening forum, chef and local food advocate, Dan Barber of Blue Hill Restaurant provided an examination into the concerns around big agriculture, pointing to the fact that truly sustainable farming considers the needs of a whole system, not just the final output. Barber was followed Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved, who took the audience through his recent visit to the industrial feedlots of Mexico, noting that trade agreements like NAFTA have forced poorer countries to move away from local farming practices in order to compete in the global marketplace. Leaving off with a pointed cultural critique about the general attitude following the recent presidential elections in the US, Patel said that we can’t simply rely on Obama as “pizza delivery man of change,” but instead need to take an active role in shaping our government’s policies. The final remarks came courtesy of LaDonna Redmond, founder of The Institute for Community Resource Development, who spoke on the work that we still have left to do, particularly when it comes to the health of our cities. In talking about her Chicago neighborhood, Redmond said that “for many people it doesn’t come down to a choice between good food and cheap food, but of getting any food,” pointing to the fact that it was easier to get a handgun than a piece of fruit. But in spite of these disparities, Redmond felt that by recognizing ourselves as agents of change and making conscious choices, anything was possible.
At this point, we had the opportunity to sit in on a number of panels and get a taste for the variety of subjects being covered at the event. A discussion centered on permaculture, looked at building infinitely scalable systems within communities that were responsive, responsible and resilient. In light of the dense population of cities, we found inspiration behind the idea that the positive actions we make collectively – consider the residents of a typical high-rise apartment in NYC – can leave a noticeable impact without us even having to walk out our front door. And in terms of keeping things close to home, it doesn’t get any more local than that.
Later we got schooled in the emerging science of aquaponics, an aquatic farming model that combines the raising of fish and certain edible plant species in closed-loop ecosystems that continuously replenish one another. Despite some of the problems associated with farm-raised fish in the past, given the state of the world’s oceans and waterways, systems like these are taking on greater significance as technologies and understanding improve. This discussion envisioned a future where commercial fishing practices will see a return to smaller, traditional methods, bolstered by better models for raising certain marine species in controlled environments.
Taking ideas of water a step further, we took in a workshop around the pending global water crisis and the ways that policy decisions are shaping these future discussions. During this panel, Elizabeth Royte, author of Bottlemania, provided so many excellent insights into the subject and that we feel her book now warrants a read.
To close out the day, we stopped by to hear some stories from our next generation of farmers, sitting in on a conversation that included Michael Robertson, the agricultural director of the Queens County Farm Museum and Severine Von Tscharner Fleming, director of the upcoming documentary Greenhorns. With the future of our food firmly rooted in the capable hands of not only these individuals, but everyone that took part in the conference, we have much to be excited about as we look ahead to a summer filled with the local bounty. And as we were reminded, time and again on Saturday, eating is an agricultural act, a political act and perhaps most importantly, an act of pure pleasure.
Facebook
Twitter
Digg
Reddit
StumbleUpon
