Los Angeles Times Article, Behind the Scenes at the Slow Food Show
Slow Food Nation is gaining precedence, especially now that we have a new administration that has demonstrated an interest in “sustainability.” What this tentatively means is that we may see active-rather than the passive semantics heard from the previous administration-support for environmental and social programs backed by policy geared towards reshaping the way American’s think about food, farming and urbanity. According to the American Farmland Trust, “President-elect Obama voted in favor of the 2008 Farm Bill, and his campaign platform supported farmland preservation, regional food systems and renewable energy.”
This is not a boxed-in way of thinking. I believe that we will see a change in international policy as well. The Terra Madre conference was a platform for this type of dialog between policy makers, leaders in the urban agriculture movement, and national and international community advocates. The conference speakers and guests noted that the way we produce and consume food is more than a food issue, though food was definitely a focal point. It is a community, economic development and cultural issue as well, which should be reflected in U.S. policy and international initiatives for food programs.
As per the article, the food issue takes many shapes, some more cultural, while others are more economically minded. Given this reality, the way we as community members, farmers and government officials approach the multitudinous food issues should vary. Different demographics and climates require that our efforts be situational and place specific. Though, however we begin to address the current food crisis dependent on fuel costs, as well as natural and human resources, it is imperative that we continue these conferences and dialogs of any kind to continue stepping forward as people, communities, countries and a global society.
