This week, I spoke with a number of different people who are invested in the culture of the Co-op in a many different ways. I started researching topics such as economic justice for family scale farming, and more specifically, the relationship of poverty to sustainable farming. However, after a few conversations, I quickly realized this topic also encompasses climate change, poverty and human rights.
I had one particularly interesting phone interview with Mark Kastel, the director of the Cornucopia Institute. The Cornucopia Institute is a leader in the economic justice branch of family scale farming, essentially providing necessary information to family farmers, consumers and other stakeholders in the “good food” movement. They also partner with consumers nationwide to back ecologically produced, local, organic and authentic food. He encouraged me to investigate this aspect of sustainable farming, and the long-term social impact that family scale farming has on communities nationwide.
Conversations such as these have given me new mechanisms by which to approach the issue, and a new basis by which to portray the movement as a whole. I hope to continue to have conversations with people around the country, and find out how far sustainable farming can take the nation.
Interesting Article about poverty reduction and community farming: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTRESEARCH/EXTWDRS/0,,contentMDK:21501332~pagePK:478093~piPK:477627~theSitePK:477624,00.html
