Defining a Healthy, Resilient Food System
Health is a changing state of balance.
A resilient food system is a living network, non-hierarchical and springing from mutual agreements to cultivate health, diversity, equity, and economic balance.
Because everyone must eat to live, it must adapt to environmental, social, and political changes while stewarding the well-being of land, workers, production, and eaters. This food system is grounded in gastronomic traditions, small-scale farming practices, and the need to provide for future generations.
Its respect for diversity of people, eco-systems, and choices ensures the best practices for cultivation and production in accordance with local need and capacity.
Connected enough to sustain local bio-diversity, cultural identity, nourishment, and sense of purpose, this system provides equal access to whole, contaminant-free ingredients.
When change occurs, the community-minded system, where everyone has a voice, can collaborate to make decisions based on the health of people and planet.
How does the media define a resilient food system?
Mother Earth News shapes its definition around goals:
Focus on community empowerment to grow food and seek out natural remedies to heal friends and family;
Promote research in the field of agro-ecology in order to influence congressional farm policy;
Sell publications and subscriptions to educate privileged members of the food system about gardening, natural health, and consumption.
Through their primary strategy of publishing research and education, this media outlet works to catalyze change among its readers.
I work with Food Solutions New England to shape this definition for the Northeast bio-region.
How do you define a resilient food system?
Please leave your comments here.
