Picturing a Local Food Web
From CFI
Provided by Mary Zellachild:
Does it make any sense to talk about a local food system or is it just an impossible dream? And if it’s potentially feasible, what would a local food system look like?
First of all, anyone traveling out into Little Lake Valley would pass by a vast panorama of food-growing fields. In the spring, green would be the predominant color of a dazzling array of lettuce, peas, chard, kale, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, artichokes and other, more exotic veggies. Summer would gradually introduce corn, zucchini and other squashes, cucumbers, carrots, beets, melons, green bean teepees and other types of beans into the landscape. Fall would be harvest time for the summer crops while winter veggies were started.
Sprinkled liberally over the valley would be passive solar greenhouses to encourage the timely maturation of crops like tomatoes, eggplants and peppers that need more heat than our valley nights can produce. The greenhouses would also harbor greens over the winter so we could have a year-round supply. Large quantities of grains would also be growing most of the year, in the valley and around its edges, providing the basis for our staple bread, pasta and cereal.
Fruits wouldn’t be neglected. We’re already gifted with a large supply of plum, apple and pear trees; grapes grow well here as well as strawberries and other berries. More fruit trees and soft fruits would be planted all over while existing fruit trees would be identified, nurtured and harvested. The blackberries that insist on growing here could be pruned to provide better access to their delicious fruit. Excess fruit could be turned into jam, jelly, fruit leather and syrup for income or home use.
Food could be planted in more than just the valley. Empty or underused spaces in town could also be reclaimed for community gardens or more formal types of food production. A huge potential exists in backyards. As the community consciousness gradually becomes attuned to the value of a local food system, backyards may start to regain recognition as valuable spaces for a kitchen garden and possible income generation.
Of course, a local food system would have more than just plants growing and farm infrastructure. There would be people—lots of people—working in the fields, in the common town spaces and backyards to nurture the food as it’s grown. Cooperative efforts and cooperative equipment sharing could lower the time and money requirements that an individual farmer often faces. The high school and community college could offer courses in organic agriculture and students could intern on valley farms to earn some income and learn food-growing skills.
This vision couldn’t be complete without consumers—the people who will buy the food that’s produced here. It could be made available at farm stands, at year-round farmers markets, or eventually at farm shops, which are farmer-owned. Yes, it could cost more to buy locally. Farmers need a living wage, too. But eating fresh, local food could cost less in the long run as processed food loses its appeal and health improves.
We have the power to visualize what kind of future we want for ourselves. What shall it be?
