In Search of Good Food…
As a gardening activist living in an urban wonderland located in one of
the most agriculturally productive regions in the world, where options
for diverse cuisine abound, I have often found myself wondering “where is
all this food coming from?” Are most people in the city eating
sustainably produced, locally and ecologically grown organic foods?
This doesn’t seem likely. While much headway has been made in the
mainstreaming of organic foods, what exactly is the state of California’s
emerging “sustainable” food system? After mulling about the idea
for a food system tour, I linked up with filmmaker Jesse Sabin and, with
the fiscal sponsorship and support of the Community Food Security
Coalition (CFSC), I have decided to make a documentary film on the
topic. Jesse and I will be traveling the state during the first 3
months of 2008, interviewing players in this food system. Included
will be farmers, farmer’s market organizations, watershed and farm-land
advocacy groups, university buying departments, educational
organizations, non-profits of all sorts, established and emerging
grassroots groups, government regulators and politicians, county
extension agents, and the many others who form various arms of this
movement to ensure an ongoing supply of healthy, ecologically and
locally-produced, economically affordable food for all
Californians.
The questions asked will generally be these (but each interview will of
course be tailored to each interviewee’s unique position):
1) What do you do?
2) How do you envision California’s “sustainable food
system”?
3) What role do you see yourself or your organization playing in
such a food system? What is your capacity? What are your
limitations?
4) What might help you fulfill that capacity with your
project?
5) What methods/strategies have and haven’t worked for you?
6) What are the obstacles you see facing the realization of the
sustainable food system?
7) Who do you see as having much influence over the food
system?
8) What information would you like consumers to be more aware
of?
My intention is multi-faceted: to gather information
on the food system; to seek ideas on how to improve and apply sustainable
practices and models (from those already doing it themselves); to gather
information on what emergent organizations need to build their capacity
(and pass this info onto the California Food and Justice Coalition, who
will use it to direct their organizational-support programs), and
finally, to gather footage to use in the film, entitled
“In Search Of Good Food”.
If you, your organization, or someone you know would like to be included
in this film, please contact me as soon as you can.
Thank you,
Antonio
Roman-Alcalá
(415) 970 0321
2715 22nd St SF CA
94110
insearchofgoodfood@gmail.com
www.foodsecurity.org
Santa Barbara Permaculture Network
(805) 962-2571
P.O. Box 92156, Santa Barbara, CA 93190
margie@sbpermaculture.com
www.sbpermaculture.org
"We are like trees, we
must create new leaves, in new directions, in order to grow." -
Anonymous