https://civileats.com/2023/11/15/re-localizing-the-food-system-to-fight-a-farm-free-future/ Daily News and Commentary About the American Food System Thu, 16 Nov 2023 15:30:22 +0000 hourly 1 https://civileats.com/2023/11/15/re-localizing-the-food-system-to-fight-a-farm-free-future/#comment-309415 Thu, 16 Nov 2023 15:30:22 +0000 https://civileats.com/?p=54261#comment-309415 The industrialized food system controlled by corporations is powerful and no interest in local food especially the National Restaurant Association. Nutrition forget it profit over health. There are now advertisements for containers producing vegetables and for urban areas. Those of us who understand good food and meat live in an alternative world

]]> https://civileats.com/2023/11/15/re-localizing-the-food-system-to-fight-a-farm-free-future/#comment-309414 Thu, 16 Nov 2023 01:42:59 +0000 https://civileats.com/?p=54261#comment-309414 I’m not understanding why the author is positioning “top-down” technological innovations as mutually exclusive to “bottom up” local networks. In fact, the two of them together create an even stronger chance of creating regional bioeconomies, where instead of the all-too-common rural and urban divide, we have mutually reliant and interconnected urban and rural communities. As one scenario: Imagine a regional bioeconomy where farmers are directly selling grains and other crops as ingredients to nearby alternative protein manufacturers (crops as inputs to plant-based and fermentation-derived end products, referred to by the author as “tech”), instead of that same grain getting shipped on a barge to China (where much of US grain gets sent today). In this scenario, local lands and waters are farmed and stewarded by those with the most intimate understanding of them, commerce stays local, resulting in a positive feedback loop of sustainable incomes, jobs, lower supply chain risks, lower emissions, etc. And instead of feeling divided or in competition, urban and rural communities are knitted together, each reliant on the other for their respective roles in a thriving bioeconomy and foodshed. It’s regrettable that the author (and so many others) put forth the either/or approach, and not take the time and care to even consider and imagine food system scenarios in which both cutting-edge technological advancements and innovations co-exist alongside and complement regional ecologically-driven land/water management and stewardship. Lastly, “land saving” and “land sharing” are also not mutually exclusive. We can share the land with farming and other human-driven activities/needs while also saving other lands for restoration and recovery. It’s regrettable that the author doesn’t acknowledge these two things can and do happen together, and instead incorrectly paints “food tech” as somehow anti-farming.

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