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Voices from the Field
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Learning to Collaborate - Youth Leaders Sprouting In The Field
September 4, 2008
By Karen Heisler, Pie Ranch
Can you recall the first time in your life that you felt the power of leadership and accomplishment in the adult world? At Pie Ranch, we were honored to witness our youth marching past this milestone last month as they hosted 30 other youth from around the country during the 10th Annual Rooted in Community (RIC) conference. Fortuitously located in the Bay Area, the 10th RIC conference was a milestone not just for our youth, but for the RIC community as well. For the first time, the conference planning committee hailed not from one or two organizations, but ten Bay Area youth food system and food justice organizations – a testament to the growth of youth leadership in food systems work!
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Fresno Green Supports Local Farmers |
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Voices from the Field
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September 4, 2008
By Sophia Pagoulatos, Interim Planning Manager, City of Fresno Planning & Development Department
In spite of the fact that Fresno is one of the most productive agricultural regions of the world, it has fewer farmers markets than many other California cities. Why? One reason is that until recently, the city’s zoning code did not actually define “farmers markets”, so establishing one has been very difficult, and even impossible, under the city’s regulations.
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Opening Remarks For Changemakers Day During Slow Food Nation |
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Michael R. Dimock’s Blog
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August 30, 2008
Following are three sets of opening remarks delivered by Michael Dimock at three panels of Changemakers Day during Slow Food Nation on August 29, 2008.
Panel: Network Power and Food Politics in the Connected Age
Thank you all for coming to Network Power: Food Politics in the Connected Age. My name is Michael Dimock and I am president of Roots of Change. Roots of Change is a collaborative of diverse leaders and institutions unified in common pursuit of a sustainable food system in California by the year 2030. As a coordinating entity across government, non-profit and business sectors, Roots of Change works to maximize the synergy available to those transforming the food system by convening multi-stakeholder planning sessions and supporting collaborative implementation with grants, fellowships, and contracts. Roots of Change is a sponsor and co-organizer of Changemakers Day and we are thrilled you are all here.
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Introducing The Declaration for Healthy Food and Agriculture |
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Michael R. Dimock’s Blog
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August 28, 2008
What follows is a transcript of the first public reading of the final draft Declaration for Healthy Food and Agriculture
By Michael R. Dimock and the Declaration Framers in the Rotunda of City Hall, San Francisco
Thank you all for coming to the first public reading of the Healthy Food and Agriculture Declaration, an effort involving individuals and organizations from all across the nation who seek fundamental improvement in food and farm policy.
My name is Michael Dimock and I am president of Roots of Change. Roots of Change is a collaborative of diverse leaders and institutions unified in common pursuit of a sustainable food system in California by the year 2030. As a coordinating entity across government, non-profit and business sectors, Roots of Change works to maximize the synergy available to those transforming the food system by convening multi-stakeholder planning sessions and supporting collaborative implementation with grants, fellowships, and contracts. We are very pleased to be working with Slow Food Nation and Slow Food USA on this weekend’s events that will awaken the nation to a delicious food revolution now underway.
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Changemakers Day & Slow Food Nation |
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Michael R. Dimock’s Blog
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August 16, 2008
Changemakers Day & Slow Food Nation: a time to celebrate the good food movement’s arrival on the national stage
On the one hand, a world food crisis, driven by peak oil, peak population, and climate change looms. On the other, spiking interest in renewable energy, healthy food and agriculture, social justice, and the concept of sustainable civilization offers hope. Amidst this dichotomy each of us make choices every day. How do I live? Where shall I focus my energy? What is my vision for the future?
Some will become more cynical and committed to self-preservation, hunker down in the face of challenges, and build a financial, physical, and psychological mote. Some will close their eyes, live as they have, and hope for the best. And some will think of the whole, search for solutions, and lend a hand in collective efforts to transform crisis into opportunity.
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Michael R. Dimock’s Blog
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Including: Listening Sessions for State Board of Food and Agriculture, ROC Fellows, San Francisco’s Urban-Rural Roundtable, and 21st Century Food and Agriculture Policy
June 23, 2008
By Micheal Dimock
It is a time of transition into robust action here at ROC. First, I’ll cover the transitions, then the actions. After three years of hard work and dedication, our friend and colleague, Nicole Mason, has stepped out of her role at ROC to embrace new challenges. I speak for all of us in the ROC community in saying we wish Nicole every success and we thank her for her good service. She will be consulting with us through the fall to ensure that Changemaker’s Day at Slow Food Nation is a success. Many of you will be seeing and hearing from Nicole on ROC’s behalf through the summer. You can read more about Changemaker’s Day and Slow Food Nation in this newsletter and on line at www.slowfoodnation.org.
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Farm to Fork: Delivering Another Piece of a Sustainable Local Food System |
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Voices from the Field
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June 23, 2008
By Leah Smith, Marin Farmers Market Association
Marin County is home to a progressive community of farmers, educators, and advocates who are currently collaborating in the creation of a regional food system. Working together to keep local and sustainable family farmers in business, we re-create the way the public relates to the food they eat. Through this hard work, Marin County is now the home of its own organic certification program called Marin Organic Certified Agriculture (MOCA). In 2007, Marin County approved a new countywide plan that acknowledges not only the importance of agriculture but also the value of local food systems for social, health and ecological reasons. Marin County’s UC Cooperative Extension office has a committed Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Advisor who trains farmers in how to diversify their businesses and grow food using sustainable practices. These are just a few of Marin’s innovative programs that are shifting our food system towards sustainability.
The Roots of Change Campaign Strategy articulates three levers: Leadership, Production and Distribution Systems, and Public Perception, along with several corresponding objectives, all as a strategy to transform California’s food system. In Marin County we are currently working on all three of these fronts in our collaborative, dynamic countywide effort. One innovative piece of Marin’s work toward a sustainable food system is a new distribution program called Farm to Fork - a local food-based delivery system offering healthy, seasonal, local food to Marin’s institutions. This system, in turn, offers new economic opportunities for regional farmers.
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