The future of food & farming
Links & resources
Articles
What is a sustainable food system?
The Food Declaration; A clear statement of what kind of food and agriculture policy is needed, endorsed by a broad base of organizations and individuals.
Local Food
Going to the Source: Why Buying Local Matters; Sound Consumer, June 2008.
Local? Organic? What’s a Consumer to Do?; Sound Consumer, June 2007.
Local Food — Adventures in Eating Regionally; Sound Consumer, October 2004.
Is Eating Local The Best Choice?; Alternet, 2007.
DEFRA Report: The Validity of Food Miles as an Indicator of Sustainable Development (PDF); July 2005.
Food, Fuel, and Freeways: An Iowa Perspective on How Far Food Travels, Fuel Usage, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Leopold Center, June 2001.
Support Local Farmers; Christian Science Monitor, August 2002
Where Does Your Food Come From? The Best Tasting Food Ripens Closest to Home (PDF); FoodRoutes.
Regional food: it takes a community; Sound Consumer, September 2006.
Farm Bill policies
The Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008; The official 2008 Farm Bill.
Weed it and Reap; Michael Pollan’s critique of the 2008 Farm Bill, New York Times, November 4, 2007.
Old MacDonald Had a Farm Bill: The Good, Bad, and Ugly in our National Five-year Agricultural Plan; Debra Eschmeyer, Grist, June 4, 2008.
Grassroots Guide to the 2008 Farm Bill; An outline of the Bill’s provisions for sustainable agriculture from the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
Farmer-in-Chief; Michael Pollan's open letter to President-elect Obama, New York Times Magazine, October 12, 2008.
Barack Obama’s rural and agriculture policies
Food & climate change
Global Warming and Food Choices: A Guide to Low Carbon Eating; An article addressing method of production, packaging, and mode of transportation; Sound Consumer, March 2008.
Climate Change Threatens World Food Production, Says New Study; VOAnews, September 2007.
A Big Contributor to Global Warming: Food; Slash, April 2007.
Fighting Global Warming with Food: Low-Carbon Choices for Dinner; Environmental Defense Fund, August 2007.
Food-Miles and the Relative Climate Impacts of Food Choices in the United States; Environmental Science and Technology, April 2008.
Manifesto on Climate Change and the Future of Food Security; The International Commission on the Future of Food and Agriculture.
The true cost of food
The True Cost of Food; Judith Yarrow and Trudy Bialic, Sound Consumer, May 2004.
The High Cost of Cheap Food (PDF); John Ikerd, Small Farm Today, July/August, 2001.
Menu for the Next Prez; Chef Dan Barber and sustainable agriculture expert Fred Kirschenmann set the table for a new food policy. Grist, October 23, 2008.
The World’s Growing Food-price Crisis; Time, February 23, 2008.
Challenges to Farming
A new generation of farmers; Sound Consumer, October 2006.
Nourishing the life of soil; Sound Consumer, March 2006.
The buzz that makes the world go round; Sound Consumer, April 2006.
Biofuels vs food
Why Ethanol Production Will Drive World Food Prices Even Higher in 2008; Earth Policy Institute, January 2008.
U.N.: Biofuels Could Devastate Environment; World agency raises possible negative impact of biofuels on evironment and food security, May 2008.
Biofuels, Food, or Wildlife? The Massive Land Costs of U.S. Ethanol; Competitive Enterprise Institute, September 2006.
World Bank Chief: Biofuels Boosting Food Prices; National Public Radio, April 2008.
Biofuels, Land Use, and Farmers; Sound Consumer, July 2006.
Labor & trade
Slow Food for Thought; Eric Schlosser, The Nation, September 3, 2008.
Factory farming
Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial Farm Production in America (PDF); a new report by The Pew Charitable Trusts and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health about the harmful impacts of factory farming, 2008.
Our Farmers
See profiles of some of PCC's farmers and producers.
Local Resources
Cascade Harvest Coalition Cascade Harvest Coalition is a non-profit organization dedicated to “re-localizing” the food system in Washington State by more directly connecting consumers and producers.
Puget Sound Fresh Puget Sound Fresh helps local farmers of King and Snohomish counties market their goods.
Washington Sustainable Food and Farming Network (WSFFN) WSFFN is a grassroots, statewide advocacy organization for sustainable agriculture and family farms in Washington State.
Seattle Tilth Seattle Tilth offers resources for the urban gardener, including classes and a list of local farms that offer Community Supported Agriculture programs. CSAs offer consumers the chance to invest in a farmer and get the dividends back in the form of weekly produce boxes.
Tilth Producers Tilth Producers is a membership program that promotes sustainable agriculture in the interest of environmental preservation, human health and social equity.
Washington State Farmers Market Association
National Resources
National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture The National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture is dedicated to educating the public on the importance of a sustainable food and agriculture system that's economically viable, environmentally sound, socially just and humane.
American Farmland Trust American Farmland Trust works to stop the loss of productive farmland and to promote farming practices that lead to a healthy environment.
Farmland Information Center Farmland Information Center is a public/private partnership between American Farmland Trust and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service that provides technical information about farmland protection.
Land Trust Alliance Land Trust Alliance convenes and represents land trusts across America.
Local Harvest Local Harvest is a nationwide directory of small farms, farmers markets, and other local food sources.
Alternative Farming Systems Information Center Alternative Farming Systems Information is a program of the USDA. Learn about organic and sustainable farming policies and programs on a national governmental level.
Environmental Defense Fund Environmental Defense Fund includes Federal Farm Policy reform in their work to protect ecosystems.
Slow Food USA Slow Food USA is the U.S. chapter of the global, grassroots, international movement that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.
Sustainable Table Sustainable Table is an online resource that celebrates local food, works to educate consumers on food, and works to build community through food.
National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC) NFFC represents family farmers and rural groups to secure a sustainable, economically just, healthy, safe and secure food and farm system.