Dear Mayor Jones

This week, our task was to keep it local: to write our mayors about local food policy and to make a request that aligns with the needs of our own community.

I have been to a few food system-related events in Richmond, so I know that the city has a Food Policy Task Force, but has a ways to go to be a leader in the movement.  (The public meeting that I went to was a crazy process of having people present ideas to advance a better food system, and then to decide on one to move forward - all based on about six minutes of information and recorded through voting with clickers, of which there were not enough for everyone in the crowd to vote.)  What came of that meeting was a proposal to allow backyard chickens.  I'm not sure that was the best way to move the system forward, but the vote is coming up before City Council in January so it's good to know that something may come of it.  Meanwhile, we still need access to irrigation for community gardens and greatly improved regional public transportation to reduce food deserts (and address a whole host of other issues) in our area.

Anyways, I wrote to my mayor, Dwight Jones, and here's my little letter: 

Advocacy calls!

For our second week of advocacy in the LPF Compact, we were to call our congresspeople to urge them to keep moving the 2012 Farm Bill forward. I called my representative, Bobby Scott, and asked specifically that it would reward farmers for their environmental stewardship, link crop insurance to conservation practices, and protect conservation funding.  All these talking points are from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, a group of people working for a food system that is better for people and the earth, which I found out about when I went to hear my food-guru crush, Michael Pollan, speak.

The lesson I learned: check out your Congressman's stance on that particular issue before calling!  His representative told me something along the lines of, "As you probably know, the Congressman is one of the sponsors of the bill."  Um, yep.  I usually like what Bobby Scott stands for, but definitely should have done my homework.

I made a video of the call on Facebook - let me know if you'd like to see it so you can see how easy it is to speak your mind to your very own Congressperson!

My Visit to a local Farm

Hey all-

I recently had the opportunity to visit Indy Urban Acres, an amazing example of what collaboration around local food can do for a community.  This partnership between Indiana University Health, Gleaners food bank, and the Indy Parks and Recreation system has resulted in thousands of pounds of fresh produce finding its way onto the shelves of food pantries in Indianapolis.  As of this summer, they were the only farm in the country working with the Parks and Rec system the way they are and they are serving as a model for cities across the nation.  Something unique in the placement of this farm- the land is adjacent to a major interstate cutting through Indianapolis and tucked at the back of a neighborhood.  Quite an example of an urban farm, if you ask me.

One thing that really stuck out to me the first time I spoke with Tyler, the gentleman who coordinates and manages the farm, is that they want to get the youth involved.  So many youth, particularly in cities, think that the food they eat originates in the grocery store.  When I went to visit the farm last week with my friend Jen, there were a handful of kids ranging from 5-15 that were there helping out.  They were on their fall break and wanted to hang out at the farm all day, so Tyler had been putting them to work.  They were clearing out the crops that were done for the season and moving them to the compost piles, and helping to figure out the measurements and placement for the new greenhouse that they just got a large grant to build.  As they were pushing the wheelbarrows by us, they were smiling and telling us how hard they were working to be farmers. It was a really sweet moment to see the kids so excited about their involvement with the farm.

I'm honored to say that one of my students is currently being hosted by Indy Urban Acres as part of his service scholarship.  He spends 4 hours a week working at the farm and had never spent any time gardening or farming before this.  He talks frequently about how much he has learned through his experience.  Indy Urban Acres has become a great community partner of ours and it was wonderful to finally have the opportunity to get out and see the farm.  I would highly recommend seeking out the community gardens and local farms in your area to just explore them and see what great things are happening so close to your home.