Hello Callie,
New member Jan of NC here, my first post to this organic gardening list serve.
How funny you should ask that question.
You asked what is being done locally - which is where, of course, any movement starts.
Just last month I was asked to participate in a committee of organic gardeners and small commercial organic growers and market gardeners in our county. The group was convened by our forward-thinking and organic-friendly extension agent. (As a former ag education graduate of the 70s, I was surprised by how much the Ag extension system had opened up to the organic movement, even to the point of sponsoring much-needed research and education - with some agents being more aware than others).
Now, with two curves intersecting - the opening of several farmer's markets in our county, and awareness/demand for fresh-picked and healthy organic food increasing, our agent felt that the time was right for a committee to explore how to support an organic/sustainable movement that is becoming visible and commerrcially viable. He asked us to assist him in forming a mission statement.
Here is roughly what we came up with:
Our overarching mission, we decided, was "to strengthen our local food shed."
Though we take for granted the miracle of readily available food, for much of humanity's history, there was no such guarantee. And if one examines the underpinnings of our global food supply system, one can see that it is by no means a "rock solid" nor sustainable enterprise, depending as it does on many fragile interactions (availability of cheap fuel being only one). Any long-term interruptions in that system would bring great hardship, perhaps even chaos. As it is, much of our food dollar is spent out of the county, even out of state and out of region. In this sense, we are no different than certain "bread basket" states, such as Iowa, which raises vast quantities of corn to be shipped elsewhere and thus must import almost all the food it needs to feed itself. This nationwide shift and specialization is a relatively recent development taking place within the last sixty years. Prior to that, communities provided the bulk of their own food.
Supporting this mission has several benefits. One benefit is keeping productive lands in cultivation. Our area is seeing high price pressures on rural lands. Incoming, well-off residents - many retirees - are drawn by nearby resort activities - world-class golf/horse events and courses, "micropolis" amenities such as high end restaurants and shops, and mild climate. Keeping productive land productive can assist to manage the suburban sprawl of our very unique "resort/rural" population mix. At the same time, it will encourage a fresh-picked, wholesome product to an increasingly aware population coming to demand healthy food. And, as stated, a strong local foodshed will help keep local food dollars circulating within the county and surrounding rural areas.
Next, we sought to encourage a sustainable way of working the soil, one that put enriching deposits back into the "land bank." Acknowledging that everything we do today started with the dirt - everything, be it shopping, driving to work, having the strength to rise from our beds, everything - our second mission was to educate on sustainable methods. In that sense, we will be encouraging small farmers to keep productive land in cultivation, including small landowners and gardeners - small acreage can be among the most highly productive.
Our third mission is two-pronged - to reach out to both commercial growers and market gardeners (commercial producers) as well as home gardeners interested in producing some of their own healthy food, recalling the "Victory Gardens" of the past. Taste, enjoyment, recreation and health will be the motivating forces for the latter, further increasing awareness of the market gardeners' product.
This outreach could include "edible landscapes" that could blend seamlessly into current landscaping schemes. That might include classes for local landscapers in conjunction with our excellent community college horticultural programs, as well as via extension, to reach established landscapers open to possibilities beyond the standard "muffin" hollies every developer pops in around new houses here. Figs, blueberries, Asian pears, the larger oriental persimmons, Asian pears, grapes,certain nut trees such as filberts, Chinese chestnuts and pecans, perennials such as asparagus, and more do very well here and could be tucked into conventional plans with some forethought and understanding.
All these goals can be accomplished by both networking within existing organizations (Farmer's Market growers groups, Master Gardeners, extension contacts, landscape groups, local college, Parks and Rec, even local beekeepers who tend to respect an organic bent) as well as newspapers and other media outlets to promote classes that accomplish the above, plus regular, low-key "hands-on" demonstrations of simple composting, soil-building, taking of soil tests - the ongoing basics. We are lucky in this county to already have an organic gardening project for children ongoing, so space and structure for these demos are already in place in one end of the county.
The agent was wise enough to include a town official, a Parks and Recreation manager who coordinates with the children's garden as summer recreation. An energetic Master Gardener heroically "made this happen" a year ago, with the blessings and guidance of the county agent. This opens the long-term possibility of coordinating town and gardeners for a municipal composting project, keeping vast quantities of organic matter out of local landfills.
I had been thinking our county was a sustainable desert compared to a nearby by county that offers a myriad of courses to support both commercial and homeowners, but now that I list the progress in one short year, I see that it is not, that these things have been percolating under the surface - opening of farmer's markets, growing demand for fresh whole foods, increase in understanding of season extension to keep servicing this market, the formation of children's and demo garden in cooperation with Parks and Rex in one town, and now a steering committee to further encourage these aims. It may be our county's "perfect storm," and has me thinking of approaching the local paper about a gardening column focused on food and taste.
Sorry for the long and lengthy introduction, but you happened to strike the exact chord that has been on my mind these last several months.
Your post helped me get my thoughts down on papers, or at least. electrons.
And anyone is welcome to employ any of these ideas in their area. One dynamo CAN change their local world for the better.
I'll be looking forward to the e-group's responses for further ideas.
Best,
Jan of NC.
