15 Inspiring Quotes and Questions to Guide the Food System Forward
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UNCCD Library
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Web resource
Since the first episode of Food Talk Live aired on March 19, our twice-daily live conversation series has featured nearly 150 food system experts, advocates, scientists, chefs, and more.
This means that, over the past four months, I’ve probably asked more than 1,000 questions to these folks about the future of the food system. There has been a lot of news to unpack this week alone, between funding food waste reduction, addressing community food insecurity, and understanding the influence of the food industry on nutrition policy. And during my live conversations, every question I ask raises even more.
This week, Food Tank is highlighting 15 quotes that address thorny, world-changing questions about building a more sustainable and equitable food system.
How do we rectify racial inequities in land ownership?
“As a result of colonial genocide, land grabbing, USDA discrimination, state-level nativism, lynching, and expulsion, over 98% of the farmland in this county is owned by white Americans today. Ralph Paige of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives put it simply, “Land is the only real wealth in this country and if we don’t own any we’ll be out of the picture.” We need a nationwide commitment to share the land back, so that all communities can have the means of production for food security.”
— Leah Penniman, founder and director of Soul Fire Farm. Read more here.
How impactful can collective agricultural labor unions be to protect farm workers?
“In 2019, through our collective bargaining procedures, we resolved cases on wage issues amounting to over US$800,000 dollars. If they were non-union, that money would have been lost to the worker’s pocket. If this is what we recoup for workers in the union setting, imagine what must be happening in non-union settings.”
— Baldemar Velásquez, founder and president of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee. Listen to more here.
What does it mean to support local, regional, and sustainable food by engaging in good food purchasing?
Read further the full article from the link above
This means that, over the past four months, I’ve probably asked more than 1,000 questions to these folks about the future of the food system. There has been a lot of news to unpack this week alone, between funding food waste reduction, addressing community food insecurity, and understanding the influence of the food industry on nutrition policy. And during my live conversations, every question I ask raises even more.
This week, Food Tank is highlighting 15 quotes that address thorny, world-changing questions about building a more sustainable and equitable food system.
How do we rectify racial inequities in land ownership?
“As a result of colonial genocide, land grabbing, USDA discrimination, state-level nativism, lynching, and expulsion, over 98% of the farmland in this county is owned by white Americans today. Ralph Paige of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives put it simply, “Land is the only real wealth in this country and if we don’t own any we’ll be out of the picture.” We need a nationwide commitment to share the land back, so that all communities can have the means of production for food security.”
— Leah Penniman, founder and director of Soul Fire Farm. Read more here.
How impactful can collective agricultural labor unions be to protect farm workers?
“In 2019, through our collective bargaining procedures, we resolved cases on wage issues amounting to over US$800,000 dollars. If they were non-union, that money would have been lost to the worker’s pocket. If this is what we recoup for workers in the union setting, imagine what must be happening in non-union settings.”
— Baldemar Velásquez, founder and president of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee. Listen to more here.
What does it mean to support local, regional, and sustainable food by engaging in good food purchasing?
Read further the full article from the link above
Keywords
food security
food insecurity
food systems
land use
land grab
sustainable agriculture
farming practices
innovative technologies
youth and agriculture
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