Description
Book SynopsisOur current food system has decimated rural communities and confined the choices of urban consumers. Even while America continues to ramp up farm production to astounding levels, net farm income is now lower than at the onset of the Great Depression, and one out of every eight Americans faces hunger. But a healthier and more equitable food system is possible. In Building Community Food Webs, Ken Meter shows how grassroots food and farming leaders across the U.S. are tackling these challenges by constructing civic networks. Overturning extractive economic structures, these inspired leaders are engaging low-income residents, farmers, and local organisations in their quest to build stronger communities. Community food webs strive to build health, wealth, capacity, and connection. Their essential element is building greater respect and mutual trust, so community members can more effectively empower themselves and address local challenges. Farmers and researchers may convene to improve farming practices collaboratively. Health clinics help clients grow food for themselves and attain better health. Food banks engage their customers to challenge the root causes of poverty. Municipalities invest large sums to protect farmland from development. Developers forge links among local businesses to strengthen economic trade. Leaders in communities marginalised by our current food system are charting a new path forward. Building Community Food Webs captures the essence of these efforts, underway in diverse places including Montana, Hawai‘i, Vermont, Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, and Minnesota. Addressing challenges as well as opportunities, Meter offers pragmatic insights for community food leaders and other grassroots activists alike.
Table of ContentsDefinitions Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1. Tracking the Extractive Economy Chapter 2. Co-Learning is Contagious Chapter 3. Invoking Traditional Wisdom to Recover from Plantation Agriculture Chapter 4. Building the Capacities and Voice of Low-Income Residents Chapter 5. Placing Food Business Clusters at the Core of Economic Development Chapter 6. The Cradle of Food Democracy: Athens (Ohio) Chapter 7. Metro-Area Farmers Need Supportive Networks Chapter 8. Municipal Officials Collaborate to Protect Metro Farmland Chapter 9. Working Below the Radar to Create Networks of Green Space Chapter 10. Building Market Power for Farmers Chapter 11. Shifting from “Local Food” to Community-Based Food Systems Chapter 12. Scale is Both the Problem and the Solution Conclusion. Building Community Food Webs: Active Networks, System Levers, and Business Clusters For Further Reading About the Author Index
