I traveled this past week to Italy, to attend an annual gathering of farmers interested in slow food—Terra Madre. As impressive as the event itself was, the food around Turin and the commitment here to “good, clean, and fair” food is every bit as remarkable.  

On our first night here, my wife Jessica, my friend Alex, and I stopped into a popular local Gelato shop that’s just made its way to New York. As we looked over the menu at Grom we saw little marks that signaled which gelato flavors were made with ingredients that meet Slow Food’s Presidia standards.

Posted by Ragan Sutterfield on Oct 28, 2008 at 2:18 PM
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Yesterday I rested—I read some, I sat on the front porch in my rocking chair, I spent some time exploring new ideas, and in the evening I went to a movie and then out to dinner with friends to discuss it. This was time I needed. It was Sabbath time.

The truth is that last week was a whirlwind, and between the farm and writing and the other work I do to pay my bills I was busy. Plus, with volunteering to help with the Arkansas Natural State Expo Green Home Show on Saturday, I was even busier. On top of that, I have been anxious lately, especially about the presidential race. Every chance I get I am clicking through my blog reader to see what the latest news is, which isn't helpful at all, and really doesn't give me anything constructive to do but worry, which as my brother said of himself last night, "is a hobby." 

Posted by Ragan Sutterfield on Oct 13, 2008 at 3:29 PM
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I’ve been thinking about fear lately. It’s been around a lot—economic fear, fear of violence, fear of an energy crisis, fear of the future. And in thinking about fear I’ve begun to see that it is one of the most destructive forces in our world. It is fear that ultimately fuels the chants of “drill, baby, drill.” It is fear that keeps us working jobs that compromise our values and fuel the destructive economy. It is fear that keeps us from risking peace. 

When I think of fear, I think of a woman I met in Chicago more than six years ago. I was working to get people to sign a petition against invading Iraq. She had just come out of the El station, and she stopped as I asked her to sign the petition. She hesitated, and said “I’m not sure.” I gave her a short fact sheet about the UN weapons inspection process and why the US should support its work and not interfere. She looked it over and turned to me. “I wish I could sign,” she said, “but I’m just so afraid that they are going to attack again.” I could see the fear in her eyes as she said this—a deep, crippling fear that kept her from taking any risks or making any choices other than the one she perceived to be safe.

Posted by Ragan Sutterfield on Oct 6, 2008 at 11:39 AM
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This year, one of the MacArthur Foundation’s no-strings-attached, half-million dollar grants went to Will Allen, the founder and CEO of Growing Power. Allen is an urban farmer who enables poor communities in Milwaukee to have access to local, fresh vegetables through his various gardening training sessions and the two-acre farm he operates within the city limits.  In a video interview, Allen talks about his work at Growing Power and brings up a critical point about the future of local food. He says that the next generation of farmers that is going to supply our local food systems is not going to come from rural communities or traditional farm families because these entities don’t exist anymore. Instead, the next generation of farmers will come from our urban areas. This is a truth I’ve also been coming to over the last few years.

The future of farming is not the countryside, but the urban lot, the tilled-up yard, sheep grazing the medians of a roadway. That is not to say that rural areas will not play an important role in agriculture—they will. But the future will come when farmers who cut their teeth on urban farming move in and revitalize the dying traditions of agriculture that have given way to industrial “farming.”

Posted by Ragan Sutterfield on Sep 29, 2008 at 3:10 PM
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I recently received a package from my grandmother that contained a treasury of family recipes and pamphlets collected by my great grandmother during WWII. Many of the pamphlets were centered on the use of "food as a weapon" for victory in war. As one pamphlet says, "Two million men and boys from our farms are with our fighting forces.  We can't let them down by failing to grow our own food wherever possible." 

What strikes me most about the language is its urgency. There is a sense that those on the home front must grow a garden to ensure victory. And there was some truth to that. Not only was there a shortage of farm workers, but large quantities of food were being shipped to the war fronts. Having enough food was not a given, so those on the home front pitched in. People grew victory gardens, canned, and they certainly didn't waste any food.

Posted by Ragan Sutterfield on Sep 23, 2008 at 11:18 AM
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