Just Released! Order “Waking Up to Climate Change” by George Ropes, and receive 25% Discount. Learn More

HOME          CATEGORIES          OUR TAKE

Food & Climate Change: Bedford2020 Food Expo by Abby Luby

The food movement against Big Ag is always bolstered by bringing together a wide spectrum of people believing in the sustainability power of local food. The Bedford2020 Food Forum last Saturday (March 4, 2017) at Fox Lane High School in Bedford saw a large community advocating for area farmers, their food and local entrepreneurs. The numerous and diverse range of workshops, lectures and demonstrations was all encompassing. Overwhelming support was seen for Hudson Valley farmers with opportunities to join a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), or buying regularly at farmers’ markets. Discussions focused on growing your own garden, planting organic seeds from local seed libraries, reducing food waste, backyard beekeeping, cooking seasonally on a budget, and the historical significance local food has played here in the Hudson Valley. Bedford2020 Food Forum

Outside the scope of “local” was the overarching message: how to maintain and increase food sustainability under the growing shadow of climate change. As the climate changes, so too are weather patterns and we are seeing more floods, heat waves, droughts, all impacting what foods be grown and when. Growing seasons are shorter, hotter and more difficult to gauge. Ultimately climate change impacts how much food can be produced worldwide. Food produced by the agricultural industrial complex generates vast quantities of greenhouse gases (by a plethora of farm machinery that runs on fossil fuels, and transporting food thousands of miles) forces us to seriously consider how we can grow food differently in a way that will withstand the impacts of continued climate change. This was the focus of “Planet and Plate: Factory Farming’s Impact on the Climate,” a talk by Eric Weltman, Senior Organizer, Food and Water Watch, which looked at how climate change impacts agriculture and how global warming reduces food production.

In his keynote address, New York Times best-selling author Mark Bittman expanded on the undeniable connection between factory farming and climate change. Throughout the day groups gathered in classrooms to discuss variations on how to be a local food advocate, buying local, growing your own food, why buying and planting local seeds matter, bee-keeping, raising chickens. Of particular interest was the “Farmer-side Chat with the Westchester Growers Alliance with participants Mimi Edelman, from the I & Me Farm, Deb Taft, the Mobius Fields Food Growing Program Coordinator, and Doug DeCandia, Food Growing Manager, Food Bank for Westchester. Having a chance to meet and talk to our farmers is rare; their 20-hour days usually prevent them from connecting to the rest of the world. From these three we learned how difficult it is for the independent farmer to keep and work their land, how many farmers here in the Hudson Valley and perhaps all over the U.S. are always engaged in an ongoing battle against the sprawl of development while trying to keep their farms economically viable. Edelman, Taft and DeCandia talked about working together to form a farm hub, an idea similar to the Hudson Valley Farm Hub in Kingston, but would be a community of farmers who would co-own expensive equipment and have a central location to deliver and sell their produce. This kind of forward thinking undeniably gives us hope.

A workshop on “The Farm Bill: What is it and Why Should I care?” was led by U.S. Representative Sean Patrick Maloney who explained how the bill is geared towards feeding the nation, supporting New York farmers, the overall impacts of local food systems and that shapes our community.

The some 75 booths at the Food Expo extended from the school’s main hallways to both gyms. Some featured cooking demonstrations, gardening and composting demonstrations; there was a pop-up book store, CSA sign-ups, health experts, food policy leaders, local farmers and food justice organizations and educators. On hand was Thomas McQuillan, Director of Food Service Sales and Sustainability at Baldor Specialty Foods, Inc. McQuillan started a cost-effective way to repurpose the large amount of food byproduct created by Baldor’s Fresh Cuts. Baldor is one of the largest produce distributors in the northeast with a 100,000 square foot facility at Hunt’s Point. McQuillan, who spearheaded the company’s sustainability initiative program, “SparCs” (scraps spelled backwards), told us the company saves 120,000 pounds of food waste from landfills every month.

The Bedford2020 Food Forum successfully brought together expert farmers and spokespersons who promote growing, buying, sharing and eating locally produced food, all effective ways to spurn the deleterious effects of Big Ag. The message was strong: invest and engage in local, sustainably sourced food now and for the future, especially while the impacts of climate change will continue to affect our food sources.

 

 

Comment on this article

ClimateYou moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (New York time) and can only accept comments written in English.

2 Responses

  1. I think growing our produce local is a great idea to help with climate change. I think we also need a way to keep the cost reasonable for the food we grow local. I do shop at my local farmers markets. Thanks for the information.

    1. I also find that when you can buy from local farms, the food tastes better. Perhaps that’s because it wasn’t transported via trucks using fossil fuels

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE


More Posts Like This

CITY TECH BLOG

Climate Change Means More Green Architecture By City Tech Blogger Lukas Klertiashvili

Architecture is a career in which it is impossible to disregard climate change. To the present day, there is a growing interest and initiative towards incorporating green building materials to lessen the impact of climate change into architectural plans and designs of offices and educational institutions. Buildings contribute