You Are Invited to a Discussion of Sustainability, Organic Farming and Food Justice in Santa Fe on Saturday

An interesting forum on the future of sustainable farming, food justice and related topics is scheduled this coming  Saturday, December 15, in Santa Fe.

Organizers invite you to join them for a free, open and thought-provoking conversation with leading advocates.  The dialogue will take place at The Lucky Bean Cafe, 500 Montezuma Ave., 1:00-3:00 p.m. (within walking distance from and immediately following the Santa Fe farmers market at the Railyard,  If you live in Albuquerque, Belen or Los Lunas, that means you can easily take the Rail Runner to the meeting). 
 
Speakers are expected / invited from groups including La Montanita Co-op, Santa Fe Community Gardens, Carbon Economy Series, Earth Care, Farm to Table, Four Bridges Permaculture Institute, New Mexico Acequia Association, Occupy Santa Fe and more.

Speakers and participants will discuss efforts to support school gardens, expand community farms, protect New Mexico farmers from the threat of genetically engineered (GMO) crops, establish a GMO food labeling policy in New Mexico, safeguard traditional New Mexico chile from GMO contamination, and much more.

"This event will help set the stage for deeper collaboration and unity in New Mexico's grassroots local / sustainable food movement -- leading into a stronger push together for passage of sustainable food policy in the 2013 NM legislative session and beyond," said event organizers  Ethan Au Green and Marjiel Danse.

For those planning to attend, organizers offer this food for thought:

What’s Next For The Food Movement?

In the last decade, the movement for healthy, sustainable food has been growing exponentially, with consumption of organic foods growing nationwide from $8 billion in 2000 to $31 billion in 2011. We’ve seen an equally dramatic rise in the number of farmer’s markets and CSAs. Still, it’s a big jump to move from 4
percent market share, to changing national food policy.

The food movement is growing fast, but as a political force, it’s still in its infancy. Big agribusiness still controls the purse strings in Congress, and runs the show at the FDA. At least for now.

An ABC News poll found that 93 percent of Americans want to know if their food is genetically engineered. Even after a narrow loss in California against a heavily financed and deeply entrenched food industry, the rapidly growing food movement may be just getting started.