Adam Davenport, Terra Cura's Director of Sustainability and Community Development will be presenting with Greg Watson (Schumacher Center for New Economics), Pen Loh (Tufts University's Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning), and David Bollier (author, policy strategist, international activist and blogger) at the Community Food Systems Conference on December 6, 2017.

Description:

A major challenge facing community food systems is how to address the needs of consumers around accessibility and affordability (especially in lower-income communities) and those of the participating farmers trying to achieve economic viability. Often times these goals seem to be at odds with one another. In fact, they are irreconcilable within the current capitalistic economic system. There is a need to co-develop a new form of economics that is compatible with local food systems that based on synergistic principles and values. Examples of tools and strategies to draw upon include community land trusts, commons, local currencies, import replacement and CSAs, among others.

Attempts at building truly sustainable community food systems that must operate within the current economic system will be frustrating at best. The learning goal of this workshop is to share with participants some tools and strategies for transforming the existing economic that favors agribusiness-based food systems to one that is consistent with the goals of sustainable food systems that are grounded in ecological principles and designed to strengthen local supply chains/loops.