10/8/10: Growing the Local Food System

Coming up this Friday afternoon! Groundswell's director, Joanna Green, will speak on the topic of "Growing the Local Food System" for Cornell's Sustainable Food Systems Seminar Series. She'll be talking about Groundswell's vision and what we've been doing during out first season of classes. This lecture is open to the public.

Sustainable Food Systems Seminar Series
October 8, 2010 - 12:15PM to 1:00PM

SNES 2000: The Environmental Sciences Colloquium is open to the entire Cornell community and the public. Credit option: S/U, 1 credit

Contemporary environmental issues pose complex challenges to societies that require multidisciplinary views and interdisciplinary approaches to their solution. SNES 2000 is a series of lectures on an annually changing theme central to the Environmental Sciences, which poses biophysical, economical and political challenges to modern society. Participants will become familiar with contemporary issues of environmental degradation and opportunities for their mitigation. The colloquium will provide a platform for discussion about current issues in the environmental sciences and introduce students to the complexity of information, views, and approaches. As part of the Sustainable Food Systems Seminar Series, Joanna Green from the Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming will talk about what Groundswell has been up to during their first season of classes.

LOCATION: Emerson, 135
SPEAKER: Joanna Green, Groundswell Center for Local Food and Farming
TOPIC: Growing the local food system
WEBSITE: http://snes.eas.cornell.edu/
ADMISSION: Open to Public, Alumni, Students, Faculty, and Staff.
CONTACT: Suzanne, 255-1269, sw38@cornell.edu

The interactive Cornell Campus Map can be found here: http://www.cornell.edu/maps/interactive.cfm

Ithaca Crop Mob visits Meadowsweet Farm

An initiative of the Groundswell Center for Local Food and Farming and the Full Plate Farm Collective, the Ithaca Crop Mob is a group of volunteers who meet monthly (and sometimes more often!) to lend a hand on local farms. Last month, we visited Meadowsweet Farm, home of the Meadowsweet Dairy, LLC. Here's a summary of what we did (pictures and words courtesy of the Ithaca Crop Mob Google group!):

Last Saturday, a small band of crop mobbers visited Meadowsweet Farm, a raw milk dairy in Lodi, NY. Though the Smith family- Barb, Steve, and their children- once sold raw milk to customers directly, Meadowsweet currently operates as an LLC (Limited Liability Company), in which LLC members own the cow herd and the Smith family manages the herd and distributes the milk products to members. The Smiths have been deeply involved in the litigation surrounding the sale of raw milk in New York State, and shared with us some insights and education on this breezy September morning. Read more...

To learn more about the Ithaca Crop Mob or to get involved, visit our Google Group!

Gardens 4 Humanity

The Food Movement, Rising | The New York Review of Books

The Food Movement, Rising | The New York Review of Books
A new essay by Michael Pollan argues that, more than any other social movement, the movement away from industrial agriculture towards more sustainable, smaller-scale, regionalized farming/food systems is bringing together diverse interest groups and creating the possibility of a widespread political and cultural shift.

Cultivating a sustainable local food system

By Joanna Green

Published in Tompkins Weekly

Let’s say you’re a young adult – or maybe a not so young adult – and you’re interested in learning about small-scale farming as a potential livelihood. Where can you go to find out what farming is all about and get the training you need to farm successfully?

Or let’s say you’re an individual or small business owner who just wants to play a role in building a strong, sustainable local food system in our community. How can you plug in and support the next generation of farmers and local foods businesses?

Farm-Based Education: Lessons from Hawthorne Valley Farm

"Farm-Based Education: Lessons from Hawthorne Valley Farm" was a Groundswell-sponsored lecture and discussion held at the CCE on March 8th, 2010.

by Rachel Firak
Many thanks to Rachel Schneider, who came out to speak to an enthusiastic group at Cornell Cooperative Extension about her work as the Education Director of Hawthorne Valley Farm in Harlemville, NY. Rachel spoke about the mission of the Hawthorne Valley Farm, the inextricable nature of farming and the arts, and the Hudson Valley's innovative CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance in Farmer Training) program.
Background
Hawthorne Valley Farm is a 400-acre biodynamic farm affiliated with the Hawthorne Valley Association, a nonprofit operation dedicated to agriculture, education, and the arts. The farm began in 1972 with the intention of introducing urban children to agriculture through hands-on experience. Their "farm school" still continues today, with over 12,000 children having been introduced to the beauty of the agricultural lifestyle over its 38 years of dedicated service.

Groundswell Highlights of 2009

Thanks to the efforts and talents of so many Groundswell volunteers, we made steady progress in 2009 towards the goal of establishing comprehensive farm-based training and education programs in the Ithaca area.
Building our base. Groundswell depends on a community of supporters who share our ambitious vision for farm-based education. That community came together for the very first Groundswell fundraising event on October 17. It was a terrific success, providing great food, farm tours and entertainment to over 70 supporters and raising nearly $2,000. Half of the proceeds will support Groundswell programs, with the other half going to our “parent” organization, the EcoVillage Center for Sustainability Education.