"All farming is an act of faith, an expression of hope and
possibility. I cannot imagine that there are any farmers out there, who
no matter how many times they have seen the miracle of a seed germinate,
or a lamb being born, or a tree flower and set fruit, are not in awe of
a force far greater than themselves. This is what keeps us going even
when the work is hard and the return not commensurate. It is this force
we rely on, it’s what we set the table for." --- This is an except from Mark Ableman, a farmer, author, and photographer and a recognized
practitioner of sustainable agriculture and proponent of regional food
systems (http://www.fieldsofplenty.com/).
This is why I love the internet. All it takes is a series of clicks, seemingly random, and you stumble upon something fantastic (especially pictures of cats?). I've always thought that somewhere out there, someone has said what I'm trying to say, infinitely more precisely and brilliantly, than my frustratingly inarticulate mind is able to come up with.
More to the point, I really appreciate how much urban agriculture and knowing where your food comes from is gaining traction in today's world. The other day, the USDA released their Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food compass 2.0. Essentially, it's a resource you can use to see what's going on near you--including farmers markets, food hubs, funding levels, healthy food access (although I'm not sure what they're measuring or what the criteria for that are), and more. These resources, mainly available because of the widespread dissemination of knowledge enabled by the internet, are proof that people care about food.
That's it for now. More on my progress as soon as I find out any news.
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