On the QT | The Official Newsletter of GWA February-March 2016 | Page 18
FOOD
JIM LONG
P H OT O C OU R T ES Y JIM LONG
Food becomes main
dish in 2016
In 2005 I was a delegate and speaker at the
first International Slow Foods Conference in
Turin, Italy. There I heard a variety of world
leaders and activists speak about the future
of food production and agriculture. I heard
Alice Waters, Michael Pollan, Prince Charles,
Vandana Shiva and many others describe a
new movement in food and gardening some
of us had only dreamed about.
In those forums, I heard almost revolutionary
concepts put forth: That locally grown food
mattered; that saving seed to protect diversity –
not just for gardeners, but for all of agriculture,
– mattered and that growing healthful, organic
food was an attainable worldwide goal. There, I
witnessed people from 125 countries, embracing
a goal that matched my own beliefs and goals.
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Garden writing was once primarily focused on
how ornamental plantings increased aesthetics
and property values. A key concept was curb
appeal, as real estate agents like to describe
it. Trees, shrubs, perennials and lawns once
formed the top tier of subjects for garden
writers. Now, in the decade since that Turin
conference, I have seen the world of gardening –
and garden writing – change radically.
We have witnessed what had once been
described as merely a passing fad, then grudgingly a trend, turn into a genuine culture shift.
We have witnessed the rise of Whole Foods,
the acceptance by Walmart and Costco as
purveyors of increasingly locally grown and
organic produce and the rapid expansion of
farmers markets nationwide.