by Brad Woodard / 11 News

Updated Wednesday, Jan 27 at 11:01 PM

HOUSTON—In the shadows of the mountains near El Paso, where New Mexico’s border meets Texas, the remnants of a simple farming life sit mostly idle.

Lupe Garcia and his ancestors have been working the land there for centuries.

"The Spaniards came in the 1500s, and my family came with the Spaniards," Garcia said. "We were here before the Pilgrims."

In 1955, Garcia’s father, a decorated World War II veteran, managed to buy a farm. In its prime, the family was working 1,000 acres.

But times have changed.

by John E. Peck, executive director, Family Farm Defenders

The Bay Area is experiencing an explosion of groups and coalitions dedicated to transforming our food system. The newest organization to make waves in the food justice scene is an Oakland-based organization called Planting Justice.

Food First policy analyst, Annie Shattuck, is reporting from Copenhagen.

See her commentary under the blog in the right column.
You can also follow her from our facebook fan page on the left-hand column.

As Kalissa admits, her story is different than that of the typical farm family. Growing up in rural Saskatchewan, she has seen many farms disappear and never dreamt of becoming a farmer herself. Like many other farmers, Kalissa’s parents encouraged their children to keep their options open, get a university education and leave the farm. Kalissa’s older siblings all became engineers and she ended up in British Columbia, first studying horticulture, and later, jazz. It was on campus, and not on the farm, that Kalissa started to really think about food for the first time.

By Asa Kamer

Interview by Colin Murphy
July 2009

Food is power. Since humanity’s beginnings, food has taken center stage in our cultures. Its ability to bring together families, political leaders, activists, and others makes it a powerful tool for human bonding. Ultimately, its leverage lies in our fundamental need for it. Recent college graduate Hai Vo understands such complexity, for he’s spent two years learning about the intricacies of grub, as well as sewing the seeds of a sustainable food system at his alma mater, the University of California, Irvine.

Raj Patel, a Food First Fellow, releases his new book, The Value of Nothing in December, 2009 in the UK and in January, 2010 in the U.S.

By Polly Clare-Rothe

By Shoshana Perrey