Kspitz’s Weblog

(Wrap Two)         

          This past weekend I attended the Pollinating Our Future – Urban Agriculture Conference in Milwaukee, WI.  According to the conference coordinator and the presenters, this conference was the first of its kind in the United States. The gathering was organized to involve more people in the local foods movement by presenting new ideas and initiatives regarding urban agriculture.

The conference was sponsored by the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (MFAI) and Slow Foods Wisconsin (SFW). This partnership seemed ideal – MFAI focuses on growing quality food and SFW focuses on cooking and serving it. The Friday night kickoff party was held in the Mitchell Park Domes Conservatory and featured live music, performances by ethnic dancers, and of course – LOCAL FOOD!  Conference attendees were treated to artisan cheeses and crackers, salads, prime rib, braised pork, egg dishes, vegetable dishes and scrumptious desert tarts and cakes – all locally sourced and prepared by chefs from the Milwaukee/Chicago area. The bar even featured locally made vodka and gin, local wines, and locally brewed beers (this being Milwaukee the beer was probably made across the street). The food was fabulous and the atmosphere was charged with excitement for all things local.

Saturday morning, during a breakfast of yogurt and muffins, keynote speaker Michael Abelman welcomed the 200+ attendees. He shared a slide show of his recent visit to Jamaica where he assisted in the development of an organic urban farm. Abelman, former director of Fairview Gardens in Los Angeles, is also an excellent photographer. He has published two beautiful books on farming and food production. I wasted no time in buying a copy of each complete with the author’s signature.

The remainder of Saturday’s schedule was packed with presentations, discussions and table talks centered around issues pertaining to food justice and food democracy; gardens as community enhancement vehicles; policy and planning, including the development of food policy councils; and enterprise development, which focused on economic opportunities for individuals and groups. The speakers included many of the leaders in the urban agriculture/local foods movement, men and women with 20, 30, even 40 years of experience in gardening, urban planning, public policy, sustainable agriculture and world health issues.

The chefs returned Saturday evening to provide another scrumptious meal of local fare, but alas, my husband and I were already on the road back to South Bend. As with many conferences I have attended, my head was spinning with new ideas and information. But unlike many past gatherings, the main focus of this event was to remind people that we – friends, neighbors, farmers, and members of local communities – already have the answers to many of the urban problems now facing us. Food insecurity, health, poverty and economic issues are all connected, and they can all be greatly improved or even possibly eliminated by taking a closer look at how we grow, distribute and even cook one of the most basic tenets of life…our FOOD.