2nd annual
Rhode Island Food Summit supports local food movement
Nearly 400 people gathered at the
University of Rhode Island on Jan. 18 for the second annual Rhode Island Food
Summit to network with those who work in the local food system and to hear from
local experts, discuss partnership opportunities, learn about funding sources,
and celebrate and support the development of the local food movement in the
state.
Dan Levinson, founder of the URI
Food Center and one of the organizers of the event, opened the program by
encouraging the audience members “to see yourself as a great actor in a
spectacular community that has a shot at being a game changer in how our
culture looks at food.”
He set the scene for more than 50
speakers, each of whom had just a few minutes to tell their personal story,
outline the issues they were tackling, pitch innovative ideas or ask for or
offer advice. And throughout the afternoon, Levinson offered those new to the
Rhode Island food scene a minute to introduce themselves and their activities.
Fisherman Chris Brown argued that
the fishing industry is facing major changes due to climate change as fish
stocks shift their ranges, “delivering us fish that we don’t have the equipment
to catch or the quotas to meet,” he said.
“One of the things that will allow us
to survive these changes is to redefine success, not by how much we can catch
but by what we can do to provide for the future.”
The speakers, however, did not just
focus on how to produce more local food. They addressed a wide variety of
issues.
“When we think about food systems,
we immediately think about production and consumption, but we forget the pieces
in between, especially the less glorious backdoor side of the system,” said Leo
Pollock, founder of The Compost Plant.
“We have incredible waste resources here
– animal waste, food waste – and there’s a real opportunity here. What would it
look like if Rhode Island was one of the leaders in thinking about composting
infrastructure, composting systems and building soil knowledge?”
Speakers from the Jonnycake Center,
the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, and the SNAP Education Program discussed
issues of food insecurity and food access.
“It doesn’t matter how much food
we’re growing if the hungry people in our state aren’t getting it,” Levinson
said. “The system isn’t working.”
Other speakers addressed urban
gardens, school gardens, aquaponics, cut flowers, breweries, food-related
education and workforce development, and numerous other topics.
Many speakers emphasized the
importance of working toward a regional food system and the objective of “50 by
60” – producing 50 percent of the food consumed in the region locally by the
year 2060. Rhode Island currently produces just 2 percent of the food consumed
in the state.
“Why are we at 2 percent?” asked Ken
Ayars, chief of the Rhode Island Division of Agriculture. “Because we’re at the
end of a long period of time when food lost its place in society. So we have a
long way to go. But we can make things right. We just need to stay positive,
proactive and collaborative.”
Entrepreneur and URI alumnus Perry
Raso, who owns Matunuck Oyster Bar as well as an aquaculture farm and a
vegetable farm, concluded the program by asking the audience to “maintain your
connection to URI. It’s the number one resource in the state for supporting
sustainable agriculture.”