Food Security and Sustainable Prosperity

Thursday, September 4, 2008
8:30 - 5:30

Proposed Breakout Sessions

New Ruralism: Back to the Land
facilitated by David Crossley

The back to the land movement has made a resurgence in the 21^st Century, but not necessarily with long hair and no money. Serious developments are popping up around the country to serve sophisticated urbanites who are ready to work the land, but do not want to be out of reach of email or social opportunities. Also, developers have begun recognizing the desire to conserve land in rural areas and some are offering communities in the exurban areas with dense housing and large swaths of conserved land. David will lead a discussion of the possibility for such farms and developments emerging in the Houston region. We will also discuss how to make this process easier and will collect contact information to begin to form a group of interested individuals.

State and Federal Food, Farm, and Land Policy
facilitated by Geri Wells

Our government regulates some aspects of the food we eat every day. Federal and State policies have a tremendous impact on how we use the land and the protection or disappearance of prime farmland. Geri will lead an open discussion of upcoming legislation as well as proposals for change.

Regional Economic Development and Education
facilitated by Chuck Wemple

Economic development for rural counties in the Houston region can take many forms, some of which will positively impact local farmers as well as the local environment while achieving economic goals. The cooperative system and the Extension service dramatically transformed Texas agriculture during the 20^th Century, but who will take the lead for training the next generation of farmers and establishing community-scale farms? What is the potential of linking international organic food corporations to local farms located within 100 miles of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the nation, and one of the world’s largest maritime shipping complexes? Chuck will lead a discussion about new efforts to develop cooperative distribution systems to make it possible for local food to achieve a much larger market share and to educate existing and potential farmers in rural counties on new opportunities.

Toward a Food Policy Council in the Houston Region
facilitated by Christine McCullum-Gomez

Cities across the country, including Chicago, Illinois, Portland, Oregon, and Salina, Kansas, have instituted food policy councils to address a variety of issues related to the sustainability of their local food supply. The Houston region has no such organization. Christine will give a brief summary of the logical steps toward creating a representative regional food policy council and will lead a discussion of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to such an effort. This session is expected to lead into future meetings that all conference attendees will be encouraged to attend.

Urban Farming and Education
facilitated by Gary Edmondson and Bob Randall

The City of Houston has both a tremendous amount of vacant lots that it does not know what to do with and the 4^th largest population of Americans living below the poverty line. Bob and Gary will lead a discussion of the possibilities for creating urban farms, a step above community gardens, yet still within the city and within reach of poor communities. They will also discuss the possibilities for educating low-income potential farmers to provide a livable wage for themselves and access to fresh produce for areas of the city where that is currently a huge problem.

Preserving Texas Land
facilitated by John Jacob

The Houston region is home to a rich and diverse set of ecosystems as well as a large mass of prime farmland with several distinct areas suitable for growing different crops. Suburban development continues to remove these lands from our long-term supply of potential agricultural land. John will lead a discussion of ways to conserve the most important land along with regional policies that could address the issue of farmland loss without adversely affecting the free market.

Quality Food for EVERYONE in the Next Ten Years
facilitated by TBA

More than 800,000 Houstonians live in households that are considered food insecure and suffer from the life-threatening health consequences of an inadequate diet. Dramatic programs all over the region, such as the Food Bank, End Hunger, and Meals on Wheels provide a safety net for Houstonians most in need, but leaders of this nonprofit community have begun seeking long-term solutions to begin to eradicate food insecurity for the people of the region. As well, public health agencies are trying to reduce obesity, and diet related disease. The facilitator will lead a discussion of the possibilities for such an effort to truly end hunger and give all Houstonians access to a nutritious diet.

K – 12 Nutrition, Gardening, and Farming Education
facilitated by Carlos Meltzer and Sharon Seihl

Many children these are suffering from Nature Deficit Disorder from a lack of exposure to the outdoors and are becoming more and out of touch with the natural processes that sustain the human community. To combat this problem, efforts like Recipe for Success and Urban Harvest's School and Youth Gardens Program are growing rapidly in the Houston region in an attempt to "alter the way our children understand, appreciate and eat their food." Carlos and Charon will lead a discussion of strategies for expanding such programs across the region as well as working on new ideas to further nutrition, gardening, and farming education.