The High Country Gets Local

Last week I had the privilege to participate in a local food summit organized by representatives of the Goodnight Family Sustainable Development Program at Appalachian State University. The High Country Local Food Summit, aptly named to include several Appalachian counties in northwestern NC, was billed as an event to "Build diverse community networks to grow the local food economy".

My boss, the Executive Director of the non-profit, rural economic development center, Foothills Connect, was on the agenda as a speaker that afternoon, so I came along to gain some real world, community organizing experience. My first impression of the conference site - a large building with an open floor plan, known as the Valle Crucis "Apple Barn" - was that I was standing in an old, mountain village community meeting center, and that any minute someone was going to whip out a fiddle, a banjo, and some spoons, and we'd all break out into folk dance (not that I would have minded). Needless to say, the only dancing that occurred took place in my imagination, but the rustic, hundred year old building certainly fit the occasion.

The lineup featured some prominent local food advocates, including the well-known environmental blogger, Tom Philpott of Grist.org (left) and esteemed speaker, author, farmer, and outspoken critic of the conventional agriculture system, Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm (below). And, of course, my super cool, globe-trotting, ex-corporate warrior/ peace corps/ military/ politican, teacher, and community organizing boss, Tim Will, who gave a great presentation on the work that our organization is doing to create jobs through agriculture within our 16% unemployment rate-stricken county.

With networking and collaboration a main focus of the event, much of the day was spent in group brainstorming activities, facilitated by Elaine Stover, a 'Human Ecologist' and director of greenschemes, a company that specializes in ecological planning and design. Gradually, a larger image of the issues facing the creation of a local food economy in the High Country began to take form - an independent entity comprised of all the small farmers, restaurants, food advocates, community organizations, and more that make up the growing web of people all working towards a common goal. This forum allowed me to share my knowledge and express my thoughts, along the way contributing my own experiences in building a local food system; what has worked for my organization, and what hasn't.

Mainly, however, I was in absolute awe of the grassroots movement that was converging all around me. At any given moment, someone in the room was being inspired by the words of someone else, recent acquaintances were banding together to form coalitions, initiatives, and business plans - and the High Country Local Food Movement transformed before my eyes from an abstract and disconnected mass of scattered locavores and activists, to an organized group of citizens, empowered by their commitment to a common goal.

Across the country, the same phenomenon is taking place in living rooms, schools, community centers, churches, and farms - a paradigm shift in the way we think about food. Many of them don't know where to begin or how to build the movement where they live; but they are stepping out and taking action, even if it might at first fail. As Joel Salatin so inspiringly noted, "the old adage that Anything that's worth doing is worth doing right... is WRONG! It should, instead, be "Anything that's worth doing is worth doing wrong. For it's in the doing that you develop the skill and self-confidence to eventually do it right." We'll have some setbacks, but we'll get there. And maybe celebrate with some folk dancing along the way.