Greetings! 

It was a happening...defined only as it unwound in the words, the stories, the fresh ideas, the actions and interactions of the moment. It may have been the beginning of a new tradition.

The Border Food Summit began with local food experiences and education. Participants elected to follow one leader or another into the local food scenes of southern Arizona - the farms, the farmers market, the village farm, the food cooperative, the community garden, and the new food traditions of the barrio; a walk in the desert, in the orchard of the ancient fruit trees, and the land of the Tohono O'odham cooperatively farmed as it has been in one way or another for 4,000 years; an ecovillage, a country store, the pollinator garden, permaculture learning site, seed conservation farm, and the experience of grapes becoming wine for celebrations of the future.

For two days, a gathering of more than 200 people of all ages, diverse backgrounds and cultural traditions was the scene for the experience of learning from one another - at times, simple. At times, powerful. Presentations and conversations focused uniquely on the challenges, explorations and collaborations surrounding the topic of food.

The reason for the gathering became ever more clear as the scenes and voices of the region reminded participants of the significant facts of the borderlands. In this scene, a walkable distance from one of the largest ports of entry in the world, the reality of the country-to-country relationship was presented. Sixty percent of the food consumed in the United States is grown in Mexico. Mexican households live on income that is 17 percent of the average household income in the United States of America.

Keynote Speaker for the Border Food Summit, Ricardo Salvador, Director of Food and Agriculture at the Union  of Concerned Scientists, led Summit

Ricardo Salvador

participants through the U.S. system of food production and consumption.  The American "food chain", linked by processors, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers before arriving on the plate of the eaters.  "It has not always been that way," he added.  "In many parts of the world, it is not the reality."  Instead, the eaters spend large amounts of labor on a daily basis for the sole purpose of feeding themselves. 

Youth Ambassadors

The challenge, according to Salvador, is to answer this: can this food system lose parts of the chain and still work? Then answering the question, he outlined the possibility of a network of networks for food, somewhat like the structure of the Internet.   The transfer of knowledge, he noted, must occur from the more experienced to the less experienced. 

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 "...we need more real farmers..."

The naysayers will yell, 'this mode of farming will not produce enough corn and soy to feed our junk food and cheeseburger habit,' and that's exactly the point. It would produce enough food so that we can all eat well. It'd produce enough food so we can slow the hysteria about our inability to feed the expected 9 billion earthlings.

                                                            Mark Bittman

Double Check Ranch, a 17-year multi-generational grassfed beef operation of the Schwennesen family, was featured recently on Page One of The Arizona Republic on September 5

Reporter Shaun McKinnon traveled to the ranch and abbatoir in Winkelman to research the story. Under the headline, "Arizona rancher finds old ways are new again," we hear the story of bringing the traditions of ranching back to the market again for customers in search of authentic local food. You'll find the younger generations - Paul, Sarah and their three children - at farmers markets in both Phoenix and Tucson. 

A selection of Double Check photos by Arizona Republic photographer Pat Shannahan can be found here.

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Barrio Bread  - Tucson's worst kept bakery secret was brought to light on September 16 in Tucson's Arizona Daily Star by reporter Kristen Cook, headlined "Popular baker finds low volume more to his liking."

Baker Don Guerra has baked and built Barrio Bread at a pace that blends with the other interests and obligations of his life.  It has been serving a coterie of loyal customers and fans since 2009 - his third bakery operation. Don considers his business to be a community supported bakery (think CSA, as in community supported agriculture).   Most customers order in advance and show up promptly to claim their bread, often while it is still warm.