Asheville Town Hall Food Panel

On December 7th approximately 70 people braved the coldest night of the year to hear six panelists discuss the present state of local food, food economics and future food security post peak oil. Speakers included Tom Elmore a local rural farmer, Mike Fortune an urban farmer, Curtis Benjamin from Bountiful Cities Project and My Brother’s Keeper, Charlie Jackson from Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, Laura Lengnick a professor at Warren Wilson College and Chuck Marsh, permaculture teacher and nurseryman.

We learned that Asheville may be ahead of the curve in local food production when considering the rest of the nation, but we are still food insecure given that we have two days worth of food in our grocery stores that rely upon a fragile supply chain that is dependent on cheap fossil fuel to keep their shelves stocked. Less than 10 percent of the food consumed locally comes from local sources which is grown by aging farmers. Land prices prohibit access to land for younger farmers and many citizens have forgotten the basic skills of gardening to help feed their families.

So how do we begin to become more resilient in feeding the people of WNC? How do we weave together local farms, community gardens and residential landscapes to create food security and abundance? There is not one answer. Several of the panelists stated that everyone can be educated to grow food and the place to start is outside your kitchen door. Permaculture design principles can be taught that maximize the amount of food grown in both private and public landscapes. More reliance on perennial crops such a nut trees and berry bushes, working with the city and county to improve soil to garden in the commons and planting community gardens in low income neighborhoods can all create better access to local food. Looking at what crops can be grown in the city could provide the space for farmers to grow crops that need more room and expertise such as corn and grains.

Predictions were made that post peak oil, many more people will be involved with food produc-tion, harkening back to the beginnings of this country which was founded by farmers. The lack of fossil fuel based pesticides and fertilizers will require more knowledge of plants that grow well here without those inputs. A more intimate relationship with the soil and pollinators that reside here will be necessary to take full advantage of the long growing season were are fortunate to have here. Each panelist was able to share what brings them hope. These include:
youth that are interested in learning how to grow food
a community that values and supports local food now
good growing conditions
talented farmers
Transition Asheville which is willing to serve as a catalyst that brings all of the dedicated people and organizations working in the local food arena together to draft a plan that moves our community away from fossil fuel dependent food and towards resilience that comes with a healthy local food supply.