Category Archives: small farms

Full Circle Farm in Sunnyvale, CA

Posted on August 14, 2012 by admin

Strange coincidences – last week I received an email from Wolfram Alderson, executive director of Full Circle Farm. He offered to take me on a tour of his urban farm, if I ever made it to the Bay Area. Well, … Continue reading →

Posted in California, small farms, urban agriculture | Leave a comment

the importance of certification???

Posted on April 3, 2012 by admin

Last night, Clay Gordon spoke in my Food Markets class; the topic was fair trade chocolate. I found his discussion fascinating; his background of fine arts, technology and chocolate provides him with a unique perspective on what I consider a … Continue reading →

Posted in fair trade, international trade, small farms | Leave a comment

Walmart and food labels

Posted on February 7, 2012 by admin

Megan Moore sent me the link to this article about Wal-Mart’s healthy food labels. I waffle about Wal-Mart. On the one hand, it is a huge company and any effort it makes regarding improving public health or addressing environmental issues … Continue reading →

Posted in cost of food, food policy, public health, small farms, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

harsh realities of farming

Posted on January 28, 2012 by admin

Many of us involved in the food movement are ensconced in a bubble of our making. In our world, we work hard to make good food choices, ones that are aligned with our beliefs about food, farming, and people. This … Continue reading →

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organic agriculture in the news

Posted on December 31, 2011 by admin

Organic agriculture has been featured in two articles in New York Times in the past week, and both discuss the impact of growth in consumer demand on the market. The first article discusses organic milk. Unlike most other organic products, … Continue reading →

Posted in organic food, small farms | 1 Comment

one meal at a time?

Posted on December 21, 2011 by admin

I tend to do things on a grand scale: my life goals include not merely viewing the Grand Canyon, but hiking from the north rim to the south rim. My “think big” perspective drives nearly all of my behavior. This … Continue reading →

Posted in food availability, Food studies, small farms, sustainable agriculture | Leave a comment

more on food access and sustainable agriculture

Posted on December 9, 2011 by admin

I’ve been thinking about a recent post, where I mentioned the tension between increasing  food access to low income households and the increased use of sustainable farming practices. The cause of the tension between the two is food prices: low … Continue reading →

Posted in cost of food, food policy, organic food, small farms | 2 Comments

first thoughts on policy levers to change the food system

Posted on December 2, 2011 by admin

My students created a long list of policies they would like to see implemented, with the goal of encouraging a shift in the food system. A dominant theme was related to changing farm policy, through a mix of “carrots and … Continue reading →

Posted in food availability, food policy, small farms, sustainable agriculture | Leave a comment

what’s wrong with “big organic?”

Posted on November 22, 2011 by admin

In the food movement, big is not better. People tend to look fondly upon small farms and small businesses. And for some reason that I don’t understand, there is an assumption that organic farms and organic businesses should be small. … Continue reading →

Posted in organic food, small farms, sustainable agriculture | Leave a comment