The Foodshed Network advances food system transformation so that people and the earth CAN thrive. We connect, educate, advocate and network weave, to inspire investment in a resilient foodshed and a just and equitable food economy, so that everyone has access to nourishing, local food.
Serve as an education platform and resource that highlights food justice initiatives and bridges communities in Fairfield County.
Convene two programs: Greenwich Food Alliance and The Foodshed Forum, and curate an open access Resource Library.
Provide a network of resources and experiential learning opportunities for anyone who is interested in learning about the impacts of the industrial food system and the change-making initiatives that are co-creating a better way.
Connect narrative around the industrial food system to the transformative movements that are happening in communities working from the ‘grassroots’ to ‘grass-tops’. Do you know that the industrial food system is a leading cause of some of our biggest societal problems? Or that if we don’t change the way we produce, distribute, process, source and dispose of food we will fail to adequately address some the most pressing social and ecological issues of our time? The industrial food system shapes the world we live in. Although food nourishes and fosters life, the system in which it is cultivated is fraught with deeply rooted practices of exploitation, beginning with the enslavement of Africans, the genocide of Indigenous Peoples, and extraction of soil, watersheds, and natural & social ecosystems. Consequently, this colonized food system is a leading cause of racial inequity, diet related diseases, economic disparities, biodiversity loss, water pollution and depletion, soil erosion and climate change. It is designed to feed corporate profits, instead of the community culture it is meant to nourish and sustain. Both rural and urban food economies suffer from what has become a transactional exchange rather than transparent exchange, dependent on trusted relationships. Our social and ecological systems can no longer withstand the industrial systems impact and therefore must be transformed so that people and the earth can thrive.
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Our goal is to reach people at any stage of awareness, and help them understand the: 'what’ + 'why’ + 'how’ behind food system transformation. Why must we transform the food system? LEARN MORE HERE
TFN highlights an alternative path guided by community-based initiatives that demonstrate what is possible if WE take bold steps to divest from the status quo. The initiatives we amplify offer viable solutions that range from the grass-roots to policy. They are foundational to a broader vision of a universal food system that equitably nourishes everyone, and functions as regional food cultures that are rooted in relationships, meaningful story, and a sense of place. The Foodshed Network is committed to food justice: "recognizing that issues of food and land access are deeply intertwined with issues of race, class, and social justice. The dominant US food system was built on Indigenous genocide and land theft and the enslavement and exploitation of Black people; injustices continue today through food apartheid, inequitable land access, and environmental degradation. Our dominant, increasingly consolidated food system exploits people, animals, and land to generate profits for a smaller and smaller number of larger and larger corporations." Connecticut Food System Alliance ~ Lean more about CFSA HERE.