'Future of Food' to focus on health of humans, land
The future of food is not just a natural resource issue but a social one. How we are able to "think like a foodshed" over the next half century to prioritize human community health and land health is of great significance, according to an upcoming lecture sponsored by the Institute for Humanities Research.
"The Future of Food: In the Desert and Beyond" will be the subject of a talk given by Gary Paul Nabhan, the Kellogg Endowed Chair in Borderlands Food and Water Security at the University of Arizona Southwest Center, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., April 2, in Wrigley Hall on the Tempe campus.
According to Nabhan, planning for a more equitable food and water future for Arizona's rural and urban poor should be at the top of every list for social and environmental activists, as the state's food supply is among the most vulnerable with respect to water scarcity and climate change.
"The technical quest to feed nine million people on this planet has focused on stretching the carrying capacity of our food production systems rather than paying attention to the social issues related to 'caring capacity,'" reads the summary to Nabhan's upcoming talk. "This may be particularly true in the borderlands, which feature some of America's most important food ports of entry at the same time that border counties' levels of poverty and food insecurity are twice the national average."
Nabhan was named by Utne Reader as one of 12 innovators who made the world a better place in 2011, and has received two honorary degrees for his role as a pioneer in the local food movement. Founder of Native Seeds/SEARCH, Renewing America's Food Traditions and the Forgotten Pollinators Campaign, he farms heritage grains, legumes and heirloom fruits in Santa Cruz County.
His 25th book, "Desert Terroir: Exploring Unique Flavors and Sundry Places of the Borderlands," will be released in March from University of Texas Press, and will be available for purchase at the event.
To RSVP for The Future of Food, click here.