DC’s Field to Fork Network includes dozens of organizations working in Washington, DC to foster regional change in how we approach our food. Members of the Network represent urban gardeners, farmers’ markets, distribution co-operatives, food banks, local government agencies, academic institutions, nutrition educators, community organizers, and cooks – our work encompasses everything between a gardener’s or farmer’s field and your fork!
Sounds a little bit like the DC Food for All, eh? The difference is that the Field to Fork Network is focused specifically on urban agriculture. Further, the Field to Fork website will be less focused on the local food news and city policy analysis you’ve come to expect from the DC Food for All, and more a space for you to learn how to get your hands dirty – literally. That said, we’re in this food movement together and we’ll be building a strong partnership between the two resources.
Organization as a Network will strengthen the linkages between community gardening, food preparation, and nutritional outreach, resulting in a “field to fork” network that will:
- encourage the use of underutilized green space within the District for agriculture,
- support diversity, abundance, affordability thus, consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables,
- expand health and economic benefits by increasing access to fresh produce, and
- engage participants and volunteers in outreach and educational opportunities throughout the year.
2010 marks the third year that many of these organizations have collaborated to put on Rooting DC, an annual day-long forum for urban gardeners. (To find out more and to support the conference, come out to the Rooting DC Happy Hour fundraiser tonight at Commonwealth Gastropub. 3rd annual Rooting DC tonight.)
Throughout the year, Rooting DC coordinators have written monthly email newsletters outlining upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, and workshops put on by the partners. Now in creation of the Field to Fork Network website, this information will be easily organized and accessible on-demand at www.fieldtoforknetwork.org!
Use this website to
- gather resources for gardeners,
- find upcoming volunteer opportunities in urban ag projects,
- learn about upcoming workshops,
- find info on bringing a wider of diversity of crops to your gardening community,
- get recipes for local seasonal produce, or
- just stay up to date on DC’s field to fork news.
We hope you will find this website a valuable resource as we grow over the course of the next few months. Please feel free to make suggestions for what additional information or resources ought to be included, by emailing us at DCFieldtoFork@gmail.com
I am in favor of anything that seeks to get people to unify and work together. I believe that it is important to move beyond single issue advocacy to seek multi-disciplinary solutions to intractable societal problems like food security. No one idea, organization, law or political party can do this. Field to Fork is a good idea that may help facilitate this.