Greater New London Farm to City Coalition
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OUR MISSION  

To strengthen the local sustainable food systems for Greater New London by connecting local food producers with local food consumers.

A New Food System: a Vision


In many ways a “new” food system is a return to an old one. A food system is simple all of the activities and economies that go into delivering food to the table; whether that table is in a nursing home, a homeless shelter, a school or one’s home.


Food in the US has been, relative to the rest of the world, cheap. Largely due to subsidization and a shifting of the direct costs of producing and delivering food, until recently the cost has been a relatively small portion of the total income of most Americans. While that is changing, it is also realized that the kinds of food we have are delivered at the price of reducing the whole value of nature’s gifts. The intense processing and packaging of foods and shipping of foods from points literally across the globe have made the food chain unsustainable. We are now just beginning to see the associated costs and there is concern about the security of the food we put on our table; whether it be mad cow disease or E.coli Outbreaks, we are the recipients of a food system which has become ever more alien.


Greater New London has all of the organizations and people ready to go. We just need to bring them all together with our common mission – to provide whole local food from our local farmers and fishermen.
The “alternative” food system is really a simplification of our existing system. It surrounds us, is visible to all of us, and makes the trip from seed to plate a simple and joyous one. The supply chain, rather than stretching around the world, is in clusters throughout the region. We have enough working farmland to begin the process, with demand will come an increase in innovation, biodiversity and optimal use of sustainable farming that has been honed for centuries. To realize the full trip from seed to plate, a set of processes will be developed, distribution and where necessary a simple preparation process will be put in place. Additionally, exposure to horticulture and agriculture (where food really comes from) along with whole food preparation education will be part of securing our food for Greater New London.Greater New London has all of the organizations and people ready to go. We just need to bring them all together with our common mission – to provide whole local food from our local farmers and fishermen.The “alternative” food system is really a simplification of our existing system. It surrounds us, is visible to all of us, and makes the trip from seed to plate a simple and joyous one. The supply chain, rather than stretching around the world, is in clusters throughout the region. We have enough working farmland to begin the process, with demand will come an increase in innovation, biodiversity and optimal use of sustainable farming that has been honed for centuries. To realize the full trip from seed to plate, a set of processes will be developed, distribution and where necessary a simple preparation process will be put in place. Additionally, exposure to horticulture and agriculture (where food really comes from) along with whole food preparation education will be part of securing our food for Greater New London.

 Governing Principles

• Community-based
• Accessible, affordable and available to all in Greater New London
• Organization structures will be responsive to Greater New London
• Fully transparent food supply chain
• Local food system will be democratically organized
• Diversified, safe and secure food sources
    • Food sources should begin locally
    • Organic or ecologically sustainable foods
    • Fair trade exchanges and employment practices

*Supply chain is defined as beginning from the source of seeds through to plate. This “chain” is greatly reduced from New London’s current food chain which can begin anywhere in the world and where processing and packaging eliminate much of the qualities of whole food.

 



 

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