Making a difference

I've been involved in a number of conversations over the last few months that have a common theme. They all somehow involve fresh, fair, available food and interest in growing it, preparing it, increasing awareness of it, supporting its producers financially and creating the policies and laws that support a food system that is sustainable and good for the people and communities it touches. It seems that everyone is interested in food, and that's a good thing. What is more challenging is organizing and selecting a focus that is both appealing (to attract the human, financial and other resources necessary to do meaningful work) and appropriate (the equivalent of solving the right problem in the right way rather than looking for how to make something into a nail because we have a hammer.)

Competition has no place in this arena. It's time to stop guarding information, looking out for "number 1" and establishing arbitrary territories that belong to "us" and "them." The problems we face are too big and too complex for any one group to deal with. And they are too interconnected to be simple to solve. If solving my problem creates a problem elsewhere,  net net, we are no better off.

What we face in the food world is a global puzzle like a rubic's cube. Access to food that isn't affordable isn't a solution. Affordable food that isn't healthy isn't a solution. Healthy food that doesn't reach everyone isn't a solution. It's not enough to get problems solved in one part of the world because we're interconnected, and what we do upsets the pattern that others are trying to achieve elsewhere. Yet, it's hard to work with others who may hold views that we disagree with, but we must. It's hard to give up certain long-held goals to achieve other, larger goals, but often, we must. It's hard to try, and try, and try and come up short, but we must be willing to continue. Solving a puzzle requires that everyone contribute their piece to the picture and accept that others have pieces to contribute as well.