Resources

Food is essential to our lives. And yet, as consumers we've lost ties to the people and land that sustain us. Profit-driven corporations have created a food system that threatens our health, our planet's health and the livelihoods of small farming families around the world. We believe consumers should be informed about the food system. Educating ourselves about where our food comes from – so that we can make informed decisions as consumers - will help create a healthier, more equitable food system.

The Food System:

• The consolidation of the organic industry - A visual representation of the consolidation of the organic industry, by Dr. Phil Howard, Michigan State University
• The Ethics of What We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter by Peter Singer and Jim Mason.
• "King Corn" tells the story of two friends, one acre of corn, and the subsidized crop that drives our fast-food nation.
• Grassroots International - food sovereignty
• Grieder, William. "The Last Farm Crisis." The Nation, Nov. 2, 2000.
• "The Price of Sugar" - This documentary follows Father Christopher Hartley, a charismatic Spanish priest, as he organizes some of this hemisphere's poorest people to fight for their basic human rights. This film raises key questions about where the products we consume originate and at what human cost they are produced.
• The Eat Well Guide - Find listings for CSAs, as well as sustainable restaurants, co-ops and stores in your area.
• "The Meatrix" - A humorous 4-minute animation that highlights the problems of factory farming.
• Nourish: Food + Community - The purpose of Nourish is to open a broad public conversation about our food system that encourages citizen engagement, particularly among young people and families. To inform and inspire, Nourish combines television programming, short films, web content, and learning tools.
• Local Food in Every Shopping Cart - 2-minute video from our friends at Red Tomato

Fair Trade & The Coffee Industry:

• "Black Gold: A Film About Coffee & Trade"
• Confronting the Coffee Crisis: Fair Trade, Sustainable Livelihoods and Ecosystems in Mexico and Central America edited by Christopher M. Bacon, V. Ernesto Méndez, Stephen R. Gliessman, David Goodman and Jonathan A. Fox
• + Social Evolution: Coffee and the Rise of National Governments in Central America by Robert Gregory Williams
• Coffee and Power: Revolution and the Rise of Democracy in Central America by Jeffrey M. Paige
• Win Win Solutions: An Introduction to Fair Trade and Cooperative Economics - Equal Exchange curriculum, grades 4-9
• Brewing Justice by Daniel Jaffee
• Ford Hall Forum, April 2011: "Trade-Offs: Can Free be Fair?" (1hr 22min)
  Rodney North of Equal Exchange and Dr. David Turk of Suffolk University discuss with Ford Hall Forum board member and Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby whether free trade can be fair and vice versa.
• History of Coffee in:
  • Peru
  • Nicaragua
  • Mexico
  • Guatemala
  • El Salvador
  • Ecuador
  • Colombia
  • Bolivia

Sustainable Farming

• Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) - A nonprofit organization based in Spring Valley, WI that promotes organic and sustainable agriculture by providing the education, resources and expertise farmers need to succeed.
• "The Real Dirt on Farmer John" - The epic tale of a Midwestern farmer who transforms his farm amidst a failing economy, vicious rumors and arson.
• Rodale Institute
• The Organic Center
• Local Harvest
• The Organic Diet and Lifestyle

Co-ops

• "The Take" - A documentary about factory workers in Argentina who face off against the bosses, bankers and a whole system that sees their beloved factories as nothing more than scrap metal for sale.
• National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA)
• U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives
• Stronger Together

Co-operative Economy

• "Other Economies Are Possible!" - An article on building a solidarity economy.