How do we build RESILIENCE in the region's food system?
That's exactly the question that was posed yesterday at the Food Systems Sector work group for the Resilience Maryland Strategy (coming from this Executive Order from Governor Moore) that I had the honor of being a part of.
The Maryland Office of Resilience gathered a group of farmers, food system professionals and those who work with disaster and hunger relief to develop recommendations for Maryland's strategic plan for increasing resilience in our state from hazards that include but are surely not limited to climate (heat, droughts, floods, fire, hurricanes), supply chain disruptions, economic hardships and pandemics.
We discussed a host of stressors ranging from infrastructure to labor shortages to energy sources + prices, to food safety and health regulations, and of course, to the massive complexities and intersectionality of issues that Maryland constituents face.
Food security is a topic that I am deeply passionate about as not only a farmer, but also a mother and concerned citizen living in uncertain times. I believe we have to produce as much healthy food regionally as possible to decrease the time, energy and labor it takes to get food from farms to people - to maximize their nutritional value, minimize environmental impact and to develop resilience for the inevitability of hard times.
At Moon Valley Farm, we are deeply committed to cultivating resilience on our own farm every single day -- and we also know that's not enough. I'm proud to show up for the state to be a part of building greater resilience on a broader scale, as food security for the entire region is SO so important.
What does building resilient food systems boil down to? Consumers and buyers at all levels need to shift some of their food budget to local farmers. Period. That includes households, restaurants, schools, institutions, food banks and nonprofit organizations. The more that local farmers are supported now, we will scale and secure our production and distribution capacities, and the more equipped we will be to feed more of our community in times of crisis.
THANK YOU to every single customer of Moon Valley Farm -- YOU are part of the solution and your choice to buy local is not just meaningful to us -- it's growing RESILIENCE in our region.
Join our CSA!
We’d love to grow for you and are now accepting sign ups for our Year Round and Peak Season CSA! Have any questions about our CSA program? Reach out to support@moonvalleyfarm.net.