World Ark Magazine - May/June 2008 - (Page 8)

Asked & Answered Nourish Kirk Bergstrom Food + Community kirk Bergstrom is founder and president of Worldlink, the organization behind a new initiative called Nourish. The project, says Bergstrom, was inspired by an essential question: How can we create a more sustainable food system? It invites people to examine their relationship to food and to understand the story of their food. To explore these issues, Nourish is producing a PBS television special, a companion website and a school curriculum. Interview by Jaman Matthews, World Ark Writer Kirk Bergstrom, above, is a regular at his local farmers market. Through his new venture, Nourish, he hopes to foster a larger public discussion about food, community and sustainability. He has enlisted an impressive team of farmers, chefs and writers to help him spread the word. (Photos courtesy of Kirk Bergstrom) WA: The full name of the initiative is Nourish: Food + Community. What does that phrase “food plus community” mean to you? KIRK BERGSTROM: “Food plus community” recognizes that food culture is deeply embedded in community. Food is meant to be a communal experience. The act of cooking and sharing a meal nourishes the bonds of family and friends. A farmers market serves as a community gathering place. You have some big names signed on for the project. We wanted the voices of thoughtful individuals who bring a “big picture” to the issues of food and agriculture. One person skilled at enlarging our worldview is Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food. Another is Anna Lappé, author of Hope’s Edge and Grub. Bryant Terry, author and chef, brings an urban sensibility and a love of cooking. We also interviewed Nadine Burke, a pediatrician and nutritionist who works on the front lines of the obesity epidemic. Chez Panisse restaurant founder Alice Waters speaks about her pioneering work with The Edible Schoolyard. And British chef Jamie Oliver shares his unique joie de vivre for cooking and community. There is certainly a national conversation surrounding food these days. But it seems that much of it has become about specialty foods and celebrity chefs. Is food just a fad, simply a niche topic for the wealthy? While the media may focus on the trendy new restaurant or celebrity chef, food is about much, much more. Our relationship to food encompasses the whole world. To create a more sustainable food system will take bold vision and a real commitment to change—from agricultural policy to agricultural practices. It will require corporate responsibility and individual responsibility. We all have a stake, and we all have a say. As Michael Pollan says, “Vote with your fork.” What do you hope Nourish will accomplish? Nourish is intended to stimulate questions and dialogue. Our hope is that Nourish plants seeds of inquiry—within families, within schools, within communities—that begin to transform the way people relate to food. Food is one of our most intimate relationships. It makes us and remakes us every day. It also makes and remakes our world. 8 May/June 2008 | WOrlD Ark www.heifer.org http://www.heifer.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of World Ark Magazine - May/June 2008

World Ark Magazine - May/June 2008 Contents Letters For the Record The Good Life Asked & Answered Why Water Matters The Carbon Hoofprint From Farm to Table Healing History Mixed Media Heifer Spirit Heifer Bulletin World Ark Market Calendar First Person

World Ark Magazine - May/June 2008

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