Sustainability Now! | Bethany, LeTicia, Mad & Tyler | Weaving the Food Web Part 2 | 8-28-23

On this week’s Sustainability Now!, your host, Justin Mog, puts on his overalls and gets down in the weeds with more of the organizers from the Food In Neighborhoods (FIN) community coalition who are pulling together Kentucky’s first-ever People’s Summit on Food Systems and Urban Agriculture on September 8-9, 2023. It is called “Weaving the Food Web” and it will be taking place here in Louisville at 100 Witherspoon Conference Center. You can learn more and register at https://whova.com/portal/registration/agcon_202309/. You can also take the survey for Louisville's Food Vision 2023 right now at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScorrUWOc8ipmJXxYxDg1g5TFfv1f-FH9Q80SmH5iBN6QemUA/viewform

In studio to discuss the Summit are co-organizers:

LeTicia Marshall, who currently serves as the Local Food Systems Justice Coordinator at Kentucky State University's Cooperative Extension Office in West Louisville - their mission is to bring resources, education, and training to limited resource and underserved communities. For the past year, LeTicia has worked to connect and collaborate with leaders, organizations, business owners, and community members who are all passionate about their local food system to find solutions to make our local food system more equitable and sustainable.

Tyler Short, who currently works part-time with FIN, leading facilitation of the planning committee for the People’s Summit. He also works at Valley Spirit Farm in Henry County. In addition, he represents the international peasant movement La Via Campesina in the Civil Society and Indigenous Peoples’ Mechanism, an essential and autonomous part of the United Nations Committee on World Food Security.

Bethany Pratt, who is the Senior Extension Associate with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Nutrition Education Program. She works in Louisville and focuses on connecting limited-resource Kentuckians with locally grown produce. She is also the co-coordinator of the Louisville Urban Agriculture Coalition, a part of Food In Neighborhoods Community Coalition.

Mad Marchal, who is the Urban Agriculture Manager at Louisville Grows. They run the Louisville Grows annual plant sales, manage the Community Garden Grant program and are the Louisville program manager for the Giving Grove National Community Orchard Program.

FIN and the Cooperative Extension Program of Kentucky State University have partnered to organize The People’s Summit in Louisville on September 8–9, 2023. It includes caravan tours to raise awareness about local food apartheid and grassroots efforts to increase healthy food access as well as spotlight the work of urban growers. The Summit will have workshops-style events involving popular education and in-depth political strategy discussions.

Exciting food justice initiatives will be featured and the input of participants - through dialogue, art and celebration - will be gathered during the day. Hot breakfast and lunch, ASL and language interpretation will be offered, along with childcare. Grow Appalachia is offering free registration for beginning farmers. Be part of food justice history and join us on September 8 and 9! Learn more and register at http://foodinneighborhoods.org

As always, our feature is followed by your community action calendar for the week, so get your calendars out and get ready to take action for sustainability NOW!

Sustainability Now! is hosted by Dr. Justin Mog and airs on Forward Radio, 106.5fm, WFMP-LP Louisville, every Monday at 6pm and repeats Tuesdays at 12am and 10am. Find us at http://forwardradio.org

The music in this podcast is courtesy of the local band Appalatin and is used by permission. Explore their delightful music at http://appalatin.com