On March 27, I had the pleasure of joining speakers Mark Winne; Fellow at Center for a Livable Future at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Tricia Kovacs; Local and Regional Food Systems Policy Adviser at the USDA, and Susie Marshall; Executive Director of Grow North Texas — in presenting the workshop, “Food Policy Councils and […]
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Georgia Organics stormed Capitol Hill on Nov. 28 – 29 to stress the vital importance of organic agriculture within the Farm Bill with Georgia’s Congressional representatives. Organic agriculture can revitalize Georgia’s declining rural economies; Georgia should be producing its own organic food and not importing it from California or anyplace else; and growing Georgia’s organic […]
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The Farm Bill is a big deal. It provides funding and programmatic direction for dozens and dozens of USDA and nutrition programs, all of which combine to form one of the largest, central components of the United States’ food system. The Farm Bill is the vehicle for funding and implementing all SNAP (formerly food stamps), […]
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Farming isn’t a career path for the faint of heart; along with fisheries and forestry, farming is one of the most dangerous jobs in the country. Just ask Darby Weaver who suffered a broken leg in 2015 as a result of an accident involving her cow. While Weaver was insured, limited provider options and rising […]
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ATLANTA – Mayor Kasim Reed announced today that Mario Cambardella has been named Urban Agriculture Director and will join the administration on December 3, 2015. His appointment, a first for the City of Atlanta, will support Atlanta’s efforts to become a top tier city in the U.S. for sustainability. In his role, Mr. Cambardella will […]
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Within weeks of accepting the Executive Director role at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market in 2009, Lauren Carey witnessed one torrential downpour after another. The intense rain wreaked havoc on farmland across Georgia, wiping out crops, and destroying the livelihood of farmers. Led by Slow Food Atlanta, the local food community immediately went into what […]
Read moreRecently, Georgia’s State Board of Education voted to allow exemptions to the new federal Smart Snacks rule, permitting schools 90 days of fundraising by selling junk food to kids. But schools can choose to fundraise in LOTS of ways that don’t put the health of their students in jeopardy. Here are some great ideas from […]
Read moreYesterday, the state Georgia State Board of Education voted 9-1 to allow Georgia schools exemptions to the federal Smart Snack rule. The Smart Snack rule was rolled out this summer and stated that schools must ensure all foods sold to kids during the school day (called “Smart Snacks”) meet U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition […]
Read moreTurns out many home garden plants billed as bird and bee-friendly have been pre-treated with a class of insecticides that’s harmful to both, according to a new study released today by Friends of the Earth and allies, including the Turner Environmental Law Clinic, Georgia Organics, and the Atlanta Audubon Society. The study, Gardeners Beware 2014, […]
Read moreAtlanta is ready to become a national leader in local food systems—today Mayor Kasim Reed signed an ordinance that will encourage and support our growing urban agriculture movement. (Read the full text of the ordinance here.) Development of the ordinance was led by the Atlanta Local Food Initiative, Georgia Organics, a grassroots group of urban farmers, […]
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