A colleague of mine, futurist Gary Sycalik, forwarded the link to the article introduced below. The pictures of Missoula "then" and "now" remind us that communities once supported successful local food systems before the onslaught of globalization relegated such systems to the background.

This same contrast is replayed across hundreds of communities in Ohio. No doubt many OLFSC readers have similar stories of the changes they have witnessed through their family histories.

While it could be discouraging to see all that we have lost, it can also be an inspiration to know that we have been there before; we can reclaim what we relinquished; and, we have the possibility to build it even better given our present capabilities and future developments that are fast upon us.

Like the phoenix, local food systems will be born anew with even greater relevance!

Steve B.

ROOTED IN THE SOIL

By Neva Hassanein, 5-11-08

as published in Edible Missoula Magazine

Over the last decade, a movement to build a vibrant local and regional food system has gained tremendous momentum in Western Montana. As someone involved in this effort, I smile when I step back and look at how many pieces of the localization puzzle have begun to fall into place. While there is much to celebrate, the challenges have become clearer too. In the face of rapid population growth and development, one of the biggest hurdles of all may be saving fertile soil -- the medium in which our local food system must be rooted. Yet, opportunities for innovative and collaborative problem solving present themselves.

Missoula in 1909, K. Ross Toole Archives, University of Montana Hughes Gardens. Diverse farms, such as the one pictured above, and an associated processing industry met the needs of Missoula's population in the early 20th century.

The same view today illustrates the loss of much of our local food production. Now, about 85-90% of our food comes from someplace else. We depend on a tremendous amount of fossil fuel, extensive transportation networks, and a small number of food distributors, retailers, and food services to move food from field to plate. But how secure is that food system? Photo by Yogesh Simpson.