BY JEFF BACON
Blaine County’s Local Food Alliance is on a mission, and what and how you eat is in their sights.
Started in 2013 as a way to pull together the myriad agencies and organizations that work with and for sustainably produced food in the Wood River Valley, Local Food Alliance actively recruits disciples, finds better ways to educate consumers on the benefits of regionally produced food, and connects them to the farmers who produce it.
“In many ways, Blaine County is considered a food desert,” says Ali Long, the organization’s executive director. “Despite the fact that we are surrounded by agriculture, 95 percent of the food we consume in this county is produced thousands of miles away. Weather, economic and political conditions create unstable and unreliable access to fresh, nutrient-dense food, free of pesticides, chemicals and additives that cause serious health problems. Our goal is to help the county grow its capacity to produce its own clean, nutritious food.”
Using a model of a “backbone organization” from Stanford’s Center for Social Innovation, Local Food Alliance coordinates and facilitates numerous local organizations that have recently collaborated to lay the groundwork to assess the county’s current local food system. “The Blaine County Food Assessment – now called the Blaine County Food Council – is an important initiative to identify resources and gaps in our current food system,” adds Ali. “Now that we have some good, basic information, we can begin to fill existing holes and build a trustworthy, reliable and resilient source of food for the Wood River Valley.”
Sounds easy enough. If a significant number of people want locally produced fresh food, and there are companies to provide it, what could go wrong? During a recent visit to the Wood River Valley, farmer, advocate and speaker Joel Salatin noted, “Our government is consistently in our way. No matter how many people want these kinds of local options, government regulations and restrictions hamper this kind of trade. Their goal is to make it easier for the large, corporate food producers and restrict the smaller, local version. It’s a frustrating reality.”
So what can be done to help change this current reality? According to Ali, it’s pretty simple. “Get to know our farmers and grow something – anything – yourself. Our growing season isn’t as short as it seems, and there are plenty of innovative techniques to extend it and expand the bounty. Local and regional food systems are a powerful and reassuring way to address individual, community, economic and environmental health. Gardener, canner, cook, eater or composter – we each play at least one role. Make an effort to understand how to “vote with your fork” and leverage these roles toward powerful solutions.”
Be on the lookout for information, events and opportunities to engage with local food. “Local Food Alliance publishes monthly newsletters, hosts screenings, and uses our website and social media to keep the community current. People tell us how empowering it is to have this information,” Ali notes. “The more people and organizations we can connect with this movement, the better its chance for success.”
Jeff Bacon is the Hailey Chamber of Commerce’s membership director. For more information, visit www.haileyidaho.com or call the Chamber at (208) 788-3484.