Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development Inaugural Issue and Special Topic Focus: Growing New Farmers

Duncan Hilchey

doi:10.5304/jafscd.2010.011.002

Abstract

Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development Inaugural Issue and Special Topic Focus: Growing New Farmers

Highlights

I recently taught a 2-hour workshop on mapping a regional food system network for a new group called the Groundswell Center for Local Food and Farming here in Ithaca, New York
More than a beginning farmer program, Groundswell helps youth and adult learners develop the skills and knowledge they need to build sustainable local food systems. In this particular class of college students I saw tremendous enthusiasm, intelligence, and righteousness coupled with just a touch of naiveté. They hung on every word, they asked great questions, they relished the opportunity to map the relationships between all the players in our Finger Lakes regional food system
Was I projecting my own experience of the previous 28 years on them? When I got home I checked my email and there were three JAFSCD manuscript submissions that had just arrived from Africa, Canada, and the U.S — reminding me that things have changed dramatically since I was a VISTA volunteer back in 1982 working for the Central New Hampshire Agricultural Marketing Project

Summary

DUNCAN HILCHEY

Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development inaugural issue and special topic focus: Growing Farmers. More than a beginning farmer program, Groundswell helps youth and adult learners develop the skills and knowledge they need to build sustainable local food systems. In this particular class of college students I saw tremendous enthusiasm, intelligence, and righteousness coupled with just a touch of naiveté. We are lucky that programs like Groundswell are in a position to incubate new sustainable farmers, as well as new talented agriculture and food system development professionals The topic for this first issue, “Growing New Farmers,” was chosen based on response to a poll we conducted on the JAFSCD website.

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