W&L Conference Focuses On Shifting Food Systems To More Sustainable Models Communities Urged To Create Food Hubs And Partner With Processors And Suppliers By Patte Wood Staff Reporter   Lexington, VA (October 8, 2009) - It’s time to shift our food system to make it more economically, environmentally and nutritionally sustainable. That was the message delivered at the conference on "Cultivating Sustainability" at Washington & Lee University Sept. 30th. Larry Yee, director emeritus of the University of California Cooperative Extension’s Ventura County Office, told participants that "food is fundamentally connected to everything else" and it’s time to put it on a more sustainable path. "We need to de-industrialize our food system," Yee said. "Right now our food system favors bigness and uniformity. I see a future with a wide diversity of operations including small-, medium- and large-scale farming." In the 1930s, there were 7 million farms, and most were mid-size, Yee explained. Today, there are 2.2 million farms with the majority large or small. There’s room for organic and traditional farming, but there needs to be more mid-size farms whose operators earn a gross income of $50,000 to $500,000. Yee also suggested that communities create producer groups, such as food hubs, and partner with processors and suppliers. The one-day conference was organized to discuss the critical role institutions can play in the development of a regional food system and strategic directions for forming regional food systems. It was sponsored by Washington & Lee; the Virginia Foundation for Agriculture, Innovation and Sustainability; Shenandoah Resource Conservation & Development; Virginia Farm Bureau; Virginia Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education; Virginia Cooperative Extension, Whole Foods Market and Standard Produce Co.

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