CHARLEMONT — Attendees are invited to learn all about the “The Future of Food in New England” at the next Charlemont Forum event, set for Thursday, Sept. 18.
At 7 p.m., the Charlemont Forum will host a panel discussion at the Charlemont Federated Church on food production, consumption and marketing in New England, as well as the challenges that our geography, census and lifestyle demands create. Panelists will include Andrew Kendall, executive director of the Kendall Foundation, which is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting local and regional food supply systems; Cathy Stanton, an anthropologist and food systems researcher who teaches at Tufts University, and chairs the Quabbin Harvest Food Co-op board of directors; and Martin Philip, head baker for King Arthur Baking Co. Ken Bertsch will serve as moderator.
Mary Ann Adams, chair of the Charlemont Forum, said the three panelists provide a range of perspectives on food systems and the different parts, from farm to market to kitchen. She said the theme of the panel is particularly relevant to western Massachusetts, where there are many farms vital to supporting the local food system.
“Western Massachusetts is a large portion of the agricultural community in New
England,” Adams said. “This isn’t just about our weekend farm stands, but an overview of food production in New England and how it fits into our whole food economy.”
Stanton said the panelists had a pre-panel meeting to discuss the topics they hope to cover, and one of the bigger themes that emerged was the importance of community in food.
“I think one of the things we’re talking about is how food production needs to be rooted in community, and coincidentally there is this really strong regional identity in New England,” Stanton said.
She said “good food is local food,” which comes from sustainable and ethical local farms; however, locally grown food is sometimes more expensive than food produced at large-scale facilities and shipped from elsewhere in the world.
Stanton said panelists will discuss the challenges local food producers and markets face, as well as the challenges to the food system as a whole and the greater impact of these challenges.
“I think it’s a really important moment in the food system right now,” Stanton said. “Food is a really good starting point for a lot of big issues. It’s personal, it’s cultural, it impacts people in so many different way.”
After the panel discussion, there will be a question-and-answer segment. The event is free to attend and sponsored by the cultural councils of Amherst, Buckland, Colrain,
Charlemont/Hawley, Conway, Goshen, Heath, Leyden, Plainfield, Rowe and Shelburne.
For more information, visit charlemontforum.org.