Learning about Cultivating Care at OEFFA conference
From Slow Food Cincinnati Board President Eduardo Rodriguez:
Last week I attended the 45th annual OEFFA Conference in Newark, Ohio. OEFFA stands for Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association, so this is a gathering of our kind of people!
The conference theme was “Cultivating Care.” It was chosen to reflect just how accurate and essential care is in our community in a time when fences divide, words hurt, and people become disconnected.
This conference often covers topics that care for our land, environment, food, community and future, so “cultivating care” was perfect for this year.
Eduardo Rodriguez, board president of Slow Food Cincinnati, at OEFFA 2024 with Ohio farmers market representatives from Cincinnati, including Liz Stites of the Hyde Park Farmers Market, Penny Shore of the Wyoming Ave. Farmers Market, and Amanda Lukas of Findlay Market.
My purpose for attending the conference was to learn more about sustainable agriculture and food policy in Ohio.
And I certainly did, as the speakers and workshops topics were diverse - from food policy, community gardens and organic farming practices, to climate mitigation strategies. In the trade show, or after workshops, my conversations with others were about the need to care for our land, the environment and the people.
All this made me think about the need to proactively follow practices that care, which in turn give us nutritious food.
I learned the importance of soil health to grow healthy crops. It is a full circle; sustainable farming enhances soil health, which consequently gives us more nutritious food, which positively impacts our health.
It all starts by caring for our environment and our land, and I realized how committed the farmers I met are to doing this. They are very close to their land, want to restore it and protect it.
The trade show area of the OEFFA 2024 conference in Newark, Ohio. Photo by Eduardo Rodriguez
On the other hand, the approach to industrial farming is extractive and about meeting goals no matter the consequences to the land, which in most cases leads to food with low nutritious value, and to damage to the soil and the environment.
Regarding food policy, it is important that we all act by asking our federal representatives to approve the Farm Bill. In November, President Biden had to extend the most recent Farm Bill - officially the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 - because Congress has not agreed on a new version.
It is amazing how all is connected; we can support our farmers by requesting laws that support sustainable agriculture, by buying from local farmers, and, in turn, by strengthening our economy and community.
Slow Food Cincinnati is concerned about human health and the need to eat healthy food (food is medicine).
“Cultivating care” is being conscious about our decisions on sustainability and our contributions to climate mitigation actions. We can all contribute by making choices that help our health and the environment – walk versus drive, buy organic versus conventional food, and buy products that are less impactful to the environment. Do watch out for greenwashing claims.
— Eduardo Rodriguez, board president
A seminar presenter at the OEFFA 2024 conference in Newark, Ohio. Photo by Eduardo Rodriguez
