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| Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V |
Listen to a few broadcasts of Deconstructing Dinner, and choosing food maysuddenly become an intimidating adventure. It is of the utmost importancethat we also bring our listeners examples of alternatives to the industrialfood system that is spiralling out of the control of Canadians.
Enter the co-operative model of operating a business. Long an example inCanada of how people can assume control over our needs and resources,co-operatives as an alternative to the industrial food system will be thefocus of this series. This is an exciting series, as we ourselves atKootenay Co-op Radio are a co-operative too.
How does a co-operative differ from a traditional business? Mostimportantly, a co-operative is owned and democratically controlled by thepeople who use the services or by those working within the co-op. A co-op isoperated for the benefit of members and members have a say in decisionsaffecting the co-op. In the case of food, such a premise directly challengesmany of the pressing issues Deconstructing Dinner explores on a weeklybasis.
On this Part II of the series, we look at how co-operatives can provide analternative to agricultural land ownership and how farmers can receive afair price by working together to market their product.
Deconstructing Dinner is designed to educate listeners on the impacts our food choices have on ourselves, our communities and the planet. The show, hosted by Jon Steinman, is produced at Kootenay Co-op Radio (CJLY) in Nelson, British Columbia, Canada.
Guests
Rob Diether and Lorraine LeBourdais - Horse Lake Community Farm Co-operative(100-Mile House, BC) - An innovative plan to protect a unique piece offarmland in British Columbia is providing a model of how a community cantake ownership of the land that feeds them, and guarantee access to locallygrown food. Working with The Land Conservancy (TLC), a co-operative has beenformed to purchase and preserve a 133-acre farm at the east end of HorseLake. Joining the Co-op provides many benefits. These include communityinvolvement in the farm's operation with preferred access to the farm'sorganic produce, educational and cultural activities and special programmesand events on the property.
Cathleen and Brewster Kneen - The Ram's Horn (Ottawa, ON) - In October 2006,Deconstructing Dinner recorded Cathleen and Brewster speak at the BridgingBorders Towards Food Security Conference held in Vancouver, BC. Theirworkshop told the story of the Northumberland Lamb Marketing Co-operative inTruro, Nova Scotia, which recently marked its 25th anniversary. Theirworkshop explored the factors that made Northumberlamb a voluntary supplymanagement system, setting prices, controling quality, negotiating deliverytimes and volumes with farmers, and supplying the major supermarkets in theprovince with local lamb year round. Cathleen and Brewster publish The Ram'sHorn - a monthly journal of food systems analysis.
Audio Clips
Grassroots Groceries - Produced and hosted by Wajid Jenkins for Sprouts - aweekly news magazine of the Pacifica Foundation. Wajid hosts The CompostPile at WORT Madison, Wisconsin. Grassroots Groceries looks at the past,present and future prospects for grassroots groceries in Madison, Wisconsin.With a globalized food system that favors centralized, large-volume brokers,small-scale grocers face huge obstacles. One of the original foodcooperatives in the United States, the Mifflin Street Community Cooperativein Madison, Wisconsin was forced to close its doors on Friday December 8,2006. Established in January 1969, Mifflin Coop played a pivotal role in theprogressive movement for food justice in the Midwest and beyond. With rootsin the radical politics of the movement against the Vietnam War, Mifflin hasremained true to its original values and mission. It is a collectivelymanaged, member-owned small-scale grocery. Mifflin was central in theformation and support of other cooperative businesses in the Midwest,loaning money, inspiring discussion and forging new paths. It struggled withdebt, changing neighborhood demographics and runaway globalization of thefood system. Now, after 38 years, it has closed it's doors, leaving a smallbut obvious hole in the local food scene in Madison.
More info at www.cjly.net/deconstructingdinner/041907.htm
