Cultivating a Movement

A synergistic web of visionary farmers, activists, educators, and researchers is transforming the food system in Central California and beyond. This sampling of narratives drawn from the first oral history of organic and sustainable farming documents a multifaceted and interdependent community of change-makers who speak for themselves, offering a window into the dynamic history of a movement.

"Personal stories are always a wonderful way to learn about past events. The personal narratives of farmers, educators, researchers, artists and conservationists who were part of the evolution of sustainable agriculture and organic food and farming systems in California's Central Coast—and reaching out to the rest of the country--are truly inspiring. Cultivating a Movement is a book everyone interested in the history of sustainable agriculture will want to read."

---Frederick Kirschenmann, author of Cultivating an Ecological Conscience: Essays From a Farmer-Philosopher.

"Reading Cultivating a Movement is like sitting and listening to a bunch of Old Time Pioneers reconstruct the origins of the organics and sustainability movement. While lots of blind alleys were gone down and plenty of mistakes were made and are openly acknowledged, what characterizes the pioneers was their willingness to try different approaches, to experiment, and their ability to become part of a wide-ranging community while pursuing their individual goals. This book also demonstrates how a new food system requires pioneers in a host of fields: agriculture, distribution and marketing, scientific development and application, learning about consumers and the character of consumption, and how individual actors found their own roads in an emergent complex agrifood system. And it’s pleasurably good reading."

—Bill Friedland, Professor Emeritus of Community Studies and Sociology, UC Santa Cruz

"If you find yourself depressed about the possibilities for positive change, pick up Cultivating a Movement and read a few stories told by people who have been devoting their lives to creating a sustainable food system in the heartland of agribusiness. As one of them says, to be a successful farmer “you have to have a need, a desire, perseverance, strength and insanity.” That goes for the whole lot of them. These are inspiring people."

Joan Dye Gussow, author This Organic Life and Growing, Older.