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ROC and ROC Projects in the News

ROC in print and on radio, TV, and the web.

A just food system for all Californians

November 3, 2014 Roots of Change

By Justin Rausa, Roots of Change.

I live in Oakland, California, around the corner from a trendy bar that touts more than a dozen local beers on tap and even more craft brews by the bottle. Down the street from me is a homeless encampment under a freeway overpass, where people look for empathy, money and food.

You can read the full story in Al Jazeera America.

Radio Interview with Michael Dimock: Is the Food Movement a Political Force Yet?

October 9, 2014 Roots of Change

During an interview with Kim Kessler, former feader of the NYC mayor’s Office of Food Policy and host of NYC’s Heritage radio program Eating Matters, ROC’s President Michael Dimock talks about his latest projects as well as recent legislation concerning food, and what he has observed having been in the trenches lobbying for the food movement issues.

Heare more on Heritage Radio Network.

Food advocate to speak in Burlingame: Roots of Change’s Michael Dimock to discuss sustainable food

October 1, 2014 Roots of Change

Michael Dimock, president of Roots of Change, a nonprofit working to assure healthy, ecological and affordable food in California, will share his perspective on how every person has a stake in the next phase of the food revolution.

Hear more on The Daily Journal.

David Chiu and David Campos to debate in food-focused forum

September 24, 2014 Roots of Change

A group of San Francisco organizations is holding the two candidates accountable for their positions on food and farming. On October 6, David Campos and David Chiu will debate one another at “Your Food, Your Vote,” an event organized by CUESA, the San Francisco Urban Agriculture Alliance and the SF Marin Food Bank.

Read the article in Inside Scoop SF.

Food Dialogues: Helping Consumers Understand How Food is Raised

June 23, 2014 Roots of Change

The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (US-FRA) waded deep into issues of animal welfare and GMO (genetically modified) foods during the June 10 “Food Dialogues” in Chicago, a discussion it hosted regarding the marketing efforts of food professionals in response to consumers’ increased demand for information about their food.  More

Tending the concept of urban agriculture

March 9, 2014 Roots of Change

It’s not easy being green. Ron Rutherford has been toiling for a year now, trying to sustain a community garden in a vacant lot. Heaped with junk, strewn with hypodermic needles, the dusty plot in Sacramento’s Oak Park was a mess in the autumn of 2012 when he bumped into a couple of neighbors clearing trash there. The neighbors saw blight; Rutherford, a resident of public housing, saw a shot at cheap produce. So they got the lot owner’s permission and on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, they did a communal planting. After a week or two, though, it became clear why so many still view urban agriculture as an oxymoron.

California’s drought-prone pattern forcing farmers to adapt

March 8, 2014 Roots of Change

Shawn Coburn farms land that holds senior water rights to the giant Central Valley Project, rights that usually assure him water. Not this year. He already has decided to let his pomegranates die, abandon alfalfa and cut his tomato crop by half. He may not plant any row crops if the state water board follows through on its intention to slash deliveries to “protect human health and safety” from the effects of drought. Coburn, 45, says his ranch near Dos Palos (Merced County) is no water-guzzler. He uses buried irrigation. Computers tell him how much moisture his plants lose each day.

You can read the full story in the SFGate.

Abundance Doesn’t Mean Health

January 21, 2014 Roots of Change

New York Times’ food and food policy opinion writer, Mark Bittman, reflects on why abundance doesn’t mean health. In the process he refers to ROC’s work with farmers markets to improve healthy food access for families receiving federal nutrition benefits.

You can read the full story in the New York Times.

On the Front Burner: CA Food & Farming Legislative Action (Huffington Post)

January 16, 2014 Roots of Change

On January 8, 2014, the growing food movement achieved an important milestone. The California Food Policy Council (CAFPC) released its first report to evaluate California’s legislative record related to food and farms. It is the first state-policy-focused analysis of legislative votes in the nation. This action in California is sure to be followed by similar action throughout the nation. The timing is excellent because I believe 2014 will see even more progress in the intensifying struggle over the future of our nation’s food and farms.

You can read the full story in the Huffington Post.

On the Front Burner: CA Food & Farming Legislation (Civil Eats)

January 14, 2014 Roots of Change

Why is the CAFPC report a milestone for the growing food movement?  Because federal policy is stuck in a morass; witness the Farm Bill gridlock. Thus, local will be where the action takes place. Here’s proof: The LA Food Policy Council’s procurement policy encourages public agencies to buy healthy, sustainably produced food. Next on LA’s agenda is legal protection for street vendors that sell fruits and vegetables. Michael R. Dimock’s Civil Eats post offers further shining examples from around the state, lauds the CAFPC’s progress, and sets the stage for the next chapter in food movement reform.