In the
late 1970s, most organic farms were very small and the technology
and market immature. Farmers, researchers, and activists
were realizing that the industrial agriculture model was
failing because of pesticide concerns and threats to the
environment. The first California organic law was passed
in 1979, but the concept of sustainable agriculture was
not taken seriously by the academic community or consumers.
Food coops were the main outlets for organic produce and
each farmer was isolated on their own land, each driving
crops to the city separately, each with similar production
problems. Marketing was messy, with distributors regularly
going bankrupt, growers having to sell their overproduction
on conventional markets, with lack of any coordination.
Everyone was too busy to talk with each other, and there
was no forum for organic farmers to get together and share
information.
Amigo
Cantisano, however, was in touch with everyone since he
sold organic farm supplies. Amigo thought it was important
for farmers to get together and share their common dreams
and challenges. He organized and funded the first conference,
with assistance from Martin Barnes and Sarah Adkinson.
In 1981,the first Ecological Farming Conference was held
at the Firehouse in Winters, California. About 45 people
came to listen to Everett Dietrick and to share what they
were doing. That first conference brought home the idea
that good farmers often worked from their own innovations,
not from extension efforts. At the time, many attendees
thought they would have to develop a totally alternative
food system to the mainstream one with separate retail outlets,
farms and distribution channels. The conference helped them
realize that they had to address issues more diverse than
just growing crops, such as trucking, suitable varieties
for organic, packaging, and other subjects. In the early
1980s, it seemed unlikely that there would be a lot of organic
food in supermarkets. No one anticipated the big change
in people ’s dietary consciousness that has led them
to more vegetables and fresh food in their diets. That has
helped organics get into the mainstream food distribution
channels instead of the totally alternative food system
that was first envisioned. That first gathering began a
long tradition of self- education and celebration.
The
crowd really expanded at the second conference, in Occidental,
CA. Amigo organized and funded the 2nd event, with help
from Harmony Farm Supply, Fowler Brothers Distributing and
Rincon Vitova Insectary, and was overwhelmed when almost
200 people came. There were rousing speeches from numerous
farmers, great conversations, and square dancing! Everyone
got a real sense of camaraderie and got very motivated to
keep going. A hat was passed to raise money for a future
conference. People were enthusiastic to form a group to
keep the momentum going. Several farmers, researchers and
activists volunteered to found the Steering Committee for
Sustainable Agriculture, precursor to the Ecological Farming
Association.
By
the third year the gathering was big enough to move to the
Jones Gulch YMCA camp in La Honda, where during the next
five years, we grew from 200 to more than 500 people. In
the early years, the main focus was on technical issues,
now there was a broad range of topics encompassing research,
regulation, social issues and more. We also learned that
the celebration aspect of a is as important a feature as
the learning - and that includes fantastic food!
It
was challenging to educate the conference chefs about the
epicurean delights of organic foods since they had almost
no experience cooking from scratch using natural ingredients.
Their idea of vegetarian “natural foods” consisted
of creamed corn on white bread and canned tomato soup with
popcorn. At Occidental the food was pretty awful, and Amigo
and Kalita realized that if we had a conference about food,
we needed to serve our own food.
By the
fourth year, Kalita Todd started to work with the kitchen
to use organic produce and other foods donated by the organic
farmers, distributors and processors, and a tradition was
born. She developed the recipes, solicited the donations,
organized logistics and transportation, and trained the
chefs in the intricacies of preparing organic food in the
emerging California cuisine.
Since
moving to Asilomar in 1988, Kalita has worked closely with
the Asilomar staff and the many wonderful farmers and companies
whose donations have brought fresh, local, highest quality
organic cuisine to the event. Each year, the conference
feasts more than 700 people for four days, using organic
foods generously donated by the farmers, marketers and processors
of the organic food industry. Through consistent hard work,
Kalita and the Asilomar kitchen staff have created a model
of highest quality organic food service that has become
an example for state parks, universities and other institutions
around the country. Demand for recipes has been so high,
that we have collected some of our most popular recipes
for you to use at home, or when cooking for a crowd.
All
of the pieces of the puzzle are here now for organic and
sustainable farming to proliferate: there are real farming
systems that work for most crops, suppliers and products
for organic farmers, buyers for most crops and products,
and researchers to move the knowledge base forward. We still
are able to maintain a community feeling and still have
lots of small farms providing crops and inspiration. Organic
has been legitimized in the farming world, the government
and in markets. The conference has filled a vital role in
bringing diverse perspectives together for common goals.
The momentum and commitment that began 25 years ago, has
continued to grow into the 21st century. It is important
that we continue to expand, explore all the issues, and
celebrate together.
Please support your local organic farmers and manufacturers!
