Local Food

What is a food system?

Although we seem to have made ours extremely complex in the 21st century, a food system is one of the most basic networks in the natural world.  From a contemporary human perspective, it is made up of:
•    The ecosystem services necessary for the production of food, i.e. soil, water, air, weather and climate, etc. ( to include the beings in the ecosystem!)
•    The infrastructure of the food system, i.e. land use policies, processing facilities, transport/delivery capability, experience/skill in production and consumption, healthy markets, and public support of food production.
•    The actual food produced and/or harvested
•    The people who eat the food

Why this food asset map?

It is our hypothesis that the more a community is aware of the components of their food system, the more likely the system will be (or become) a resilient and sustainable one. The more resilient each component above is, the more resilient the relationships between them can be.

So far, our way of life has not yet been extraordinarily challenged by major transportation issues that could stand to negatively impact our current food system. This makes it an excellent time to begin looking at where the gaps and overlaps might be, so we can be proactive in designing how we want to care for ourselves, the land, and our non-human neighbors in the future.

On Whidbey Island, we are surrounded by beautiful beaches, marshes, and the waters of Puget Sound. We have glacially impacted soils that inform what we are able to grow well, and where we would be wise to leave the growing completely to nature.  We hope that this mapping effort will be a powerful first step in remembering that our human sustainability cannot be manifested if it comes at the cost of harm to other parts of our natural world. Simultaneously, we hope the map is useful in building a community of people who are able to see that feeding ourselves well, in concert with the land and our environment, is a foundational piece of a sustainable future.

Whidbey Island

Food Asset Mapping—Phase I

In 2007-2008 gas prices rose rapidly.  The news indicated that the world’s consumption of oil peaked.  No longer were there surpluses of oil, but rather we could expect to see a decline in the oil available to producers, consumers, governments, and communities in general.  These developments could have a big impact to life on our island.  For example, it is possible food could become scarce since we depend on food from off-island to feed our population.

Out of this concern a group of concerned citizens formed Transition Whidbey.   This organization is dedicated to creating pathways to a thriving self-reliant, sustainable community.

Many projects came from conversations in gatherings across the Island, including a commitment to map the food assets available on our small island. We have discovered that to truly begin to know a community, we need to understand the tangible assets embedded in our community.  Finding out that information is a combination of gathering and interpreting data, presenting the information, and creating a picture of what comprises the complexity of the community life.  All this has been accomplished through a collaborative effort involving Washington State University Extension, Northwest Agricultural Business Center, and many citizens of Whidbey Island.

The Food Asset Mapping team is developing a brochure which represents Phase I of our project.  With the brochure, you will find data in the form of graphs and charts, information in the form of texts, and photos taken by many people on the island, but in particular photos taken by a group of students at Coupeville Middle School.  This is just the first compilation of existing data.  We are anticipating adding to the data through individual and community conversations.  In short, Phase II will represent the information you wish to give to help us build a food asset map designed to serve our community.

We welcome and encourage your participation in our transition!