Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
CASE STUDY
T
HE
R
OOTS
OF
C
HANGE
"Leaders must shift from a perspective of incremental change to a perspective of transformation. The key is to paint a
Vivid Picture. The point of the picture is not to accommodate the present; it's to accelerate the arrival of a particular
version of the future. We must stand in the future and look back at the way we came."
-Paul Dolan,
True to Our Roots
(2003)
All indicators tell us that the vast food system of the state of California, which plays a significant role both
globally and nationally, is not sustainable. Although parts of the system are changing, moving toward more
sustainable practices, the rate of change overall is slow. The impetus for change comes from organic growers, grass-
fed beef ranchers, and other alternative farmers, who — together with CSAs, farmers' markets, “natural food”
stores, and a segment of the state's consumers — form a kind of alternative food system. But this system is only
a niche industry, existing at the margins of the conventional food system.
Over the last 20 years or more, a variety of foundations and grant makers have been putting considerable
resources into helping spur the growth of more sustainable farming practices in California, and the alternative food
system generally. In 1999, representatives of about a dozen of these philanthropic organizations got together to
discuss the future. While they acknowledged progress toward the goal of sustainability, many were not satisfied
with the pace of change. To pursue a collaborative strategy for food system change in California, they founded the
Funders' Agriculture Working Group, which later became the Funders for Sustainable Food Systems (FSFS).
In 2003, after the release of a report identifying the barriers to systemic change in agriculture, FSFS created
the Roots of Change (ROC) Fund as a source of funding for projects that could address and overcome the barriers
to change. Top-level food and farming experts were brought together to form the ROC Council, which was given
the role of providing advice and strategic counsel to the fund managers.
The ROC Council advised developing a bold, comprehensive, actionable vision for a new food system that
could challenge and truly transform the conventional system. This idea became the Vivid Picture project, which
was launched in March 2004. Focusing on answering the question “how do we move sustainability from niche to
mainstream?” the Vivid Picture project team conducted 159 interviews (including 65 with food system experts and
27 with sustainable producers) and reviewed more than 700 datasets. In November 2005, the team presented its
results in a report entitled
The New Mainstream
.
The New Mainstream
serves as a systemic blueprint for a sustainable food system. The scope of change it advocates
and envisions is broader and more ambitious than almost anything yet attempted. The report consists of four parts.
1.
A
theory
of transformative change that can be embraced by the public and a broad coalition of stakeholders,
leaders, and policy makers. This theory comes from an “opportunities-based” perspective, which posits
that change strategies must, among other things, create more winners than losers, be based on incentives
rather than penalties or fear, and address “mutual vested interests.”
2.
A comprehensive
vision
for a sustainable food system that can be in place by the year 2030. Under this system
(1) all people in California will have access to quality food; (2) regional producers, manufacturers, distributors
and purveyors of food will enjoy economic vitality; (3) food will help all people attain better health, experience
well-being, and build their communities; (4) natural resources will be used in a way that maintains them in
perpetuity; and (5) food-based regional and cultural identities will be enhanced throughout California.
3.
A set of
implementation strategies
for realizing the vision. This agenda for change identifies policies,
economic plans, and education and communication programs that can shift the entire system or entire
components of the system. These change strategies are designed not simply to create demonstration
programs, but to change the game itself. As they are put into place, these strategies will be tested and
evaluated for viability and impact so it is possible to focus on those that provide maximum leverage.
4.
A set of
success indicators
by which progress towards a sustainable food and farming system can be assessed.
The indicators are based on existing, credible data sets and allow for the generation of additional data sets
as needed. In addition to helping measure movement towards a sustainable system, they will help motivate it.
The ROC Council has embraced many of the ideas and strategies contained in
The New Mainstream
and is now
considering how to implement them. Readers wanting an update can check the ROC website at www.rocfund.org.
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