written by Andrea Earley Coen
Education & Outreach Director, Guidestone
Just after Hurricane Sandy swept up the East Coast, a friend shared a link to a New York Times article (included below) about the ideas of sustainability and resilience. The article got me thinking more about those ideas in regards to Guidestone’s work, and this blog is based on those musings…
There is an interesting conversation that is currently taking place across many sectors of society, discussing the differences between sustainability and resilience, and the necessity of both to ensure communities thrive within unpredictably changing environmental conditions.
Resilience implies the short-term ability to respond effectively to dynamic, unforeseen, potentially catastrophic situations. Sustainability on the other hand addresses the causes of these potentially unforeseen situations and works toward solutions. For example, from an Ecology perspective, resilience would be the ability to assist a prey animal species to adapt and rebound from overhunting by an overpopulation of it’s primary predator. Sustainability in this same scenario would focus on the factors that led to overpopulation of that predator and work towards ecological balance in this predator-prey dynamic.
When applied to the idea of food systems, resilience refers to the ability to manage different parts of the food supply chain during a limited-time event (i.e. major storm) while sustainability addresses the larger-scale needs of ensuring a local food system that can cope with changing environmental conditions.
For an informative article recently published in the New York Times, post-hurricane Sandy, in regards to the paring of these ideas, click here.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/03/opinion/forget-sustainability-its-about-resilience.html?pagewanted=all
For a more in-depth look at sustainability and resilience in food systems, click here to read an article on the University of Vermont’s Food Feed blog.
http://learn.uvm.edu/foodsystemsblog/2012/10/22/resilience-and-sustainability-in-the-food-system/
Guidestone and the Central Colorado Land Link Initiative
Within Guidestone, sustainability and resilience are two sides of the coin that Land Link is working to address in regards to land access and local food production.
Resilience comes by helping bolster the local food economy on many levels. The Central Colorado Land Link Initiative (CCLLI) increases opportunities in farming and ranching by connecting retiring farmers, ranchers and landowners with next generation farmers and helping to create equitable, secure, and affordable access to agricultural land through various management and lease agreement structures.
Guidestone’s sustainability comes through it’s demonstrated commitment to organizational strength through building the capacity of our staff and volunteers, developing a diverse funding strategy, and establishing strategic partnerships. In regards to the CCLLI, this includes the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Land Trust of the Upper Arkansas and CSU Extension.
Land Link Currently:
We have had an incredible outpouring of interest on our Land Link database with over 100+ registered users from across the country, over 40 of which have also submitted farmer applications and are inspired and enthusiastic to begin new or move existing agricultural operations to the Arkansas Valley region and throughout Colorado. There is a high demand for land opportunities to accompany this burgeoning group of aspiring farmers!
Please contact [email protected] to learn more about the Land Link program and how you could get involved or visit www.guidestonecolorado.org/Land-Link to submit a land listing.
And if you would like to join us in this conversation of land link and local food systems…
Land Link Forum – Save the Date!
Please join Guidestone in this forum on land link, local foods and agriculture. The 2-day event will include a keynote speaker, presentations, discussion and networking opportunities, delicious meals highlighting local foods of our area and a Friday evening social event, all held at the beautiful Mt. Princeton Hot Springs Resort. More details to come!
For info on the Mt. Princeton Resort, go to www.mtprinceton.com