Table Talk with Connie Oliver

Table Talk

EACH ISSUE OF SOUTHERN SOIL WILL FEATURE A CONVERSATION WITH IN- DIVIDUALS REPRESENTING DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ALONG THE FOOD SUPPLY LINE. THIS ISSUE FEATURES CONNIE OLIVER, A COMMUNITY EDUCATOR, LOCAL GARDENER, SPEAKER AND ORGANIZER IN HER HOMETOWN OF WAYCROSS GEORGIA.

Connie enjoys sharing her passion for growing good local food as well as supporting and encouraging others to do the same. She is the founder of WayGreen, Co Chair of Slow Food South Georgia, a member of Georgia Organics, Georgia Farmers Market Association, Georgia Grown and serves as a curator for The Lexicon Of Sustainability.

Connie’s personal journey toward sustainable food began as a means of addressing health concerns for herself and her family. As she started changing her eating and shopping habits, people she had known for years and even perfect strangers started asking questions.

Conversations in the grocery aisle highlighted a need within the community to share information and connect with others who were also moving away from conventional foods and exploring other options. Connie founded the Waygreen Homestead Guild as a means of bringing like-minded people together and she has taken a leadership role in growing the local food movement in her community.

The following is her perspective on a series of questions regarding the sustainable, local food system in Southeast Georgia.

What does the current food system look like here in Southeast Georgia?

For the most part, our current food system looks a lot like it has for the past 25 years or so. Most of the foods that people consume are produced hundreds or even thousands of miles away, processed so that it will be stable for a long transport and an even longer shelf life. People continue to purchase what is made available with convenience, cost and what “tastes good” overriding nutritional value and health benefits or the lack thereof to those who consume them.

Over the past five years, however, we have been seeing small changes occur in our local food system through the efforts of a growing number of local growers, farmers, producers and community volunteers.

What do you think a locally sourced, sustainable food system should look like here in Southeast Georgia?

I think it would involve more people growing their own food using sustainable practices, teaching others to do the same and making their products avail- able to as many people as possible. Grow, teach, repeat. In turn those people not able to grow food would support those who are providing healthy nutritious foods by every means possible as well as look for ways to reduce food waste.

I think it would look much like the model that we have put in place here in Waycross, through the efforts of our WayGreen group. One of the first things that we worked on when we organized was to find those people within a one-hundred-mile radius of us that were growing food, striving to be self-reliant and sustainable. We believe in the importance of eating as close to home as possible. We found about three people who were growing food consistently and they were looking for ways to sell their products.

These were people who had full time jobs but were finding time to grow more food than they and their families could consume. We knew that we needed a venue to get these products into the hands of the people of our area, so we came up with a once monthly “WayGreen Local Fare Market”. We knew most folks wouldn’t come out for a three-farmer farmer’s market, so we invited others to join us. The market was, and continues to be, a venue where local people who create a local product can sell their “fare” and where the community can support their efforts while purchasing a superior product.

The market currently offers over 30 vendors selling all sorts of local handmade homegrown items such as bread, eggs, honey, cheese, meat, microgreens, jams, jellies, soaps, grits, olive oil, macarons, plants, and so much more. We have seen this market really offer a sense of place for those who attend and is a true community effort.

After seeing the success of offering the once monthly markets, the group began to search for more opportunities to get local products into the hands of local people. An online local fare co-op seemed to be the solution. This made local products available every two weeks by simply ordering online. The farmer/producers provide what product(s) is available, we place the items online, consumers order and pick their items up locally at a certain time and location.

We also believe another key component is education. For the past two years we have offered a “Homestead Conference” where classes in how to raise backyard chickens, vermiculture, gardening, bread making, permaculture, cheese making, and other skills were taught. A recent raised bed gardening class was a sellout confirming that we have folks who are eager to learn these skills. Classes continue to be offered monthly on different subjects.

We call ourselves a ‘tribe” and really, I think that is what a locally sourced, sustainable food system looks like with the common culture being good food to sustain us!

What changes need to occur to make that transition?

I think the changes that need to occur to make this transition is what we have been attempting to do here in Ware County. We first continue to reach out to all and any who are attempting this way of life and support them in their efforts. By connecting to each other we grow stronger and the load becomes lighter for each of us.

We need to continue to encourage all people who are growing food by buying their products and to grow our own food whenever possible, becoming more self-reliant.

I also think that one of the greatest things we can do is become community educators and offer ways to transition people from the current local food system to a more sustainable one. This will require ongoing educational opportunities to inform the public of the health and nutritional benefits that such a transition can bring about.

How do we make a sustainable, local food system that is profitable for producers while keeping it accessible to consumers?

Working closely with those who are already contributing to the sustainable local food system is crucial. So many times, we just “try” things when we really need to ask what we can do and look to implement those suggestions. We just continue to look for ways to offer our producers opportunities to sell and the public to come and purchase those items. We continue to make people aware of the cost to produce this local food and help them appreciate those who make it available through face recognition (know your farmer).

How do we grow the sustainable food movement here in our communities?

Gather together. Use social networking sites to make your mission and purposes known. If you know of one or two people who are concerned over the current food system, meet together often and look for others and ways to reach others.

Gaining more knowledge and educating others is vital. We continue to offer events where people can learn the differences in the current food system and a more sustainable one. Offering chances to learn the differences will allow people to make intelligent decisions for themselves.

For us, here in Ware County, we look for more ways to broaden our reach. We offer events such as Farm To Fork where people can taste and experience locally sourced foods cooked in new and different ways. We have participated in Farm To School, summer camps, and school gardens.

We look for ways to partner with other like-minded organizations and people groups to make a difference such as our local Children’s Initiative and Gleaning Network. We join organizations like Georgia Organics, Georgia Farmers Market Association, Georgia Grown and have recently been awarded, a Slow Food Movement Chapter, which we have named Slow Food South Georgia which has an international reach.