The Good Food Festival and Conference in Chicago is getting ready to celebrate their 10th anniversary this March in Chicago. Produced by FamilyFarmed.org, the Good Food Festival “brings together farmers, food businesses, sustainable food advocates, chefs, families and individual consumers” in order to “expand the production, marketing and distribution of locally grown and responsibly produced food.” The festival encourages communities to come together and enhance their local food system through sustainable and nutritional practices.
This year, the Good Food Festival will feature more than 150 farms, local food artisans, restaurants and nonprofits. There will be workshops, chef demonstrations and a speaker series. Food Tank’s Danielle Nierenberg will moderate a panel, “Farmer Heroes In the Food Revolution,” with farmers Will Allen, Fred Kirschenmann, Denise O’Brien, and Karen Warner.
Will Allen is the founder and CEO of Growing Power. Allen is an advocate for urban agriculture and improving accessibility to all people for healthy, safe, sustainable and affordable food. In May 2010, Allen was included in Time Magazine as one of Time’s 100 World’s Most Influential People.
Fred Kirschenmann is a national and international leader in sustainable agriculture. Kirschenmann holds numerous positions as an agricultural leader, including as Distinguished Fellow for the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University and as President of the Board of Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture.
Denise O’Brien is co-founder of the Women Food and Agriculture Network. WFAN is a network of women working to promote sustainable agriculture. O’Brien has worked on several advisory boards with the Community Food Security Coalition, the Farm to School Council, and the Iowa Women’s Foundation.
Karen Warner is the CEO, CFO and head farmer at Big Head Farm, a certified organic farm in Benton Harbor Michigan.
The Good Food Festival and Conference is an excellent opportunity for people to educate themselves about sustainable farming and the importance of “good food.” The Festival will take place on March 13-15, 2014 in Chicago, IL, tickets are available on their website.
