Food Tank recently had the opportunity to speak with Steve Brescia, Executive Director and co-founder of Groundswell International, who was one of the speakers at the 2015 Food Tank Summit in partnership with The George Washington University.
Food Tank (FT): What will your message be at the Food Tank Summit?
Steve Brescia (SB): We need to support farmer-led agroecology and sustainable local food systems, in order to create the needed transition to agricultural systems that are healthy for people and the planet.
FT: How are you contributing to building a better food system?
SB: Groundswell International works with partners in Haiti, Honduras, Guatemala, Ecuador, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, and Nepal to strengthen bottom-up solutions and policies.
FT: What are the biggest obstacles or challenges you face in achieving your organization’s goals?
SB: There are too few investments in the agroecological solutions that address hunger, poverty, community-well being, and resilience to climate change. There are too many investments in “business as usual,” high external input agricultural models. There are too many efforts to expand these models rather than viable agroecological alternatives.
FT: Who is your food hero and why?
SB: The many thousands of family farmers we work with, who are at the forefront of creating a better future for their communities and the world.
FT: In 140 characters or less, what is the most important thing we can all do to help change the food system.
SB: Support family farmers to spread agroecological farming, strengthen local food economies, and create enabling policies.
