This month marks the 10th anniversary of Civil Eats, and a decade of our in-depth reporting on the U.S. food system. When we started the site in 2009, there were no major media outlets focused on sustainable agriculture. Looking back over the last decade, we believe we have led the charge in creating a robust public discourse on food, one that now regularly appears in news headlines and in public policy discussions, as well as among communities around the country.
As part of a year-long celebration of Civil Eats, we will be conducting a series of in-depth roundtable conversations with some of the leading thinkers and doers working in the American food system, both as a retrospective of what has changed since 2009 and a look at the terrain that lies ahead.
Our goal with this series is to dive deeply into a decade of tremendous growth and interest in our food. We seek to tell the unfolding story of a changing marketplace, political landscape, and other forces that shape our food system; to highlight the growers, producers, innovators, and many hands behind our meals; and to connect the dots on the myriad successes and continued challenges for the people, projects, and policies working in this space.
We have learned over the last decade just how powerfully food can draw readers into complex stories on the environment, social justice, animal welfare, and public policy related to health, nutrition, and farming. We have shown that food reporting can be used as a lens through which to view everything from poverty to climate change. And we have been at the frontlines of some of the most pivotal food and agriculture stories of our time.
Our history and our expertise has given Civil Eats a unique vantage point: We have had our finger on the pulse of emerging trends and ideas, many of which we were the first to cover. We’re excited to spend the year providing a wide range of perspectives on the topics we have reported on for a decade. As we look back and take stock, we will also be looking forward and identify the looming trends, changes, and progress that are on the horizon.
Look for our series of roundtable discussions in the months to come; in the meantime, we welcome your comments and feedback: What coverage do we provide which you appreciate or value? What issues do you think we should explore in the coming year? And whose voices to do want to hear from? Let us know in the comments below.
If you know Moore's Law, about how capabilities double, and costs halve every year, then you will understand.
Yes, now retired, my focus is on building tools and systems which allow consumers to find 'good' food, and avoid 'bad', however one wishes to define these.
And it all starts with 'education' and 'involvement', to get consumers 'committed' to take 'ownership' of their own healthy and well being.
Would love to help from 'downunder'
Chris, Australia.