Everything in the food system is inter-related, from agriculture to nutrition to medicine to climate. And among these institutions, farms are the connective tissue that bind them together, panelists said at Climate Week NYC. The way food is grown, raised, and produced shapes its nutritional value and, ultimately, its impact on eaters\u2019 well-being.<\/p>\n
Ranchers, chefs, scientists, business leaders, and health experts joined an engaged crowd for the Food Tank Summit \u201cNourishing the Future: How Farming Practices Shape the Food We Eat, the Health We Build, and the Longevity We Seek,\u201d in partnership with Diestel Family Ranch.<\/p>\n
Watch the livestream recording on Food Tank\u2019s YouTube channel.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything starts in the soil; everything is grounded in the soil,\u201d says Heidi Diestel, a 4th Generation Family Farmer at Diestel Family Ranch. \u201cThe family farmers are the ones who have figured out not just how to farm, innovate, and market the products, but help people understand the value (of healthy food).\u201d<\/p>\n
The connection between better farming practices and healthier food is not theoretical\u2014it\u2019s science. Everything from animal health to soil biology to regenerative production practices on the farm help shape the nutritional value of crops that leave the farm, which in turn shapes public health outcomes and societal well-being.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor regenerative agriculture\u2026there is pretty good evidence that crops are more nutritious, and even livestock that are pasture-raised are more nutritious,\u201d says Dariush Mozaffarian, Cardiologist, Public Health Expert, and Director of the Tufts Food is Medicine Institute. \u201cWe have to link agriculture to human health to human productivity.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As Paul Lightfoot, General Manager of Patagonia Provisions, said later in the Summit, we need to be engaging more in conversations about these nuances.<\/p>\n
\u201cShould we eat beef? That\u2019s not the right question; not all beef is the same,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
But understanding this reality relies on conducting\u2014and communicating\u2014strong research. For too long, Mozaffarian says, many of the most important nutrient markers were not the ones being measured. That\u2019s changing now, thanks to large-scale efforts like the Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI).\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe now have the molecular tools to be able to profile foods beyond what\u2019s conventionally on the back of the nutrition label\u2026which allows us to elevate foods with nutrients that might not show up on a label,\u201d says Nile Nair, Senior Program Manager for Health Science, Research, and Translation at PTFI.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This also means strengthening local food systems that bring farmers as close as possible to the end consumer.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting closer to the source oftentimes is the very beginning of the choice to having a whole food, not as much processing involved,\u201d says Kate Fullam, Team Lead for Food Systems Resiliency at the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. \u201cWhose voice is not at the table yet that needs to be?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ann Marie Hourigan, Head of Quality Standards for Whole Foods Market, echoed this sentiment: \u201cWe need to invite farmers to the conversation and understand what their needs are,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Engaging farmers has the potential to transform entire nations, as Chef Andrew Zimmern, a Television Host, Author, and Food Advocate, said in a special fireside chat.<\/p>\n
In Zambia, for example, changing \u201cwhat they\u2019re farming can change the landscape of a country economically,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the same time, panelists said, creating stronger food systems also means engaging consumers\u2014but effective ways to reach eaters are quickly changing, says Tambra Raye Stevenson, Founder of WANDA (Women Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics, and Agriculture).\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are at a state of food system illiteracy, not truly understanding the impact of what\u2019s happening to our food system,\u201d she says. \u201cThe media and algorithms (such as TikTok) are becoming the determinant of our health.\u201d<\/p>\n
Interestingly, consumer interest in high-quality food is increasing\u2014but for personal wellness reasons, not necessarily for its impact on environmental well-being. That opens up a huge opportunity for advocates to help consumers understand these links between the health of our bodies and the health of the planet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cConsumers are sick and tired of being sick. They\u2019re turning to food as health more and more,\u201d says Kristine Root, Chief Strategist and Founder of Socha. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing mass segments of consumers who care about food quality\u2026but they need our help in communicating better.\u201d<\/p>\n
When we draw straight lines from farms to tables\u2014and when we grow crops with sustainability in mind and feed our communities with care and love\u2014the food we\u2019re eating literally tastes better, panelists said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe that food is medicine, and therefore we work hard to grow food, provide quality food to families, and for the past five years, we\u2019ve charged no one anything,\u201d says Elder Raymond Bryant, Presiding Elder of AME Church and Co-Founder of San Antonio Million Gardens Project. \u201cIf the food is not good, people are not going to eat it. It doesn\u2019t matter how healthy it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
From a family farm perspective, this could not be more true.<\/p>\n
\u201cStewardship goes beyond just what we do. It\u2019s really about the legacy of food and being intentional about the food that we\u2019re producing,\u201d says Jason Diestel, Farmer at Diestel Family Ranch. \u201cI wish more people understood that what we eat matters, what we feed the soil matters. It\u2019s just one long chain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Explore\u00a0the entire Food Tank event schedule\u00a0during Climate Week NYC 2026, and live-stream every Summit on FoodTank.com and\u00a0Food Tank\u2019s YouTube channel.<\/p>\n
Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement?\u00a0Become a member today by clicking here.<\/p>\n
Photo by Ryan Rose for Food Tank.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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