Poet and essayist Wendell Berry strongly believes “small-scale farming is essential to healthy local economies, and that strong local economies are essential to the survival of the species and the well-being of the planet.” So what can we as city people do to address the decline of American farming and rural life?  

As Berry wrote in his essay, The Pleasures of Eating: “When food, in the minds of eaters, is no longer associated with farming and with the land, then the eaters are suffering a kind of cultural amnesia that is misleading and dangerous.”

Join us — Thursday, March 21, at the WBEZ West Side Bureau, Monday, March 25, at the WBEZ South Side Bureau, or Thursday, March 28, at the WBEZ North Side Bureau — for a facilitated discussion about how we each think about food and our relationship to what it is and where it comes from. What responsibilities do we have to participate in our own food production & preparation, support local farmers, or learn the origins of the food we buy? How are we supported in these efforts, and what realistic challenges do we face? Using excerpts from Berry’s The Pleasures of Eating let us explore what reclaiming responsibility for our own part in the food economy might honestly mean for our lives today and into the future.

You can read the essay in advance by clicking here (but are not required to do so); copies will also be made available at the discussion.

This event is co-produced by WBEZ and Fourth Presbyterian Church, in collaboration with the Center for Civic Reflection, both station partners.

Support for Chicago Public Media’s Community Bureaus is provided in part by Polk Brothers Foundation, Met Life Foundation, and Crown Family Philanthropies.

The Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago was founded in February 1871 when the congregations of Westminster Presbyterian Church and North Presbyterian Church merged. Fourth Church has always had a commitment to serving the need of its congregation and community.

The Center for Civic Reflection’s mission is to strengthen community and deepen understanding by helping people and organizations think and talk about the meaning of their work in the world.  Through the practice of reflective discussion, which utilizes provocative readings, images, and video, CCR helps people consider the beliefs and values that underlie their commitments—leading to clarity about their work, stronger relationships, and more committed, effective action.