For two and a half days in the latter part of September, over 130 individuals from all over the United States, British Columbia, and even Guam came together in Pullman, Washington to share information, learn new approaches, and network at the “Innovations in Food Systems Education” Conference.   The IFSE Conference was the Washington/Idaho Partnership 2020's (P2020) capstone event wrapping up the activities of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's Food Systems Profession Education (FSPE) Initiative, which originally started in 1994 and developed into a partnership of educational institutions, tribes, non-profit organizations, and businesses from around Washington and Idaho. The focus of P2020 and the FSPE Initiative has been to envision what food systems and food systems education might be like in the year 2020 and take action towards that vision.

Initially, to help set the stage for the IFSE Conference, a pre-conference workshop entitled   “Identifying Indicators of Sustainable Food Systems” was offered.   Approximately 30 people attended the two half-day sessions led by Lee Hatcher of Atkisson, Inc. and worked together to develop a set of sustainability indicators that relate to food systems from the environmental, economic, and social perspectives.  

Immediately after the conclusion of the pre-conference workshop, the conference field tour started.   Over 50 people spent a very full afternoon visiting 6 sites (and taste testing on occasion) in the Pullman-Moscow area.   To start with, participants learned about the institutional integration of food systems components by visiting the Washington State University Dairy Farm, Compost Facility and Creamery.   The tour then ascended one of the local Pullman hills to view the panorama of the Palouse and hear from Kathi Colen-Peck about the progress of the WSU Organic Teaching Farm.   Next the group traveled to Moscow and visited with Claudia Hemphill at the University of Idaho's Organic Plots.   At the final site, Paradise Farms Organic, the tour learned about the farm's apprenticeship program; food growing, harvesting and processing; and MaryJanes Farm magazine.  

Conference participants gathered the following day at WSU's Compton Union Building Auditorium to hear keynote speakers, Patrick Moore and John Ikerd, present their ideas about “systems and sustainability.”   Coming from very different viewpoints, the speakers provided an interesting and provocative start to the conference.   

Switching from the more theoretical to the practical, the second morning session highlighted three “Models of Holistic Approaches to Sustainable Food Systems & Agricultural Education.”   Janet Brown from the Center from Ecoliteracy in Berkeley brought slides and talked about the “Farm to School” activities that are taking place in the Bay Area.   Colette DePhelps and Diane Green discussed the development and implementation on local farms of the Washington-Idaho “Cultivating Success” Program.   The session wrapped up with Clare Hinrichs and Erin Tegtmeier, an associate professor and student from Iowa State University, talking about ISA's Sustainable Agriculture PhD Program.

In the afternoon, Joel Salatin, an author and farmer from Virginia, refreshed the audience after lunch with his quick wit, great slides and personal anecdotes.   His presentation on “Integrated Farming Approaches” was inspirational for many.   After Joel, Kate Clancy from the Henry A. Wallace Center for Agricultural and Environmental Policy at Winrock International, reminded people and brought into focus the importance of the areas of health and nutrition as they relate to food systems.

In the mid-afternoon, people had the opportunity to attend two different panel sessions, roundtable discussions and poster sessions.   The first panel session, ”Small & Large-Scale Farmers from Idaho & Washington,” focused on what do farmers and other citizens need to learn to engage in sustainable food systems.   The farmers (Fred Brossy, Janie Burns, Tom Kammerzill, Karl Kupers and Anne Schwartz) were able to provide the audience with a broad perspective of ideas given his or her geographic location, size and type of operation, and own personal focus.  

The second panel session, “Northwest Tribal Representatives,” not only focused on the “educational needs of resource management and building relationships,” but also helped to set the stage for the Traditional Native American Dinner, which took place in the evening.   Under the guidance of Umatilla elder, and spiritual leader, Ron Pond with help from his wife, Janie, and several of their family and friends, participants at dinner experienced the relationship and respect that the Native Americans have towards their food.   WSU School of Hospitality Business Management's Catering Program did a wonderful job working with the Ponds to prepare local foods for the meal.

On the second day, interesting and thoughtful keynotes were given by Fred Kirschenmann of the Leopold Center at Iowa State University, Christine Ahn from Food First's Institute for Food & Development Policy, as well as Tim Blank from the Land at Epcot.  

The audience also had the opportunity to hear a Northwest panel discuss what people need to know to make sustainable food systems a reality.   The individuals at the table, representing various perspectives of the food systems, were the Washington Fair Trade Alliance (farm workers), the Puget Consumer Coop Natural Markets (consumers), the Food Alliance (consumers & producers), and farmers.  

The morning wrapped up with three presentations that highlighted “Models of the Integrating Multiple Components into Sustainable Food Systems & Agricultural Education.”   Focusing on a growing population in the Northwest, Malaquias Flores talked about the work being done at the Center for Latino Farmers.   Michael Shuman of the Green Policy Institute then discussed the importance of community development and import substitution for creating sustainable economic development.   For tangible examples, he referred to some of his work in the east and southwest.   The session concluded with Lora Lea Misterly sharing a number of the hands-on activities that students are involved in at the Quillisascut Farm Culinary School and how attendance at the school has encouraged greater networking between chefs in the region and local farmers.   Gene Fritz, Culinary Educator at WSU's School of Hospitality Business Management, talked about his experiences at Quillisascut and how he has begun to incorporate them into the university's culinary program.

The afternoon sessions helped to pull together different threads of the conference, especially in the   “Domestic, International & Economic Policy” and “Wrap-Up” sessions.