In an essay for Grist, Tom Laskawy laments the departure of deputy secretary Kathleen Merrigan, the Obama administration's "most powerful supporter of local and organic foods," from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
According to Laskaway, last week's announcement that Merrigan is leaving the USDA could represent a major blow to the sustainable food movement in the United States. "Sustainable agriculture groups responded with dismay and disappointment to what the Columbus Dispatch described as her 'abrupt' departure. The food industry publication The Packer speculated that this could spell 'the end of local food at USDA.'"
"Merrigan is best known for her local foods initiative called Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food, which brought all of the agency’s efforts to improve regional and local food systems under one conceptual roof," explains Laskaway. "Merrigan is also credited with preserving strong standards for the Organic label, championing a national farm-to-school program, funding hoop houses to allow farmers to grow later into the season, and acting as a key player in the effort to improve the foods sold in school vending machines."
"One is left hoping that Merrigan is right — that there’s enough institutional momentum behind her work that it continues in her absence," writes Laskaway. "But institutions like USDA are far more often driven by inertia from the status quo — and at the USDA, the status quo ain’t exactly local and organically grown. Kathleen Merrigan will be sorely missed."
FULL STORY: Sustainable food loses its biggest champion in Washington, D.C.
Renewed Hope for U.S. Food Policy Reform
Over the past four years, hope turned to disappointment over lost opportunities to "make agriculture less fossil-fuel dependent, re-localize food systems, and rebuild America’s food culture." Does a second term for Obama mean more of the same?
Fish: the Future of Urban Farming
Cityscape Farms has developed a new technique for farming fish along with vegetables in combined urban food systems that allows them to farm in developed areas.
Rural Affordable Housing in Crisis
Rural U.S. communities are poised to lose hundreds of thousands of affordable housing units as federally backed mortgages mature.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie