Food For Thought
What is a food system?
Think of it as all the parts and people required to get the food you eat from the farm or boat to your table. In the case of seafood, this might include the fisherman, the fish buyer, the filleter, the delivery truck driver, the restaurant or retail store, the service and retail staff, and YOU! The eater!
It’s truly an interconnected ecosystem, and we’re all a part of it.
PEOPLE SUPPORTING PEOPLE
Oregon’s wild fisheries and aquaculture operations play a vital role in our local history and culture, as well as provide an important, nutrient-dense protein source for residents and visitors of our region.
Today these heritage industries support thousands of jobs and livelihoods along our 363 miles of rugged, rural coastline. Add this to the hundreds of land-based farms and ranches across the state, and it’s an incredible myriad of abundance we are lucky to have, literally in our back yard.
Each local food purchase in a store or restaurant supports layers of local businesses and makes a huge difference in our regional economies - and in the lives of the people who are working toward a more robust, resilient and equitable food future.
Photos courtesy Travis Thompson -
Elevation0M, Sophia Knox Photography, and Blue Siren Shellfish
Seafaring Food
Systems Projects
Winter Waters is supported in part by food system partners like the Oregon Coast Visitors Association. Their Ocean Cluster Initiative (OCI) has a simple goal: help make local seafood easier to find and buy, and capture more value from our local catch.
If nothing else, COVID has shown us the importance of investing in local businesses and shortening supply chains. Mission-driven partners along the coast are working collaboratively on the development of food hubs, aligned marketing strategies, and food producer support programs - all in the effort to build stronger communities.
Join our efforts to ask and learn, where did your food come from? Who harvested, grew, or made it, and how? Let’s celebrate the diverse bounty of our coast and revolutionize how we support each other and this place we call home.