A Day of People-Centered Food System Storytelling!

Danielle Nierenberg

Danielle Nierenberg

Transforming the food system is about more than just what’s on our plates—it’s about building a society rooted in sustainable agriculture, worker justice, local culture, and accessible diets that nourish and heal us. In short, telling stories of food means telling stories of people.

This is what Food Tank is planning to do next week during Sundance. At our annual All Things Food and Environment Summit, on Saturday, Jan. 24, in Park City, UT, we’re planning an amazing lineup that connects the dots between media storytelling, visionary changemakers on the ground, and cultural leaders who are inspiring us to m

Following a screening of documentary Food 2050, by The Rockefeller Foundation and Media RED, we are convening a fireside reflection with Jian Yi, Mama’s Kitchen; Sara Farley, The Rockefeller Foundation; David Osogo, African Population and Health Research Center; Matthew Thompson, the Director of Food 2050; and more to be announced. Then, a reception will be introduced by Chef Bleu Adams of Indigihub, and cocktails will be available from our partners at Wheyward Spirits.

Then, we’ll present “Voices of Farmers: Growing the Future” in partnership with Niman Ranch, handing the stage over to farmers from around the world for an evening of authentic storytelling. Hosted by a surprise celebrity emcee, we’ll hear from folks including Elle Gadient, a fifth-generation Iowa hog and cattle farmer; Lynsey Gammon of Gracie’s Farm in Utah; Albert Betoudji, a New Roots immigrant farmer in Utah; Paula Swaner Sargetakis of Frog Bench Farms, an urban farm in Salt Lake City; David Chen of Zoe’s Garden in Utah; AJ Kanip of Ute Tribal Enterprises; Hannah Greenshields of The Food Farm on the NSW Central Coast in Australia; David Moscow, Actor, Creator, Host, and Author, “From Scratch”; and Dr. Lisbeth Louderback, Natural History Museum of Utah.

If you’re in Utah, you can find more information about how to join us by CLICKING HERE.

And for Food Tankers around the world who might not be able to join us in person, I encourage and challenge you to make next Saturday, Jan. 24, a day of food system and people-centric storytelling in your own communities! 

There’s no shortage of topics to explore. For starters, you can read and watch more about each of the visionaries featured in the Food 2050 documentary HERE. 

Or take a moment to head to your local bookstore to grab one of the titles on our most recent reading list, ranging from personal histories to broader cultural analyses. 

You can explore how supermarkets shape eaters and the planet in the PBS episode “Shelf Life,” or tune in to chef and creator Brad Leone’s YouTube series “Local Legends,” focusing on sustainable food and community-driven resilience. Or, check out these 18 eye-opening documentaries exploring inspiring efforts of farmers and advocates around the globe.

How are journalists, documentarians, social media personalities, authors, food advocates, and other storytellers in your communities uplifting voices on the forefront of food system transformation? Share their work with me at danielle@foodtank.com, and let’s keep working to build a global audience for locally rooted food storytelling.

And finally, I want to make one thing clear: Food Tank stands firmly with all immigrants seeking better lives for themselves and their families through the food system.  It has been sickening to witness the intimidation and violence that the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has brought to U.S. cities, including the unjustified murder of poet, wife, and mother Renee Good in Minneapolis.

Every person deserves a life free from violence, free from intimidation and discrimination and is the dehumanization, wherever they were born and wherever they live.

(Danielle Nierenberg is the President of Food Tank and can be reached ar danielle