Food for Thought at the Food Summit

Finch Cantu | Pulse 

The Institute of Ecology, Scholarship and Health (IESH) is hosting its annual “Food Summit: A Farmer, Rancher & Community Event” from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at the Brownsville Events Center.

The Food Summit, which is open to food producers, institutions and the general public, aims to bring these parties together to help move the Rio Grande Valley toward a healthier future.

According to Perla Schrock, operations manager for the IESH, the organization is an RGV-based nonprofit that focuses on improving the Valley’s food system by connecting local food producers and organizations with opportunities to grow and support themselves. IESH also helps individuals and institutions access locally-sourced healthy foods.

  IESH Executive Director, Bella Wood, explained the Food Summit “is an opportunity for all of the stakeholders in the food system, in the RGV and across Texas, to come together to be able to build and collaborate and understand the assets that exist in this place.”

Schrock said the Food Summit arose out of a need to address the contrast between the Valley’s reputation as an active producer of fruits and vegetables and its reputation for having one of the highest obesity rates in the United States.

Wood said the first year of the Food Summit started a conversation about the problems within the Valley’s food system and potential solutions. Its second year focused on exploring what local agricultural producers have to offer. This year, Wood said the aim is to promote actionable solutions to improve the health of the public and bolster the agricultural production of the Valley. An overall  goal of the Food Summit is to build off the progress it made in prior years. 

This year’s Food Summit will have five sessions in total.

Several panels will discuss technical assistance, funding and financial opportunities for farmers, ranchers, and urban gardeners. According to Schrock, the Rio Grande Colonias USDA Regional Food Business Center will be present to help local food producers navigate paperwork. 

The Food Summit will also include a seed and plant exchange. The event webpage states that plants and seeds must be labeled with “crop type, place of origin and date,” and that plants must be “healthy and insect free.” Additionally, citrus plants are not allowed. Schrock explained this will also be a space for attendees to swap gardening tips with one another.

Wood said her favorite panel is the youth panel, during which students and young adults testify to the importance of their experiences with agriculture.

“I think that is where we see the most promise and hope, is young people being able to talk about what they do and what their food system means to them, what farming means to them, what being outside means to them,” she said.

According to Wood, the panel will be moderated by McKenzie Feldman, a recent master’s program graduate from UTRGV, and includes the perspectives of students from UTRGV and high schools across the Valley.

“Young people care so much,” Wood elaborated. “But sometimes that next step and being able to take care into power and action revolves around … older generations paying attention to the needs of young people.”

She said the event often has audience members discovering ways they can help with the issues presented to them.

For university students, Schrock described the Food Summit as an opportunity to network with potential employers in the local agriculture industry. She also said it helps students find out what resources are available in their community.

Wood also emphasized the impact food has on every individual.

“This is a summit that regardless of what you do, where you work, how you feel, who you are, there is an impact on you, Wood said. “And I think that that’s a very unique position for a conference or a summit to take place in. We have a necessity for all different minds to work on helping our food system, and so the more of a knowledge base that we have … the better it’s going to go.”

General admission for the event is $20 and includes breakfast, lunch and drinks at a mixer after the event. Tickets can be purchased via EventBrite.

More information about the Food Summit can be found on the IESH website.