Taking up Michael Pollan's call to turn the White House lawn into a food garden, a grassroots effort has established a contest to draw attention to the cause.
Through a website called White House Farmer, an Illinois-based family has generated a cross-country discussion. They're seeking three top farmers, identified through a public vote, who they can present to the administration as candidates for the position of White House Farmer. This farmer would be expected to use his or her post as a platform to champion local agriculture by bringing fresh, organic, healthy produce straight from the lawn to the First Table.
Of course, the White House hasn't officially announced that there will be an official farmer for the Obama administration. But as the White House Farmer team puts it:
We are heartened that Sam Kass, a proponent of local food, will become one of the White House chefs . . . can a White House Farmer be far behind?
There are several accomplished Washington state farmers on the list of nominees, and one has even taken the lead. At the time of this post, Carrie Little of Mother Earth Farm in the Orting valley had received 22 percent of the national vote (dispersed among more than 100 nominess). That puts her near the top of the short list of farmers whose names could be sent to the White House.
If you'd like to see the list of nominees and vote for the next White House Farmer, you can do so here.
With so many eyes on America and particularly on the new Administration, we agree that any effort to set an example for a new, local, secure and sustainable food system would have an enormous impact. We wish best of luck to Little and the other Washington state nominees, and hope that one day we see a First Farmer leading the charge for a new way to grow and eat our food.
Read more about lawns, gardens, and advice for the White House in the Worldchanging archive:
Urban Foraging and Guerrilla Gardening
Photo source: White House Farmer
