ROCKPORT — Three dozen residents recently gathered at a West Rockport home to explore how best to address Maine’s need for healthy food and water in the face of an increasingly precarious global food system. The afternoon-long discussion, following on the heels of the Camden Conference, was organized by three local citizens and hosted by Slow Money Maine, a network of 900 individuals and organizations committed to supporting sustainable local food systems.

More variable weather patterns could disrupt supplies that Maine has come to count on, like California-grown produce.

“To a large extent, the climate change problem is an agriculture problem,” said Aroostook County farmer Jim Gerritsen. “Climate change is here. If you don’t believe it, talk to a farmer: we’ve been experiencing it for 10 years.”

Hunger is here as well.

Courtney Kennedy, nutrition and education manager at Good Shepherd Food Bank, told the group that 200,000 Mainers are now “food insecure”, unsure where their next meal will come from. What was originally created as an emergency food system is now needed on an ongoing basis by families statewide.

Despite the disheartening news, participants looked for ways to, as in the words of SMM Coordinator Bonnie Rukin, “create opportunities and engagement where we live.”

In this quest, there are great models on which to build, even from within our state borders.

Maine’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients can now use their cards at many farmers markets around the state, and even benefit from “double the value” deals at markets like Skowhegan’s. SNAP is Maine’s s program to help low-income residents buy the food they need for good health.  

Good Shepherd’s “Mainers Feeding Mainers” program has Maine farmers growing produce for those in need (an inspiring video on this program can be seen at http://www.gsfb.org/how-we-help/programs/mainers-feeding-mainers/). Last year, that program generated one million pounds of produce (half of it was donated), nearly 7 percent of the total produce supplied by Good Shepherd Food Bank. Some school systems are doing even better: Portland schools now spend 14 percent of their budget on local foods (and Unity schools 40 percent!).

If cash-strapped charities and school districts are managing to buy wholesome local food, why aren’t more Maine households following suit and benefitting from the fresh taste and improved nutrition while helping cut greenhouse gas emissions?

Access is rarely a challenge as Maine has more than 100 farmers markets and 180 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms that offer seasonal shares of fresh produce.

One problem stems from perception: People think local food is pricey. Supermarkets emphasize LOW, LOW prices (that don’t reflect hidden costs, such as government agricultural subsidies, long-term health effects or greenhouse gas emissions).

Yet even at face value, that perceived cost difference is more cultural myth than economic reality. One local couple spent the 2013 growing season comparing the cost of their CSA share of organic, local vegetables with the same volume of conventional supermarket produce. Buying fresh, organic vegetables, it turned out, cost them an extra $1.50 per week.

If families imposed that small carbon tax on themselves and invested in local foods through Maine’s growing season, we could quickly build the state’s capacity to face an uncertain future. The Camden Conference and the follow-up dialog may inspire more people to take that step, and start planting other seeds in support of a healthy food system.