PACIFIC GROVE, Calif.—The concept of sustainable farming was in its infancy in the early 1990s when a group of growers decided to put on a conference to promote it.
Next month, the EcoFarm Conference here will celebrate its 35th anniversary. And while the first gathering drew only about 50 people, as many as 2,000 are expected to attend the 2015 event, to be held Jan. 21-24 at the Asilomar Conference Grounds here.
“It definitely feels like a legacy,” conference spokeswoman Deborah Yashar said. “We have so much history to look back on. A lot of the impetus for ecological food and farming started here in California. It started with eco-farmers gathering ... It’s definitely a momentous occasion.”
Farmers, marketers, activists, educators and others attend the yearly conference, one of the West’s largest for organic and environmentally conscious producers.
Workshops will offer ideas on such topics as how sound agricultural practices can actually combat climate change, what to expect in the final U.S. Food and Drug Administration food safety rules and reversing the trend of bee die-offs.
Among the dozens of presenters lined up for this year’s conference will be Deborah Madison, vegetarian cookbook author and founding chef of Greens Restaurant in San Francisco, who will discuss the connection between good food and health, according to a news release.
EcoFarm—the Ecological Farming Association—is a nonprofit educational organization founded in 1981. The group gets funding through various activities and projects, donations, grants, memberships and business sponsorships, according to its website.
At the heart of the group’s calendar is the conference, which also features tastings of local wine and beer, live entertainment and an exhibitor marketplace. Pre-conference activities include a bus tour of local organic farms and workshops on beef production and seed stewardship hosted by the Farmers Association, a fellowship set up by EcoFarm for new and emerging growers.
The conference has been growing in popularity every year, Ken Dickerson, EcoFarm’s executive director, said. Last year’s event drew 1,854 participants, and organizers are expecting more than 2,000 this year.
“In anticipation, we’ve expanded the programming considerably,” Dickerson said, noting the conference will offer films, working sessions and discussion groups on various topics. “We’ve increased our offerings ... by about 30 percent in terms of this year’s conference.”
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