Wild Farm Alliance


	Farming & the Fate of Wild Nature
	Organic & Biodiversity Guidelines
	WFA Food Pyramid
	Book Purchases
	Briefing Papers
	Links
	News & Announcements
	Speakers Bureau
	Articles & Interviews
	Roundtable Event

Mark Ritchie, Gary Nabhan, Fred Kirshenmann, Dana Jackson, Becky Weed, Dave Foreman, and
Dan Imhoff make presentations at the Open Book, in Minneapolis, MN.

Roundtable Event:

Shaping Agriculture
to Accommodate Wild Nature

In October 2003 the WFA held a Roundtable event with our advisory and steering committee members to create synergy between extremely dedicated conservationists and progressive sustainable agriculture advocates, which resulted in the setting of WFA's direction for years to come.

Topics covered included:
1) Achieving farming with the wild both at the level of the individual farm and at the landscape level
2) Connecting the concept of farming with the wild to ideas about regional economies
3) Adopting a landscape level approach to farming with the wild through key economic, political and social leverage points

Through the Roundtable process, it was recognized that agriculture must be managed to support biodiversity through permeability of farms in the larger landscape, especially for highly interactive species. Individual wild farms have economic and inspirational value, but by themselves have limited broad ecological value. Strategically identified leverage points can help in advancing a landscape level approach to farming with the wild by striking a balance between the needs for conservation and a viable agriculture. The road ahead involves wild farm research, education, networking and advocacy that sustains healthy human communities, safeguards natural communities, and contributes to strong farm economies. In all ways, the Roundtable was an extremely successful event.

After the Roundtable, a reception was held and then presentations were made at the Open Book in Minneapolis, MN, as seen in photo.