CommonGround continued its Coffee & Conversations series, which brings volunteers and staff at the state and national levels to hone skills and explore new topics. The second session in the spring series, this online session, continued this summer’s series in utilizing new technology to keep volunteers active and engaged despite having to remain distant physically.
The session's topic gained significant interest as it looked at the impacts of the pandemic on consumer food trends and, thus, on agriculture. During the hour-long session, Center for Food Integrity Consumer Engagement Director Roxi Beck addressed the way consumers choose food has also changed – and the likely demands on the food system shifting consumer needs create.
Despite how many things have changed, consumers’ desire to learn more about where food comes from, who is producing it, and the why behind the how remains robust. Over the hour, Beck highlighted the evolution of consumer needs related to food due to COVID-19 – and provided tools and techniques for engaging consumers who think differently than farmers.
An additional session on social storytelling is planned for May 19.
Sharing their personal stories, the volunteers who make up this grassroots movement foster conversations based on shared values that help moms off the farm discover that they can feel good about the food they feed their families. America’s farm families provide an amazing array of options, but honest questions are understandable with so many competing claims. By serving as resources, these women have shared their unique understanding of important topics, such as the difference between organic and conventional crops and how ranchers care for their animals, more than a billion times since 2010.
To find out more about how women are sparking these important conversations and to learn about the participants near you, click here.
CommonGround is a grassroots movement to foster conversation among women — on farms and in cities — about where our food comes from. The National Corn Growers Association, the United Soybean Board, and its state affiliates developed CommonGround to give farm women the opportunity to engage with consumers through a wide range of activities. For more information, visit www.findourcommonground.com.