Sacramento farm-to-table advocate raises food for thought

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Sacramento farm-to-table advocate raises food for thought

By Gina Kim
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Published: Monday, May. 17, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 1B


The peeling paint, chain-link fences and abandoned lots in central Oak Park belie what's beyond a modern wood fence at the end of a driveway on Seventh Avenue.

Through the gate is a backyard oasis where two rows of seed potatoes have just been nestled into the ground. Sage, oregano and thyme grow in pots. And a two-story chicken coop houses five hens who don't seem to mind that their eggs continually disappear.

This is the yard of Paul Towers, state director of the nonprofit Pesticide Watch, illicit chicken owner and grass-roots activist who believes everyone should be able to eat fresh food and drink clean water.

As the know-where-your-food-comes-from movement swells nationally, Towers is planting seeds locally.

"The reality is, especially around agricultural and environmental issues, there are many more lobbyists representing corporate interests," said the 28-year-old Towers. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/17/2754955/sacramento-farm-to-table-advocate.html#ixzz0oC0Jkffv