The Renewing America's Food Traditions Alliance
OVERVIEW
Have you ever eaten a meal rich with juices, flavors, and fragrances that have taken centuries to develop? A delicate, dark red strawberry that was the backbone of the U.S. berry industry, an oily fish that built trade routes in the Northwest, a hot pepper that tells the story of Minorcan immigration to Florida—these are the stories of North American traditions that lie hidden within our foods. Yet many of these foods have been rapidly disappearing from our tables. In the United States alone, 93% of native American crop varieties have disappeared from cultivation in the past 100 years.
With these losses has come a decline in traditional ecological and culinary knowledge, and declines in the food rituals that link communities to place and cultural heritage. If these culinary delights persist only in our history books we will have lost an important cultural legacy and future generations will be deprived of the nutrition and exquisite flavors found in these heritage foods.
To identify, restore, and celebrate the incredible diversity of North America's biologically and culturally diverse food traditions, an alliance of the continent's most pioneering food, farming, environmental and culinary advocates formed in 2004. Members of the RAFT Alliance initiate and support conservation, education, promotion and regional networking projects throughout the continent.
The founding partners of RAFT are: American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, Center for Sustainable Environments at Northern Arizona University, Chefs Collaborative, the Cultural Conservancy, Native Seed/SEARCH, Seed Savers Exchange, and Slow Food USA.
The RAFT Alliance is generously supported by the Cedar Tree Foundation; Lillian Goldman Charitable Trust, and; the Ceres Foundation, Inc: a supporting foundation of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, with start up resources from the CS Fund.
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