This article is several months old, but I just came across it.  I was apprehensive when I saw the headline, but I actually found myself saying “RIGHT ON” more than one time.  Here’s one quote (emphasis mine):

“But the risks of pragmatism must be weighed against the risk of perfectionism. We can’t wait for the perfect solution to emerge; we need to start transforming the food system today—most probably with hybrid models, like Fleming’s or Liebman’s, that take the best of both alternative and mainstream technologies and acknowledge not only the complexity of true sustainability but the practical reality that the perfect is often the enemy of the good.“

I think the title of the article, “Organic and Local is so 2008” is mis-leading, because organic and local are not going away.  They are part of the solution.  They are a step in the right direction, just like hybrid cars.

And the author is also right that educating consumers is only one step; government will need to step up or a system-wide overhaul is just never going to happen.  Read this excellent article here and let me know what you think.  Here’s one more quote (emphasis mine):

“Given that we’re not seeing spontaneous consumer demand (even after decades of consumer education by advocacy groups), we must create it via government procurement programs. Federal agencies and food programs are among the biggest purchasers of food in the world. If they didn’t buy solely from the lowest-cost bidder, as they’re now required to, but could instead source from local or organic producers, or farmers practicing polyculture, this massive new customer would remake American agriculture in a heartbeat.“