Daily Sun News

3,000-mile journey designed to bring awareness to community supported agriculture

Corey Russell

July 01, 2010

Hoping to raise money for and bring awareness to food sovereignty, 11 bike riders strolled into Heavenly Hills Harvest Farm late Wednesday afternoon after embarking from Goldendale.

The group, representing Global Agents for Change, set out from Portland this past Sunday and plans on riding 3,000 miles to Boston in approximately 60-mile increments.

"We're riding to take a bite out of inequity," Ben Amundson quipped. "We're riding to encourage people to vote with their fork. We're getting vocal about eating local."

Amundson and Amelia Lukic-Kegel came up with the idea to help raise money for a project in the Tomoyo region of Bolivia. The project is helping farmers there practice sustainable agriculture.

Having just graduated from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C., the two enlisted the help of Lukic-Kegel's father, Chris Kegel, who owns a bike shop in his hometown of Milwaukee.

"He's been a great help," Lukic-Kegel said. "This would not have been possible without him. He serves as our bike mechanic and has been able to use his many contacts to help us. Plus, he keeps everybody on their best behavior."

Amundson explained the group of 11 riders raised $1,000 each before the trip and plan on raising more before Aug. 26, when they ride into Boston. The goal is to present $20,000 to the Bolivian project.

The group is riding to promote food sovereignty, which is the simple right of an individual or community to grow or raise ample amounts of healthy, ecologically sustainable food.

"We want the community that produces the food to have a say of what is grown, where it goes, how it's grown and what type of policies and infrastructure to go with it," Amundson said.

Amundson and Lukic-Kegel came up with the idea because they both like biking and food.

"Biking is a clean way to get around and food gives us the energy to power our bikes," Lukic-Kegel said.

The group stopped near Sunnyside yesterday at the farm of Merritt Mitchell-Wajeeh. She said the group contacted her about stopping by because they wanted to learn about some of the practices she employs.

Mitchell-Wajeeh practices community supported agriculture. She explained that people purchase shares of the farm and their dividends are receiving fresh produce for 20 to 22 weeks out of the year.

The farm produces just about anything one would find in their local grocery store.

The bikers spent the night at the farm and helped out with some chores. In exchange they were fed and learned about Mitchell-Wajeeh's farm.

"We'll talk about our farm," she said of the night's planned activities. "They're interested in learning about the availability of local food in the valley.

"We're pleased to have them," Mitchell-Wajeeh continued. "We're very much focused on eating locally and having sustainability."

On their journey the riders hope to use the trip as a means to explore the interplay of government and corporate interests that underlie global food projection and distribution.

The riders will depart for Pasco today (Thursday) and then head east towards Idaho.