Local First Arizona documentary debuts Monday on Arizona PBS

“The Story of Arizona’s Good Food,” a feature-length documentary produced by Local First Arizona about the importance of family farms to Arizona’s economy and food system, will premiere at 8 p.m. Monday on Arizona PBS.

“This film is a love letter to our local farmers,” says producer and co-director Somlynn Rorie. “They face many challenges from a changing climate to the increasing loss of farmland that pose a real threat to the future of accessible and affordable food. The project was a way to bring this conversation to the masses. We wanted people to meet our farmers and learn how to support them.”

From touring an indoor mushroom farm to foraging for edible plants in the Sonoran desert, from generations-old Indigenous traditions to a young generation making their mark, witness first-hand the opportunities and obstacles facing the people who feed our state.

Film Premiere

When: Monday, Nov. 25 at 8 p.m. 

Where: Arizona PBS - KAET-TV Channel 8

Panel Discussion

Join a lively conversation called “Growing Together: Exploring Arizona’s Good Food System.”

When: Tuesday, Dec. 3 from 6-9 p.m. 

Where: The Studios @ Mesa City Center, 59 E. First Street, Mesa

Cost: Free

RSVP: https://www.goodfoodfinderaz.com/story-of-az-good-food-film 

Panelists:

• Kimber Lanning, Founder & CEO, Local First Arizona
• Patty Emmert, Local First Arizona
• Rodney Machokoto, Machokoto Family Farms
• Jessie Gruner, Pinnacle Prevention
• Paul Brierley, Arizona Department of Agriculture
• Scott Sossaman, Grain R&D and Homestead Malting Company

Images from the film are available for download here. 

Developed out of a short-film series produced by Local First in 2021, the 60-minute documentary takes a fascinating look at:

• The impact of housing development on Arizona farms
• Finding food in the desert
• Food banks supported by local farms
• Growing food while saving water
• How to find locally grown food at your grocery store
• Arizona’s up-and-coming young farmers
• The healing nature of food
• The food sovereignty movement
• How local farms pulled together during the pandemic
• Restaurants that practice farm to table

With farmland disappearing in Maricopa County faster than anywhere else, according to the American Farmland Trust, these agricultural producers are vital to safeguarding our local food supply.

Transforming Arizona agriculture

Local First is transforming agricultural policy, food resiliency and financial investments throughout the Southwest. The organization’s goal is to improve Arizonans’ access to drought-tolerant, nutritious, locally grown food and reduce disruptions to our supply chain by supporting small-to-medium-size farmers, ranchers and agricultural producers across our state.

Local First is a leader in:

• The Southwest Regional Food Business Center, which provides grant funding and one-on-one consulting to help farms, food processors, wholesalers, distributors and other food businesses.
• The Arizona Climate-Smart Practices Program, which offers payments and support to farms that use low-water and low-pollution growing methods.
• The Arizona Alliance for Climate-Smart Crops, which incentivizes farmers to grow drought-tolerant crops and helps to market the products.

Learn More and Get Involved

Want to do more than just watch the film? Support Arizona’s growers and ranchers from seed to plate by:

• Finding a farmers market or locally owned grocery near you with the Good Food Finder directory: goodfoodfinderaz.com/directory
• Signing up for a CSA from a local farmer 
• Purchasing foods tagged “local” or “Arizona grown”
• Dining at restaurants that source ingredients locally or change menus seasonally
• Signing up for Local First’s “Arizona Food Systems” newsletter
  
  

About Local First Arizona

Established in 2003, Local First Arizona is a non-profit organization fiercely dedicated to driving inclusive community and economic development throughout Arizona. We have created a movement that champions a thriving and diverse economy, fostering community support and an unwavering sense of local pride and purpose in every Arizonan. Our work shapes the future of Arizona by advocating that every individual and community deserves the opportunity to thrive, and that entrepreneurship is at the core of any lasting economy. In rural, Tribal, suburban and urban communities across our great state, Local First is delivering resources to ensure a future focused on economic opportunity for all. Because our state is our story, localfirstaz.com.