A movement can only be successful when it achieves enough popular support to convince policy makers and corporate leaders that they must change or lose power and/or profits. The food movement is still moving toward a critical mass. Since its founding ROC has worked to identify the unifying points that link diverse networks from across the spectrum of issue oriented groups within the food movement. We believe that by linking networks and aligning goals and strategies we can achieve the scale of action required to tip the balance toward a healthier food and farming system.
We also believe that in the 21st century, networks of people with trusting relationships will be essential to maintaining community resilience in the face of global warming and the climate chaos that will result. As super storms like Sandy in New York and Katrina in New Orleans revealed, human capital is more important that financial capital in the immediate aftermath of disaster. And ecological capital is the most fundamental need of all. ROC believes networks of people focused on enhancing all three forms of capital for communities and regions are essential to our civilization’s ability to adapt to and mitigate the climate crisis before us.
Therefore, ROC has created networks, cultivated nascent networks, linked existing networks, and championed them in order to help build movement power.