The Missing Middle: How Processing Infrastructure Could Keep Southern Oregon’s Food Economy Local
Southern Oregon is the focus of this article, but the structural challenges described here appear across rural food systems throughout
Southern Oregon is the focus of this article, but the structural challenges described here appear across rural food systems throughout
Our food system keeps breaking not because people stopped caring, but because it’s built like a brittle machine: centralized and fragile. Mycelium shows a better way. This underground fungal network connects plants across vast distances, sharing nutrients and signals without a central boss. When one path fails, it reroutes. No collapse, just adaptation. Southern Oregon could build the same resilience with decentralized hubs, redundant pathways, and local value circulation that regenerates instead of leaks.