Tsuyoshi Sekihara is founder of the Kamiechigo Yamazato Fan Club, a community development organization focused on the holistic revival of Japan's rural areas. Under Sekihara's leadership, Kamiechigo became a program model for Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. In 2019, he traveled to New York City to feature in three days of symposia at the Japan Society. For 25+ years, RICHARD MCCARTHY has played both hyper local and global roles in growing community through food. His innovations include: a workers' cooperative with public housing residents; the nation's first farmers market health incentive pilots; and an international research fellowship to measure the human, social, and financial capital in community markets. McCarthy's work has become increasingly global through partnerships with the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development, Project for Public Spaces, and Slow Food. He is a frequent public speaker, author, and organizer of conferences, symposia, and festivals.
