Dan Barber is an award-winning chef who is challenging Americans to moves beyond farm-to-table in his new book "The Third Plate." He says farm-to-table, referred to as the "Second Plate," improves on a traditionally meat-centric diet by emphasizing locally sourced vegetables and free-range meat. But if we’re letting our taste guide our crop selection we’re ultimately causing soil depletion and nutrient loss, creating, yet, another unsustainable way to farm or eat.

Barber’s idea for a "The Third Plate" movement centers around letting what’s best for the soil and the planet dictate what to plant. After more than a decade spent investigating farming communities around the world, Barber has found that many cultures outside the United States already do this.

Barber will be sharing his ideas in a conversation Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Central Library Galleria. The event is sponsored by the Food Literacy Center, America’s Farm-to-Fork & the Sacramento Public Library.