Looking Ahead

Looking back to the beginning of the year, I have immersed myself into the local food scene even more than before. Gathering knowledge of all aspects within the food systems greatly helped in putting all the pieces together: the economic, environmental, social, and beyond. Like a puzzle, putting all the pieces together requires proper arrangement and seeing the bigger picture; all stakeholders have a different role within the food system. In my case, it has come with difficulty to find where I best fit, since I try to spread myself thin by sharing my efforts within several aspects of the community.

Throughout the semester I was able to attend several events that really boasted the energy to make local food a big issue. Events such as Veg Fest, Collards & Cornbread, and the Vegan 420 Mac N’ Cheese bake-off really sparked up how great it is to share food with others that comes from its own people. What is particular about all of these events is that they heavily rely on its community, the stakeholders of the local food hub. I have become very passionate about engaging people, which leads to awareness of what is happening with their food, and ultimately have a stronger sense of their surroundings. Ideally, my goal is to develop awareness whilst creating social cohesion, awareness that entails environmental stewardship and longing for a more sustainable lifestyle.

Funny enough, Dr. Butler called me a community planner, but I really enjoy the title and the opportunities it may bring. As the summer approaches, I am greatly invested in making my summer project based on community engagement and farmers market. With this independent project I aim to observe and interact within diverse farmers markets across the country and see what are some effective methods to attract the community, and seeing the positive effects it brings when it comes to diet and customer-to-vendor relationships. Additionally, it will be a great source of knowledge to bring back to Tallahassee once I return in the fall term.  

Two years from now, I will –hopefully- be working towards a master’s degree in urban and regional planning, which I hope to focus in sustainability and food systems. Even though if I do not go to a school that has a program especially designed to address food issues, I will strive to engage communities in programs such as farmers markets, urban gardens, food policy councils, and other activities that educate people. One of the major benefits I hope to see in the coming years is the shift in people’s demands toward fresh, healthy, affordable food. This will require action both at the social and political level, which will entail efforts from different sectors of communities to join forces, demanding for better policies that benefit the health and diets of all. In the meantime, several questions loom in my head: Will people advocate for low-income families to give them a just share of vegetables? How can we get kids to start eating kale instead of candy? Can your front yard be your own edible garden?

Even if change does not occur from day to night, I hope to see healthier people, people that do not lack of access to fresh foods and can share it with their families and neighbors. When people eat well, people feel great and health issues go away. I firmly believe that food is the solution to the majority of earth’s issues. Nations need food. But we must give them vegetables, grown by their people, with the people, for the people. 

"Did you know that some people don't want you to grow a tomato in your front yard to feed yourself?"

The following question was posed to me by Ruben Fields', owner of Miccosukee Root Cellar. The Miccosukee Root Cellar restaurant may be found right here in Tallahassee across the street of TMH hospital.  The restaurant is actually a farm to table restaurant that contracts with 12 different local vendors to bring local and organic foods to our community. "Did you know that some people don't want you to grow a tomato in your front yard to feed yourself?" I quickly replied, "yes, can you believe that?" However, 60 days ago I was completely oblivious to the fact food sovereignty was even a thing. Being a 90s baby, I was unaware to the extent in which America's imposed limitations on food and agriculture policies shape our contemporary society. As unbelievable as it sounds, during one point in time, our country's economy was heavily dependent on the agriculture sector. I think the government should probably decentralize the agriculture market whether it will be in through policies or programs while incentivizing States in engaging in the agriculture in their own way as an effort to stimulate small businesses and combat dietary and nutrition related issues that are plaguing our public health system.

A big difference in my philosophy considering food systems is the way public health initiatives emphasize on individual behavior as the primary determinant in modifying behavior. Evaluating the course material this semester makes me shift public health related efforts to the private sector, as well as other distributors and producers of food. Most importantly public health will probably need reform as their current policies lack the concepts of promoting equitable food environments. Or maybe it is not the responsibility of public health figures to fix the inadequacies in our food systems. Toronto's establishment of food policy council is probably the type of changes that need to occur nationwide to create food justice for all Americans.

Going forward I will make sure that my planning efforts include integration of local agriculture movements. There is just so much more that can be done in sustainably creating urban agriculture will be resilient in its ability to reduce the dietary burdens that is evident everywhere, regardless of race or ethnicity. During the first couple weeks of class we talked about food meeting spiritual needs of people. I still think that is the case more than ever as we end our semester. You look at the way people are aging today and it is undeniable that food, or the lack of food rather, has serious implications on our society's wellbeing and livelihood.

So, where am I going with this? I think everyone from now on should look to cultivate and harvest their own produce one day and go to the neighborhood farm for fresh goat milk, but what you can do right now is support those the existing institutions related to local food systems. Remind them why did they decide to serve our community with integrity by the means of fresh and organic products with a thank you - and buy something to enjoy later, of course :)

Final Blog Post

Within the greater scheme of “the food movement”, each person has their own, unique internal food movement.  I see this as a food journey, shaped and embellished by individual food stories along the way.  Slowly, over the years, I began assimilating information and experiences in a way that allowed me to see the broader connections within the area of “food justice” or “food sovereignty”.  

Over the last few years, I’ve had different ways I’ve thought I might be involved in the food movement.  My partner and I tried starting a farm project in his hometown in Puerto Rico in 2013, but ran into a several bureaucratic obstacles in participating in the Department of Agriculture incentive programs.  Lately, we’ve had some leads to start a program in PR similar to the Southwest Conservation Corps in Salida, CO, which would be part trail building crew, part food corps, with a youth employment/education focus similar to the Urban Roots program in Austin, TX.

One of the reasons I’m attracted to the field of Planning is that I feel it will allow me to better navigate municipal policies, ordinances, and legal considerations to organize a community-based food initiative.  I’m also interested in studying food issues at the policy level, so it would be wonderful to find a way to be engaged at different scales.

Now what?

     With all that we have learned about Food Policy Councils, Community Food Assessments, Food System Planning, community engagement, farmers market appeal, and much much more, I have wondered throughout these lessons how I should take the material. My experience in the past with food systems is along the lines of food appreciation and hands-on work. What can I say- I love to eat awesome food and I love the experiences I've had volunteering at farms. I've always been conscious of food on an individual level, such as how I shop for food and what businesses I choose to support. I've never dealt with administrative implementation of food policy, and I'm not sure if I ever will work solely in this area.  At the same, I feel that this is an issue that can be integrated into any public policy or administrative framework.

     With my Environmental Studies classes, this course kind of closed the gap on how to go from theoretical ideals to actual implementation of these projects. Agriculture is hugely important in creating healthy communities, and hearing perspectives on what cities are doing to address a lack of healthy, fresh food was inspiring. Looking not only at the benefits and successes, but also at the obstacles and failures of projects created a realistic image in my mind of what food system planning needs to look like moving forward. It's amazing to be learning about an effort that really seems to be taking off fairly recently and has much more ground to cover. I'm excited to be part of the food system planning pioneers, and I hope I'm able to integrate what I have learned into my career.

     Personally, where I really want to see myself one day is working alongside one an active international entity like the United Nations or the World Bank. I want to push for environmentally sustainable projects to be prioritized in developing areas. A lot of this takes into account the power of ecosystem services like clean water and unpolluted soil as economic and social necessities. Because of the parallels between them, my passion for Environmental Justice has been matched by a new appreciation for Food Justice. It is in the overlapping of these movements that I see a big, shining future ahead of us... as long as we're ready to work for it. 

     For now though, I'll continue volunteering with farms around Tallahassee and beyond. Over the summer I'll be working in Northern India in the city of Naddi on implementing a solar oven project as well as working with local women on their organic gardens. I hope to utilize what I learned in class to create microfinance projects with the women based on the products we can make and grow. I can't wait to see where I can plug into the global environmental movement, and I know that somehow planning for agriculture will come with whatever I plan to do.

     

Life

Food is a precious commodity that my parents have always taught me to respect. Respect it by finishing my plate of food, not asking for too much, and not playing with it while eating because others may not have any all. The culture of family taught me to respect food and especially water, as something precious. I can recall learning about water conservation in Africa when I was in elementary school and being feverishly passionate about doing my part. Although I may have lost that fire as I grew older and learned new information to fill my head, now I have to come to a decision of my career.

Whether in rural Cambodia or prestigious England, food systems exist globally and have a snow-ball effect on our environment, society, economy, health, and the list continues. I have contemplated inserting myself into this food equation as an Urban Planner whose focus it is to learn the culture and needs of a community while enabling their change in their local food system better sustainable and culturally appropriate food. Being that there is a large demand for planners in food system planning, I can find a specific area I would like to work in for a few years and implement projects that may or may not contribute to alleviating famine or shrinking food swamps for healthy food options. Health and food go hand in hand and not many people know the benefits of herbs or a dairy-free diet. I even witness my college friends saying they feel sick or weak because they cannot afford leafy greens to add to their diets.

If possible, to spread awareness on affordable, accessibly healthy foods then maybe families can come closer together and be less plagued with diseases that distraught them mentally and financially. I would like to actively participate in my career my being involved hands-on in the community - running outside, knowing the local people who would be my neighbors, creating programs for the community to attend and receive feedback from.

Although I am still not sure about the details, I think I would like to combine Urban Planning in Food Systems with healthy, affordable, and access-able food.

Bonus Blog: Separating My Interests From My Passions

Separating My Interests From My Passions

Throughout this semester, I have taken into account multiple positions in the world of food systems planning. Whenever I came across an interesting job in this field, I would instantly scope out the position to see if it was something I could see myself pursuing in the near future. After doing a lot of researching I instantly became overwhelmed with all the different opportunities. I struggled to find a career in the food systems planning field that matched my passions. It wasn’t until the end of my internship at the Frenchtown Heritage market that I realized my curiosity for food systems planning was just an interest and not a passion of mine. To me, an interest is being so intrigued in a topic where you are inspired to learn more about it. However, I define a passion as having more than just an academic attachment to a topic but also having a strong emotion and connection to the topic. I want my passion to be something that I could see myself joyfully committing my time and dedication to for the next 30 to 40 years of my life. I will definitely incorporate all of my knowledge of food systems planning into my passion of helping to sustain traditional medicine and cultural history of indigenous and minority communities in both the Caribbean and Latin America. Being still very interested in food systems planning, I could see myself playing an interactive part time role and not a full-time role in the field. Therefore, I do not see myself working in food policy, food planning, nor a community organizer in the field of food systems planning. Instead, I see myself playing an indirect role as a naturopathic physician serving to sustain traditional medicine and cultural history of indigenous and minority communities in both the Caribbean and Latin America.

Final Reflection

When I first started attending Florida State University I had no idea that I would end up taking any sort of class that dealt with food, but frankly I'm glad I did. This course coupled with my Food and Environment class which I took a year ago have truly changed the way I look and and understand food. I like many other was very naive to just how complex and involved the greater food system is and what it takes to keep it going. It is very encouraging that I can leave this course feeling truly inspired and educated on an issue that so many people take for granted on a daily basis. For something that is such a huge part of our lives I feel as though we still manage to neglect the complexities of the food system, too often we don't give it any thought and just continue on with our grocery shopping. By gaining this newfound appreciation with food I hope to profess the lessons I've learned with those I meet in the future and once I've settled into my new surroundings I hope I can get involved with local food groups by preaching sustainability within local food. My passion is for the environment and how we can as a collective work to better it, with my understanding of the food system and just how much it effects the environment I am excited to continue my education in reference to how the two seem to go hand in hand.

Again I have enjoyed this class much more than I anticipated to and I feel very fortunate that I have the knowledge now to try and make an impact even if it's something as small as volunteering with local food organizations.

Thank you Professor Butler! 

Foodie

After I left class on Thursday, I found myself thinking about the question Will posed in class:

"What are you going to do with all of this, what role do you play in the food movement?"

but I realized that I am not sure how to answer the question. However I do know one thing for certain, I love food. I love eating it, sharing it, growing it, learning new recipes to make with it, and connecting with those I love over, with, and through it. Food is powerful, it can be a force that keeps us alive, or one that kills us. I believe that although food in the general sense is a universal language, good* food is not universally accessible. This is because there are barriers, big and small, that cannot be overturned simply by labeling socioeconomically depressed areas as food deserts. In fact, it might be wise to throw that term out of the window--as these areas are not dry, they are alive. Soaked in culture, social connections, assets, and stories. 

I want to be a part of a movement that teaches people how to feed themselves. It doesn't mean that everyone has to become a urban farmer, attend farmers' markets, or be apart of a CSA. It means finding good food for all (across race, socioeconomic status, and neighborhood), rekindling social networks that were once present in the market place, and reconnecting with our farmers. As we have learned this semester, the food movement is not a silo-ed mission--we must board the collaboration station getting our educators, researchers, policy makers, movers and shakers, and neighborhood champions, united. Although I'm not sure where I fall on the list, I do know that I want to take all that I've learned this semester and jump in. 

*As I understand it, "good" can be boiled down to mean food that is green, fresh, fair, and accessible.

Bonus Reflection

What role would I play in the food system after taking this course? To be honest, I don't think I will ever have a career in food systems planning. I took this course because I did not know much about the origins of most of our food and how it is distributed among communities in this nation. With that being said, my role in the food system would just be a consumer. Most people don't realize, but consumers have a lot of influence over the products that companies sell, and public policies that are put in place by local planners. If I want to support a a particular brand, I will buy products from that brand and urge my friends to do the same. On the other hand, if I dislike a company's product or practices, I will abstain from buying any of there products and urge my friends to do the same.

But, the only way for consumers to have significant power is if we all stick together and get behind a product or a cause. One consumers decision to buy or boycott a certain product will not get you very far; you need a large group of people to make an actual impact.

extra week blog reflection

When answering the question of where do I fit within the current food system the answer would be with a local organization—something I’m already doing. Restoration Orchard is a local organization that I began working with in September. I’ve seen it develop from a garden and an idea to what we are calling phase 2. What I like about the organization is that it encompasses a few different elements within the food system—from health to justice to business. I recognize that I can’t change the whole system as an individual but I can change and control my own actions which in turn can ripple into other things. Even since going vegetarian then vegan my freshman year of high school I saw how that impacted my family’s eating habits and eventually friends. I see food as not just nutrition but also as community-building. This is why I find grassroots organizations to be essential in changing the flaws in the food system. Maybe I can’t stop Iceland from whaling or Nutella from killing orangutans in southeast Asia, but I can choose to produce and educate those in Tallahassee willing to learn and participate.

Week BONUS: My Food Future

Dr. Butler asked us on Thursday "Where would you be in the food system?" I think earlier on in the semester, I would have answered this question with "As a local planner advocating for food from inside the government. Someone inside that can support local community efforts with policy and planning tools."

However, at this point in the semester, I don't see myself taking on this role. I think a much smaller role may be more up my alley. I'd rather be on the ground with the community, and indeed part of the community, doing small tasks at the neighborhood scale. I'd rather be a "Food Ambassador" from the neighborhood interacting with planners. Like a middle man, between the community and the local government. Someone who can assist in running a small community garden or farmers' market while also not afraid to dive into local politics for food needs. All of this may prove to be too ambitious as it starts to sound like a full time job.

I have no clue where I'll end up or what I'll be doing. Perhaps a more off-to-the side approach to food is more realistic for me, like having my own garden or community garden plot. But since the food system is so broad and linked to everything, I do know for certain that whatever I end up doing as a career, food will be related in one form or another.

Paper or Plastic, Local or Big Ag

     Is local food the new paper versus plastic bag argument? Local food is great in theory- you support small business owners, you support what you think is a "just" operation, and you think you're supporting a more environmentally stable version of agriculture. But, much like the grocery bag argument, there are unforeseen variables. Paper bags are biodegradable; but plastic bags are lighter and often more durable thus making them easier to transport and, supposedly, less fossil fuel intensive. This is an issue I've come across a lot as an Environmental Studies major- the dichotomy between what we think is morally righteous and the realistic truth of the matter. We like to talk about reducing consumption and shopping smartly, but in the end most of us still use straws once and awhile and have full trash cans hidden in the corners of our kitchens. While I avoid meat partially for environmental reasons I still wonder if the highly processed fake 'chikken' I buy, made from soy and miscellaneous chemicals, is much better at all. Like Branden Born and Mark Purcell point out, our fixation on conscious consumption through local food seems to confuse the ends with the means and the goals with the strategies. If the end result that we strive for is ecological sustainability, social justice, democracy, nutrition, food security, freshness, and quality, do we need to fight for local?

     Like the concepts of "Fair Trade"or "Cruelty Free," we feel good about our locally grown purchases. Scanning the aisles of Whole Foods, we pat ourselves on the back when we grab that local hummus. In fact, I was even annoyed to have my bubble burst when I started to read that my efforts to make it out to farmers markets might not even be that beneficial for anyone but my ego.  Laura B. DeLind makes the point that there are numerous alliances of local foodies- from survivalists, environmentalists, artisans, to the labor unions, the healthy, and even the unhealthy. However, this is a movement driven by the idea that an individual thinks their local hummus can change the deeply ingrained issues with our agricultural system.

     As DeLind points out, this can effectively cause people to take a back seat to real social change. By thinking your hummus is saving the world, you are displacing the responsibility of standing up and making a wave of change. It also pushes that by consciously consuming, you are somehow a better consumer. You're still consuming for me, the individual, rather than looking at the collective of we. The fixation on the individual consumer rather than the community makes one question what the intention of the movement is at all. Perhaps this is when Marcia Campbell's point about identifying major stakeholders comes into play for progressive environmental and public policy change.  However, I would argue that it is not within the consumer's control to create collective public action towards a better food system. There can be key players in creating change, but in the end the decision materializes as the monetary exchange between their wallet and their business of choice. When people ask what difference it would make for one person to stop eating meat, you have to tell them that every dollar you spend on something is a vote of approval. It's the concept that an ocean is made up of droplets or a desert is made up of tiny particles of sand. I understand the arguments DeLind makes, but I think collective action by consumers has made our food industry evolve in the past- if producers can see what the people are really looking for through "local food," hopefully they strive to embody those views rather than greenwashing their products.

   

   

Week 12

The Hodgson chapter contained eleven case-studies from cities around the U.S. and Canada looking at planning for urban agriculture. Some of the cities had a long history with food-systems planning and strong city-led support for urban agriculture, like Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver, while others have only just begun to plan for urban agriculture, like Minneapolis and Cleveland (Hodgson, 2012). New Orleans is included in this chapter, despite the relative lack of interest and action on the part of local government officials. Up to this point, the urban agriculture initiatives in New Orleans have been undertaken by grassroots community organizations and larger non profit organization, while planners and city officials wrestle with other pressing issues like affordable housing and funding problems (Hodgson, 2012). The New Orleans example is especially interesting because it looks at the role of urban agriculture in the efforts to recover and rebuild after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, which severely damaged the city’s food system along with many communities, and resulted in a large increase of vacant urban land (Hodgson, 2012). Despite some potential progress in terms of government support, like the 2008 Master Plan which mentions urban agriculture in several sections and recommends policies and zoning codes allowing agricultural activities as permitted uses, most of the work being carried out on the city’s food system is being carried out by activists, and this may remain the case for some time (Hodgson, 2012).

For whatever reason, this reading made me think of an old friend of mine. When I was sixteen I developed an unlikely friendship with a young woman I met at a local coffee shop. She was involved with various environmental and social justice movements, and described herself as a guerilla-gardener. She owned half an acre on the outskirts of town which she transformed into a food forest, with a variety of fruit trees, blueberry bushes, muscadine grapevines, and large vegetable beds. The first time I visited her garden she was busy making “seed bombs”, balls made from a mixture of compost and clay containing seeds (in this case native wildflowers like milkweed), which she then carried around town to toss onto vacant lots and right-of-ways. Her philosophy, both in general and in terms of urban agriculture, was: It is easier to ask for (and to receive) forgiveness than permission.

I was reminded of her philosophy when reading about some of the zoning codes that recognize and allow for urban agriculture and livestock, but regulate them restrictively, like Philadelphia’s code that prohibits farms and community gardens in low-density residential areas (Hodgson, 2012), or ordinances that allow backyard livestock, but with (arguably) unreasonably large setbacks from neighboring residences (Butler, 2012). I understand that recognizing urban agriculture in zoning codes has the potential to create benefits such as greater security of land tenure and the allowance of on-site sales, but it is disappointing that in some cases it seems like legitimizing urban agriculture increases barriers to such activities rather than facilitating it. It seems like some urban farmers may find that they had an easier time existing under the radar than as a recognized use.

Week 12: Reflection on Planning Local Food Environments

Throughout this entire semester we've been learning about food systems on a macro, micro, local and international level.
But the real change starts from the ground up; how are local food systems implemented in a way that they'll grow, become mainstream and be sustainable for the community residents and local farmers?
Wal-Mart trying to save millions of dollars a year in fuel costs by buying food that's local isn't necessarily good if they're underpaying small producers.
Planning a local food system requires a multitude of players and partnerships from the local community and the government to get it working and benefit people.
Initiatives from the local government that can improve the local food environment are passing zoning laws that don't restrict urban agriculture, fund community garden groups and organizations to maintain them, farm to school programs that get healthy food in school cafeterias while providing education, organize public transit routes to get to community gardens and farmer's markets and fund local food projects.
Planning and community cooperation are what really start the food initiative and change government laws and procedures. Through community groups getting involved to make a difference and pursuing to get people more access to fresh, local produce is what's the most important.
Laws that encourage healthy lifestyles, community gardens and create an emphasis on locally grown can foster social ties between producer to consumer and throughout the neighborhood.
More and more cities are incorporating urban agriculture in city planning as it helps revitalize communities, foster community unity and provide access to fresh food.
Although, a strong food council is important in inspiring to create change, help locals and create opportunities for stronger local food networks, I think that the local food system can only grow so much.
Not everyone is going to buy from farmers markets as it is much more convenient to go to the big chain grocery stores and buy organic potatoes there instead of on a Saturday morning when the market is open. The commercialization of farmers markets can also render them useless if they're only selling "luxury" to higher income brackets if there are none to help provide access to the people less fortunate.
Farmer's markets count for only 1% of national food but that's still a billion dollars yearly.
Local food is growing more important as more and more people are becoming educated about big-box corps and their nutrition.

Week 12 Reflection

The group discussion we had in class has given me a few ideas on how we can move closer to a more sustainable food system.  And when I say “we” I suppose I mean planners, food and health advocates, farmers, politicians, sociologists, economists, as Campbell as well as Born and Purcell did in their respective articles assigned for this week. It was great to read on how food system planning has gained significance in various disciplines, I myself never thought that I would learn so much about how food relates to planning, as I want to specialize in community or economic development planning. But everything I learned in this class will better assist me in my specialization studies, because it will make me a more conscious student. But back to my idea, I am thinking that that creating a food council that is an acting component of corporate food businesses would help incorporate the food movement into the corporate world. Because to me, it seems that they are the ones who have the most control over our food system. 

These corporations are businesses like Walmart, Sam’s Club, Publix, all large supermarket chains who supply the American public with the majority of their food supply. A food council, similar to the Toronto Food Policy Counsel we talked about last week, could help to create and implement policy change that could help these corporations move toward more sustainable practices by serving multiple functions such as supporting alternative food systems, providing educational programs, and organizing community groups and advocacy groups. I like Campbell’s idea of “building a common table” for food stakeholders, but I think that our corporate food suppliers as well as the national government will be the last two stakeholders to sit at this metaphorical table. Food planning needs to be inserted into the playing field of these two players in order to change the game. This idea is a little ambiguous I know, but there are multiple scales of power at work in our food system, and those at the top of the scale need to want a sustainable food system in order for it to become sustainable. A question to the class: what other means of negotiation can food planners make to insert food planning into the agendas of food corporations? 

week 12 Reflection

Many people rely on local food systems in order to live, or make a living. "Buying local" is great and all, but it is not realistic for everyone. Some communities don't have any locally produced foods at all. Some communities are set up to where only people with cars have availability to purchase locally grown foods. For many people, it is much more convenient to purchase food products that were shipped to the location by large corporations. Not everyone has easy access to farmers markets, CSA's, or community gardens.

Having said that, the people that do have access to resources such as CSA's and farmers markets can greatly benefit from them. In some cases, food at farmers markets is cheaper than anything you can find at the super market. Additionally, food from farmers markets tend to be extremely fresh and are not contaminated by loads of preservatives that are used some some supermarket products. This promotes a healthier lifestyle, costs the consumer less money, and supports local farmers and businesses, which is always good for the local economy.

I am all for only buying local foods and products to eat healthier and support local farmers. But, part of what makes this country great is the freedom to expand your business beyond just your local community. Many of the large companies that send products all over this nation started out as small, local businesses. With great success comes growth. So if any local food producer starts to incur success, they will eventually grow beyond the local community and maybe become a national company. And the cycle continues.

If we abandon buying products from the large, national producers in this nation, the economy will be impacted very negatively. So in conclusion, I believe that we should support local food producers by attending farmers markets and CSA's, but we shouldn't completely abandon the supermarket.

Local food from Wally-world, Week 12

This week’s readings hone in on a few different key concepts. One major question brought up throughout the literature is whether or not eating local and focusing on solely local food movements as a planner are viable solutions to having sustainable food systems. Others include the tensions currently within the food system, how to promote healthy eating and the ways in which that intertwines within the community, and ultimately how all of these intersect within the planning arena for food systems.

First off, depending if your goal is to have a sustainable food system for your community or if you’re working on a regional or larger scale, the sustainability of the food system may have different needs. Born and Purcell identify this idea of the local trap and bring into question whether focusing on just local food really is applicable for everyone and if it really hones in on the need for sustainable and accessible food system. I think that this ties nicely into the need to promote healthy eating in that, although some foods may be deemed as ‘local’, does that necessarily make them the best choice out there or the healthiest? I think the example of Wal-mart being a supplier of ‘local foods’ is a great example to show that the movement overall is shifting into more of a media tool than an educational venue for uncovering the issues with the current global system. In this way, it’d relaly important to emphasize the need for healthy foods and the need for planners to re-address the values and goals for changing the food system; making them explicitly adhere to what the community really wants and not just the terminology of local foods.

I think that DeLind makes this point really clear; that we need to re-emphasizve the local food movement’s systemic roots-starting with local visibility and empowerment. This speaks to the need to refocus on sustainable systems and look at the issues occurring with the whole food system, not just the place-specific areas and the ‘local-ness’ of the food, but the quality and impact that the food has on the greater society. This can be achieved through conversation and through analyzing values and goals of the individual and of the community as a whole; ultimately looking at the global impacts within local choice. This gets back to the understanding that the food system essentially is ‘the place where the local meets the global’ [Gottlieb 2001], which extends beyond just choice of food and the physical place of it, but makes the understanding that local choice and local impact also impact and are impacted by global choice and global impact, extending from sustainable land use to health and quality of the food and the means by which it gets to your plate.

With all of these tensions that are outlined within Campbell’s ‘Building a Common Table’, ‘It’s important to also keep in mind these greater values and goals outlined within the local food movement that have larger purposes solutions; i.e. social and environmental justice issues, issues of race, health and economic inequities, and access. Eating local is great, supporting the local economy is great, making sure that the local foods your eating are healthy and sustainable and really creating that visibility is great. I also think it’s important to focus on these larger solutions that local food systems can have and as a planner, allowing this to be incorporated into the greater community conversation can allow for planners to realign the values of the community (maybe they’re main priorities aren’t good) and really show the connection between food and the social and economic structure of the area; particularly when addressing and promoting health and trying to overcome the tensions in the food system as outlined by Campbell in Table 2.

After reading these articles and weighing more on the local food movement and it’s perceptions to society. What do you think makes up the local food movement? Who is following it the most? Have you seen other ‘bad’ examples such as Wal-Mart marketing local food?

Week 12 Blog

The readings this week discuss the local food movement and how preconceived notions of "local" make be harmful in the greater food movement. The idea of local food is typically a positive one where the community is involved, the farmers are gaining a direct benefit from it and there is unprecedented access. This notion of the local food system however is not as pristine as one might think, the Branden Born article mentions the idea of the local trap which is essentially the glorification of the local food system and how it is inherently better than what one might get from the larger commercial scale. It brings forth the idea that people perceive the local system to meet all of their assumptions, these include the idea that the farms that are growing these products are doing so in a sustainable way while also being sure to completely avoid the use of pesticides or other additives which one might find at a larger scale. It brings forth the idea that planners may neglect their overall goal and duties based on their allegiance to the local food system, it also creates a sort of emphasis on local food which might not be able to be accurately scaled to meet the demands of a community that finds itself more and more interested in it. All of this culminates to create this trendy idea of the local food movement and system which ignore the qualities that the local movement should be built on such as sustainability and providing access to affordable healthy food for the greater community. Beyond that the local food movement assumes that it will promote a sense of social interaction and growth within a community, however the argument can be made that peoples habits won't change even if they shop together at a farmers market as opposed to a major grocery store.
  By careful planning and widespread community engagement coupled with assistance by those in a position to directly create positive change, planners can spearhead movement to optimize the local food system. By working to promote the values of a local food system which encourages environmental consideration and economic and social benefits to the community, one can see why the idea is so appealing.

Week 12 Reflection

            Among the numerous ways to promote healthy eating, two programs that stuck me with curiosity were Farmer’s Markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). While farmers markets are a common way to provide nutritional, affordable food to low-income residential areas, these same areas find difficulty in participating in CSAs. A one time large payment or incremental smaller ones are harder for low-income families to afford and with such a dependence on the crops available for that season families may not like their seasonal options. While these concerns between farmer and consumer can be accommodated through recipes and communication, why don't CSAs target the upper class in urban areas and Farmers Market target low-income neighborhoods to help the appropriate communities who can afford different things?

            I believe this could make a hierarchy within the food system planning that puts farmer’s markets on the lower end of a spectrum, while CSA are on the higher end. If low-income families involve themselves in farmer’s markets jobs to generate higher incomes they could eventually be able to work up to solidifying their ability to consistently purchase from CSA’s. This would create motivation and competition within low-income neighborhoods to increase their economic status. However, creating a hierarchy within the food system planning could create competition between farmers so that farmers from farmer’s markets compete to increase their yields and revenue to switch to CSA’s – or they may want to sell to a higher income community. This would leave low-income communities to fend for themselves yet again, against food swaps and food deserts that engulf them. Without addressing the concerns of income equality to purchase nutritious foods in different systems of food providers, the fear of division and profit may hinder collaboration for a culturally diverse and aware community maintaining sustainable actions.

            Although this blog may be a stretch, it is something that came across my mind while reading. It hypothetically addresses the challenges of different food programs and how they could affect the overall community system. Do you think there’s a chance of this occurring, if not what affects do you see of how food programs interact in positive and negative scenarios.