Globally, one billion people starve every day due to a lack
of access in foods. Many times I have seen on the media that more deforestation
and new technologies rise in order to cease world hunger. However, data from the
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2007 suggests that there is enough
food to feed the world. The trend observes that food production increases by 2
percent each year whilst population growth rate decreases by 1.4. Thus, the
concern does not really lie in making enough food, but rather in where food is
being sent to.
Data from the World Food Program also mentions that 90
percent of people who starve is because of lack of money to buy enough food to
sustain themselves and their family on a daily basis. Therefore, it can be assumed
that the issue is not food production, but money and wealth. While many
countries starve and suffer from high poverty rates in the southern hemisphere,
obesity rates increase steadily in nations across the northern hemisphere. This
shows the unevenness of food distribution, which is ultimately linked to the
monopolization of corporations that take over entire sectors of the global
economy. In the case of food, power is distributed among very few corporations.
As a citizen, a student, and a person, it can be
overwhelming to see all the issues that affect our food system, especially
since the scale of the problem is worldwide. Still, I have learned to make
small changes that can have a positive effect in fighting food injustice and
monopolization. Localism, as DuPuis
and Holt-Giménez mention in their article, is a tool that brings power back to
food growers that are independent from corporate networks, and provide food
security that would otherwise be affected by global crashes or inflation.
Although localism is an effective alternative, it does
not address the issue of food equity. Even when a local food system can be
enhanced, some other areas and communities lack of one in the first place,
either due to its environmental conditions or lack of income to purchase food.
As an open ended question to readers, how can individuals and/or organizations
reach out to famished areas? What are some effective ways of self-sustaining
those communities? Are there any examples that you have seen or read about?
Alberto, I think you bring up some good points about food equity and unfair distribution of food. In terms of reaching out to areas where food access is difficult, I think community engagement/participation is key. Even though this seems obvious, it's pretty frequent that a community's needs, assets, and interests are overlooked when programs are introduced in the area. For example, there's a plot of land in the Smoketown neighborhood back in Louisville, KY that the Louisville Slugger Museum is donating to the community. One of the ways the donors are trying to solicit ideas about what to do with the property was by putting up poster boards at community events where people could write down their ideas. At one of these events, I saw a lot of people (from outside of the neighborhood) writing down ideas like "community garden", "park", and "tiny house community/eco-village". Most of the residents within the neighborhood mentioned things like "a grocery store" or "a laundromat". There are already 2 1/2 parks and a community garden in the neighborhood, and the community garden has several beds that went unused last year. A few years ago there was also a farmer's market in the same neighborhood, which eventually dissolved because residents couldn't afford the prices of the produce.
ReplyDeleteSo...your question was about effective examples that HAVE worked. Interestingly, this past year, a church in Smoketown decided to sponsor a neighborhood Fresh Stop. This model, which originated in Cleveland, has worked well in several food deserts in Louisville. What's cool about the Fresh Stop Project is that neighbors pool their money and SNAP benefits on a biweekly basis to purchase (mostly organic) food from local farmers. Because they're buying in bulk, they get great prices and because there's no middle man (the project's 100% volunteer-run), the farmers get a direct profit. Volunteers are also shareholders/community members, which makes it more sustainable than other projects that are run by external volunteers. There's a sliding scale by income -- $25 full price (which is still a great deal for a two-week share), $12 for low-income, and $6 for mothers on WIC. It's also a really fun space to meet meet other people who live and work in the neighborhood, compare recipes, sample home cooked food, etc. Even though last year was Smoketown's first Fresh Stop, it became one of the city's most popular fresh stops, averaging 60-80 shareholders every other week, so they're looking at expanding next year.
I'd love to hear about other successful examples other people have heard of, inside or outside of Tallahassee!
Sarah, thank you for the great example! From what I am reading, a successful aspect from it was the access of food for people with SNAP and WIC, which are the people who have the lowest access rate to fresh and healthy foods. It resonates a lot with the Frenchtown Heritage Market in Tallahassee, which became the first farmers market to give access to SNAP/EBT benefits. Additionally, due to its success, they receive funds to allow people to exchange such benefits for more money on their shopping day at the market, showing the importance of assisting the community. Additionally, it is important that it becomes a "fun space to meet other people" because it creates community awareness, and ultimately leads to a more collective cooperation among members of the community. I will continue researching for other great examples like the Fresh Stop.
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