This week’s readings highlight the underrepresentation of
food systems in the planning realm. I find it a little ironic that planning came
about because of health issues, but food has not had a huge place in planning
historically. In my experience, the Pothukuchi and Kaufman reading is correct
in stating that much of the earlier planning literature does not discuss food
systems. There is a lot of talk about health and building healthy cities in
planning, but not a lot of mention of food being related to health. Perhaps
that is because diet related chronic health problems are fairly new.
However, I think that planning for food systems has been of
increasing concern for planners. When I attended the APA Florida conference in
Hollywood last September, I participated in a mobile tour called soil and suds.
The tour consisted of a visit to two urban farms in the area. Each farm had a different
conceptual model and purpose. The first farm we visited was structured to
provide the community with fresh, local food, economic benefits, and a health
education. This farm had a registered nurse who would talk to individuals in
the community about making healthy food and exercise choices. I thought this
was an excellent idea since often times part of the food problem is a lack of
knowledge about what you are eating. There was a market place on site where the
people who farmed there could sell their produce. They also rented beds out to
local restaurants, and the farmers were paid a wage to work those gardens. The
second farm was more of a community garden and educational tool. They focused
heavily on educating children about how to farm and how to make good food
choices. They had raised bed gardens on site that could be rented out by
members of the community. The fact that this was a mobile tour at the Florida
APA Conference makes me think food systems may be becoming more integrated into
planning.
I have also noticed that a lot of people within FSU DURP
seem to have a heavy interest in food systems, regardless of their
specialization. We even have our own community garden on campus. This gives me
hope for the future of food system planning.
I like your optimism Sara. It is ironic that planning for health issues isn't linked to food systems in planners' minds. The farms you mentioned are really cool initiatives.
ReplyDeleteI especially like the idea behind renting beds to local restaurants and having paid farmers work them. Now I'm not entirely sure how it all works, but it seems to me this would be the way to go if I owned a restaurant. First off, everything is local which is fantastic for marketing. Secondly, with the gardening beds nearby, transportation costs from the bed to the restaurant should be minuscule. And ideally, the saved costs go straight to the farmers themselves. And overtime, I imagine relationships forming between the farmers and the restaurant. Which is a strong, cultural link that I think is missed in your average restaurant. Of course, who knows if this is actually what happens. Also, the registered nurse doing the educating at the first farm is awesome. Who better to teach about the benefits of healthy food than a nurse?