Week 10: Reflection

I don’t know how I feel about working for a non-profit for the rest of my life. I don’t really think it is the best fit for me. However, interning with the Frenchtown Farmers Market has definitely given me great exposure to the local food community and field. Being a part of the planning process for the Frenchtown Farmers Market has been kind of cool. I was able to interact with a lot of like-minded people who just wants to see their community thrive in a positive way.

Working with the Frenchtown Farmers market has also been an emotional roller coaster. One moment you’re happy because every thing is going as planned. Then the next moment you find out terrible news that just kills all your hopes and dreams. For example, our Frenchtown Farmers Market team was getting super excited because our first market day was just was coming up and everything was going well. Then our director told us that a Dollar General store was going to be opening up down the street from our marketplace location. At that point I just felt like all my hard work went to waste. The city commissioner approved these plans, which made me feel like they thought our mission and purpose was kind of useless. Honestly, I don’t think my heart can handle the rocky road of unbalanced emotions and stress. Lol.

Week 10: The Frenchtown Market

Few months ago I started working with the Frenchtown Heritage Market (FHM), and my primary intentions were to know more about the structure and the way the market works, but the more I learned about it and its people, the more I was able to integrate this location as part of the big picture.

During the early stages of the project I was able to see the purpose of the market: to create a space that combines culture, art, food, and social interaction. The market is a prime example of how the food gap can be narrowed, added to a few other perks such as a cultural venue and a center for community engagement. From this week’s readings, several points were mirrored from my observations of the market. The FHM’s location is in Frenchtown (hence the name), which directly addresses the issue of food security in the area, and it provides easy access to the Frenchtown neighborhood, whose population is heavily dependent on walking or public transportation. Second, the market targets low income customers by providing Fresh Access Bucks, an incentive funded by Florida Organic Growers to double the amount of money used by SNAP, WIC, and EBT recipients. Third, the market’s future plans include a public, USDA certified kitchen that stimulates small businesses to expand their sale locations by selling freshly cooked food to the market’s visitors. Fourth, the market seeks to invite local artists of all kinds to perform and attract a difference audience that would benefit from a marketplace’s day. Lastly, the market works with other organizations such as Tallahassee Food Network and Frenchtown Neighborhood Association to close the cultural gap that may be stigmatized in most farmers markets and wishes to create social cohesion by integrating a diverse staff and clientele.

My first experience at the market was during its new opening, and I must say that my whole day was so much better after spending few hours in there. Early on, the vendors were eagerly awaiting for customers to arrive, showcasing a plethora of products such as homemade beauty supplies, jams, pastries, trail mixes, and more. Another feature that struck me was the Bicycle House’s appearance, where they provided free repairs in addition to a tandem (two-person bicycle) ride, a favorite for the children who were visiting the market. Throughout the day, many speakers came and did things such as live cooking, singing, and invited the children to come and participate in dances as well. Each vendor had their own purpose to be at the market and it was uplifting to hear each one of their studies. Logistically, the market also conducts a study with FAMU to get a more accurate description of the market’s demographics, finding out the dominant age range, ethnicity, and other factors such as income and transportation.

Needless to say, the Frenchtown Market possesses heavy potential for the community. It promotes inclusion and diversity by closing the food gap, leading to happier people. Like me, I am sure that I am not the only one who experiences an air of bliss at the market, and I hope that the efforts that everybody puts into it create a space where communities can grow, remain healthy, and sustain themselves. 

Week 10 Blog

The readings this week discuss the various ways that food is bought and how farmers specifically interact with consumers. The history behind how farmers markets used to work and how there seems to be a resurgence in them is also noted. With the massive growth of agrobusiness and the companies that produce a majority of the products we buy in a grocery store we have found that the interaction between the farmer and the consumer has lessened. This phenomenon in turn has also eliminated the transparency in regards to ones food, with interaction by the farmer at various farmers markets and with the introduction of farm to school programs one can now be sure of where there food comes from and on a heightened degree they may understand the conditions it was grown under and if any sort of harmful additives may have been introduced. Farm to school programs have also provided a pipeline of healthy food to growing youth, with a current system that favors spending as little as possible the farm to school movement has altered the playing field as kids can now have access to healthy and fresh food otherwise not found in a school cafeteria. This system promotes a synergistic balance as the farmers are able to sell locally and make a fair amount for the products sold but also that the children can learn and appreciate the idea that their food is grown essentially in their own backyard and not thousands of miles away. These kind of programs have also encouraged school wide gardening programs where produce can be grown on site and then used in the meals the children will eat. The focus on getting farmers and people active in their local communities serves as a way that can benefit all, the introduction of multiple farmers markets encourages stimulation of the local economy while also providing for greater social interaction between people in their communities. This also provides an outlet for education as people can become more aware of what they eat and hopefully make healthier choices overall. These farmers markets also provide for a relaxing environment where choices may be made in a less stressful environment and overall may create a positive impact in ones food choices.

The increasing trend in the consumption of locally grown foods and programs which encourage and organize events and spaces in which these items may be purchased have created positive impacts on communities around the country. With the transparency of farm to school and the wellness that sites like farmers markets can provide, this trend seems like it can only improve. 

Week 10

The readings this week focused on food and markets. The two major themes from the readings were the social and economic benefits of local farmers' markets, and the benefits to farmers and children when Farm to School programs are implemented.

The Farmers' Markets: Bringing the Food to the People, Farmers' Markets as Keystones, the Pothukuchi (2005) reading, and the Morales (2009) reading all focused on farmers' markets. The readings discussed the idea that farmers' markets have been overrun by large supermarket chains. These supermarket chains are locating outside of city centers, which makes the food inaccessible for low income areas. This made me feel that "white flight" prompted "food-flight," or the movement of food from the inner city to the suburbs with the affluent white people. This concept brings the ideas of the food and justice readings we had in week four.

This week's readings also discussed other ways in which the supermarket takeover have negatively impacted the food system. One of these negative impacts is that "local food system infrastructures have become more fragmented and homogenized (Farmers' Markets as Keystones, N.D.)." In other words, a regional area only has one element of food production infrastructure, such as a production plant, as opposed to all processes taking place simultaneously in the same location. Another negative impact of the movement of supermarkets out of the city center is that there are now fewer and smaller stores in low-income areas, which means that food stamps are able to purchase fewer items because the prices tend to be higher in smaller markets.

The Eschmeyer (N.D.) and Villiantos, Gottlieb, and Haase (2004) readings discussed farm to school programs, and the associated positive impacts. Farm to school programs provide local, farm-fresh food to schools. This concept benefits both farmers and school children. Farmers are able to make money they would not otherwise make by reaching out to a new, local customer, and the children gain access to fresh, healthy foods. The benefit to children is especially important considering the rise in childhood obesity. Farm to school programs have shown to lead to different food habits for kids such as increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, decreased consumption of unhealthy foods, and a willingness to try healthier options. What I really liked about some of the farm to school programs was the incorporation of parent education about healthy food choices. It is very important for parents to be involved with their children's food choices.

How can we further educate parents on healthy eating and its importance?
Are there any ways not discussed in the readings that municipalities could encourage local farmers' markets?

Week 10: Farm to School

Farm to school programs are beneficial to everyone. Whether farmers are providing the healthy food options that children eat during school lunch which can provide them with the needed energy to get through the day or the use of a community school garden, the health benefits are tremendous--both mental and physical. We’ve talked about the therapeutic release farming can provide, especially for kids who spend countless hours a day sitting in a classroom. A school garden implemented by a farm to school movement can help alleviate the stress. Additionally, the education about food helps teach responsibility to students. Imagine the sense of pride, joy, and empowerment a child feels when she eats a salad made from lettuce, radishes, and sprouts she grew herself in the school garden. No child is going to turn down produce he or she grew. Also, having children maintain the garden would help lower costs required for labor. The ability to use the food in school lunches would further lower costs.

What I also think is a benefit of these programs is how easily incorporated they can be to other subjects. For example, math: how many plants do we have growing in our garden? If we used seven heads of lettuce to make a salad at lunch, how many would we have left? ; science: the rain cycle, the nutrients cycle, photosynthesis; even Art: paint your favorite thing that grows on a farm. This reflects how integrated our food system is in respects to other areas of our society (i.e. environmental, economic, etc.)

Besides the health and educational benefits, it further strengthens community relationships. I think most community members would be happy to show children where their food comes from and how to cook it--including chefs, community gardeners, parents, etc. 

I remember being in the first grade and having my dad (who is a chef) come in to demonstrate how to cook for our class. Everyone was thrilled and interested in the lesson. Have you ever had any experiences such as cooking classes or a school garden in your years of school? Whether yes or no, how did this affect your experience of food during elementary to high school?

Week 10 Readings

The readings this week informed me of the benefits of farm to school programs that are implemented in some areas of the country. These programs created a link between the schools and the local farms. In turn, fresh food was made available for the students at these schools. The school's are not the only beneficiary in these programs, the farms benefit as well. The program increases demand for fresh, local food products, which financially supports the local farms.

The programs also educate both the children and adults at the school about the true origins of our nations food. Also, health and nutrition are promoted by always having fruits and vegetables available for consumption. It teaches kids to live a more healthy, active lifestyle.

Since there is so much benefit to these programs, one may wonder why they are not implemented nationwide. Well, there are some difficulties in running one of these programs successfully. For one, it is difficult to keep the cost down at an acceptable rate because food from small local farms is generally more expensive than food from a huge national conglomerate. Healthy food doesn't do anyone good if it is too expensive for most kids to buy.

The incident between the Atlanta city planners and Kroger was unfortunate, but it was reality. There are certain neighborhoods where grocery stores simply aren't successful, and there is available data to back this up. Since Kroger is a profit driven entity, it would be a mistake on there part to invest in a neighborhood that would cause them to lose profit. It is an unfortunate flaw in our capitalistic society.

Week 10: Readings

This week’s readings discussed the involvement of planning in food distribution primarily in the context of farm to school programs and farmers markets. The farm to school programs created connections between schools and farms, supported the introduction of fresh, local food into school menus and it developed agricultural and nutritional literacy for children and adults, while supporting local farmers. There are a lot of benefits to having this program in the school system like increasing the daily consumption of fruits and vegetables, but there were also barriers, such as, the food service operations pressure to standardized meals at a low price and the logistics of ordering, billing and delivery of local food.  Farmers markets make local food more visible, encourage diversification as opposed to homogenization of food, support business incubation and facilitate social and economic interaction. They also help in meeting the financial needs of small to medium size farms, while providing an affordable source of food for low income residents.

City planners have been involved in the efforts of reintroducing supermarkets to low income urban areas through empowerment zone-enterprise community (EZ-EC) designations. I found it particularly interesting that when the city planners of Atlanta “pursued Kroger with an attractive development package, which included tax abatements, employee tax credits, bond financing, and low-cost lease, to anchor a retail development in the predominantly African American Martin Luther Kimg-Ashby neighborhood within the EZ”, they were not interested. It left these planners wondering if the reasons were racial, did Kroger not think it was a worthwhile investment, or did Kroger need a larger store base to justify investing? In previous lectures we’ve discussed when grocery stores were established in underserved areas, even with all the incentives mentioned above, most stores closed within a few years. This makes me wonder if a community food assessment was performed to assist the city planners in determining alternative, long-standing grocer options that could be made available to this community. Do you have any suggestions as to how we can make this community more food secure?