A community food system

ITS ALL ABOUT EATING LOCAL AND MORE

s we start the 21st Century, our food supply is becoming truly global in nature. The United States imports and exports hundreds of billions of dollars worth of food products each year, and as a result, we as food consumers enjoy an increasingly diverse selection of products from almost any point on the planet. We shop at mega-supermarkets and other food retailers that offer an enormous selection of foods, including more and more fresh items available year round at reasonable prices. This abundance makes it easy to purchase foods that cater to any whim. One would think that given this opportunity, most consumers would be eating very tasty, healthy and nutritious diets reflecting creative cuisine and a love of great food. But how do most Americans decide what foods to buy? Certainly there are the fundamental influences of tradition, culture, religion, and health, but more than ever, cheap and convenient food, abetted by billions of dollars spent for food industry advertising, encourages a policy of an abundance of mediocre foods at the lowest prices possible.

What happens when cost and convenience supersede other considerations? How many food shoppers take into account where the foods they buy originate; how they were produced, and what the impact of buying these foods might have on the environment, on health, and on food security i.e. the social and economic well being of those who produce it and consume it? When we as shoppers decide what cuts of meat to buy, we certainly look at the price and at grade quality and general appearance. But should we not also be concerned whether the meat was produced at a large factory farm a thousand or more miles away, where animal confinement practices pollute the soil and water and raise questions about animal welfare and farmworkers health and safety? When we as consumers buy fresh fruit in the off-season, we consider the variety, the taste, the visual appeal, and the nutritional quality. But should we not also consider that shipping foods 5000 miles consumes energy and contributes to global warming, or that thousands of small farmers in poorer countries were displaced by plantation-type production of foods destined only

Do to others as you would have them do to you. Luke 6:31

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He said to them, the harvest is abundant but the labors are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Luke 10:2

for wealthier customers like us? Globalization and concentration of the food system are coming at a price that we have ignored for too long the hidden environmental, social, and economic damage of our cheap food policy. Its not clear why so many of us make price a major determinant of our food selection, given our proclivity for big vehicles, for expensive homes, fancy clothes, and nice restaurants. When it comes to food shopping, we complain about the cost of food, yet we spend, on average, barely 11 percent of our incomes on food. In so doing, we are failing to differentiate food quality, too often treating all products as generic commodities. This inexpensive, undifferentiated approach to food comes at a price not reflected on the store receipt. Food is cheap to produce either because land and labor are cheap or because farming has become highly mechanized and 1 chemicalized to cut production and processing costs . The result is hidden costs that we pay for in other ways:

HUGH JOSEPH

As farms go out of business due to low prices and as the worlds population expands, the overall farmable land base

is shrinking everywhere, including our local food-producing regions. Only about 1% of households now farm in the US where we are losing 50 acres an hour of farm2 land to urban development alone . Our food production practices contribute to problems such as water pollution, global warming, and deforestation. This degradation of the environment in poorer countries contributes to global instability in the form of terrorism, war, and contagious disease that will ultimately threaten the 3 very prosperity that this system now provides us . Millions of Americans suffer from heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases largely related to eating the wrong types or balance of foods. Large outbreaks of food-related illnesses are increasing. Does this constitute a healthy food supply? Our cheap-food farm policy has promoted an epidemic of obesity as the number and variety of inexpensive snack foods have ballooned training basic ingredients and commodities into fattening foods 4 with poor nutrition . Abundance for many still leaves millions of Americans food insecure, relying on food assistance programs to help

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feed themselves and their families. Worldwide, hundreds of millions of impoverished people, lacking access to land or resources to buy enough food, suffer hunger and malnutrition on a persistent basis.

COMMUNITIES AND FOOD: Cheap food policies are centered in national and international trade agreements and perpetuated by multi-national companies that benefit best in this global marketplace. Its amazing how our communities and how we as residents have so little participation in our food supply and food policies: where or how food is produced, where it is sold, what it costs, or even how its prepared. Our communities import more than 85-90% of the foods residents consume, even in farming areas. Food and agriculture policies - involving trade, agricultural production, nutrition assistance, and food health and safety - are mainly developed in Washington, DC. Our supermarkets are predominantly owned and controlled by large, non-local corporations.

Almost every municipality has departments for housing, for transportation, for public health, for social welfare, and 5 for public safety, but as Ken Dahlberg often states, there are no Departments of Food at the local level in this country. Even local organizations that deal with education, environment, urban planning, and community economic development generally ignore the food sector. Rather, our communities play a more marginal role our public health departments make sure our restaurants are sanitary; public works departments dispose of food waste; and local food pantries and food kitchens look after those residents on the margins of the food economy. By ignoring our local food system, we are losing what is left of our capacity to feed ourselves without increasing dependence on food imports. We are losing our best farmland to development, and this denigrates our rural economies. We are giving up our relationships with our rural surroundings and to food itself - knowing where and how it is produced, about its relationship to nature and people. When we buy these foods, the money leaves the community, denying jobs and other

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They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over twelve wicker baskets full. Matthew 14:20

economic benefits that result from locally circulating dollars. We are also losing the special features of local food: the freshness, the unique varieties, and the authentic, rich 6 and varied flavors and textures of local foods . This is particularly the case for fresh products; when they are fresher, 7 they tend to taste the best and harbor the fewest germs . Local farms, in contrast to larger distant producers, can grow a larger number of varieties that provide a longer season of harvest, are more interesting and attractive, and have the best flavors. Increasingly, many varieties are heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation because they taste good. 8 These old varieties preserve genetic diversity .

Building a better community-based food system: Taking more control and building participation in our food system means a community and its citizens have a greater role in how their food is produced, distributed, and prepared. The spirit and strength of community-based food strategies resides in nurturing locally-based food, nutrition and agriculture programs and services, and in engaging residents in a process to change their own food habits and to help bring about social and environmental changes. According to Anthony Cortese, a sustainable community represents the ability of a community to utilize its natural, human and technological resources to ensure that all members of present and future generations can attain a high degree of health and well-

being, economic security and a say in shaping their futures while maintaining the integrity of the ecological system upon which all life and production depends 9. Community food initiatives can empower individual residents and community-based organizations and institutions by providing opportunities for them to have greater participation in and control over their food supply - including production, distribution, access, consumption, and the disposition of foodrelated waste. A community-based approach to food incorporates several components: increasing local food production, using environmentally-responsible production and distribution practices, improving access to local growers, promoting commu10 nity-based production and community food security. Following are actions that residents can take to help support community-based food and agriculture goals: 1. MAKE THE FOOD YOU EAT MORE IMPORTANT IN YOUR LIFE. Make time for good food. Grow food where you live. Buy wonderfully fresh products from your area. Take less time for television and make time to prepare and enjoy meals. Lead a Slow Food life. Create wonderful dishes with care; eat them with joy and with 11 those you love . Look after your world. Make eat12 ing a moral act . 2. HELP PRESERVE FARMLAND AND SUPPORT LOCAL FARMING: A viable local farm economy is fundamental to sustain-

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ing our food production capacity. We need to conserve farmland and open space, encourage bio-diversity, and contribute to viable rural economies. Buy from local farmers whenever possible (see below). Support farmland protection efforts by your community dont let farms get sold for development. Learn about your local food system - participate in farm tours and educational programs for community residents, such as Agriculture in the Classroom. Be an agri-tourist- attend farm fairs and other agricultural events that provide added revenue to local farmers. Help encourage the next generation of farmers have your children join 4-H, Future Farmers of America, youth-farming initiatives (e.g., The Food Project in Boston). Encourage farm internships and employment opportunities for local students, or have them volunteer at a local farm. If you own unused farmable land, consider making it available to others who want to farm. 3. ENCOURAGE SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE: Local food systems should involve sustainable farming, including organic and other alternative farming practices that reduce use of energy, chemical fertilizers and pesticides; improve soil quality; and decrease reliance on external farm inputs and generation of waste. Sustainable farms should sell locally and offer decent working conditions to their farm labor. Sustainable also means that farming practices overall are adapted to local and regional variations in soils, species, weather and climate, culture, and institutions. Localizing food systems challenges our amorphous conceptions of an undifferenti13 ated national food system . Support farms that produce in a sustainable way look for local product labels that say organic, lowinput, low-spray, IPM (produce), free-range (e.g., poultry and eggs), grass-fed (beef), and so on. Encourage farmers you buy from to produce organic and otherwise sustainable-produced foods. Talk to local farmers about their farms and farming practices. 4. SUPPORT MARKETS IN YOUR COMMUNITY FOR LOCAL FARM PRODUCTS: Locally-produced farm products should preferentially be marketed locally not shipped to distant markets. Check where foods come from 14 what Pirog calls a food odometer . Farmers keep more of the consumer dollar if there are fewer wholesalers involved between them and the customer, and if they dont have to spend a lot of effort to package and ship their farm products across the country. And if we appreciate the difference between fresher, tastier, more nutritious products from local farmers, we should be prepared to pay more for them because it costs our farmers more to produce them. Im frustrated with the imposed acrimony between producers and consumers of food, writes Barbara Kingsolver, as if this were a conflict in which one

could possibly choose sides . Shop at farmers markets and public markets where local farmers sell their products directly to consumers. Use Food Stamps if applicable. Join a CSA - (Community Supported Agriculture) Buy at local farms - roadside farm stands, pickyour-owns Select local foods featured at retail food stores, coops and restaurants 5. SHOP SUSTAINABLE: Pay attention to where food comes from and buy foods that also minimize packaging, and food waste, and the use of energy and other resources associated with commercial food production, processing and distribution. Buy locally-produced foods from smaller, locally owned businesses. Purchase sustainably-grown food products (organic, IPM). Look at food labels for point of origin and how foods are produced and processed. Buy less prepared food and prepare more meals at home. Buy and use minimally packaged foods and packaged products that use recycled materials. Recycle food-related packaging whenever possible. Compost your organic food waste. Shop close to home - your own vehicle is the biggest consumer of food-related energy. Re-use shopping bags. 6. GROW YOUR OWN FOOD - EXPAND URBAN AGRICULTURE. The National Gardening Association estimated that about $18 billion worth of food a year is produced by household and community gardens, which is enough to 13 rival that of the corn crop . In addition to their own production value, urban gardens can expand neighborhood green space and beautify local landscapes; help recycle household and municipal food and yard waste; and fuel consumer support for local, sustainable-grown farm products. Gardeners also can patronize local farm stands and farmers markets to purchase seeds, seedlings, and fertilizers. Grow food at home - garden in your back yard, put herbs in your flower gardens, grow tomatoes in containers on the stoop or on a rooftop, even indoor sprouting and herbs. Plant fruit and nut trees, berries and other perennial crops. Have a greenhouse or coldframes for extended season. Participate in a Community garden. Encourage your school to host a garden for students. Buy bedding plants and flowers from local nurseries. Produce fresh fish through small aquaculture. Encourage community-based food processing facilities - canning, drying, milling, storage, and training. Grow all this food organically if possible.

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7.

SUPPORT COMMUNITY FOOD SECURITY AS APART OF YOUR FOOD SYSTEM: Everyone in a community should have enough to eat at all times. Part of feeding hungry people is to connect these efforts to local food systems: Solicit donations by local farmers for emergency food sector. Organize gleaning programs on local farms. Have farmers at farmers markets donate end-ofday produce to food banks or pantries. Encourage farm programs such as community supported agriculture to serve low-income residents. Set up farmers markets in lower-income areas, and use Farmers Market Nutrition Program coupons to support these. Have community organizations seek Federal or state funded grants linking agriculture and community e.g., HHS Community Food and Nutrition Program, USDA Community Food Projects, USDA FederalState Marketing Improvement Program, HUD Com-

munity Development Block Grants. 8. BE A COMMUNITY FOOD ADVOCATE: AS AN INDIVIDUAL consumer, you can play an important role in sustaining your community food system, but you can make a bigger difference by supporting programs and policies for the community as a whole: Encourage your grocery retailers and local restaurants to feature local products. Support purchases of local farm products by schools and other institutions. Urge government agencies to include local farm products as part of bulk commodity programs. Support urban farms in open spaces. Have municipalities contribute leaves and other waste to on-farm composting initiatives. Encourage local food processing enterprises to buy locally-produced ingredients. Fight for green space protection and farmland

A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree is known by its own fruit. Luke 7:43-44

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protection. Promote municipal composting and recycling, particularly farm-based. Everyone has a right to food. Be sure everyone in your community has enough healthy food to eat.

On a more long-term basis, individuals and organizations can develop policy and planning mechanisms that can fund and support community-based initiatives: Do a community food assessment - a mechanism to bring community groups and residents together to engage in a community planning process, to respond to community needs through collabora-

tion, and to achieve long-term results across a 16 broad spectrum of issues and goals . Organize or encourage food policy councils - they bring together community in a diverse cross-section of community representatives, in and outside government, to advise local governments or agencies, advocate for specific programs and policies, and serve as forums and information exchange for participants and as an educational resource 17 for the public . Be an informed food citizen and food consumer. There are many great publications to guide you (11, 16, 18-21) in this process .

Hugh Joseph, Ph.D.

Program on Agriculture, Food and Environment Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy Tufts University http://nutrition.tufts.edu

ENDNOTES
1 Matthew Fort. Food Has Four Seasons. The Guardian. Saturday May 24, 2003 2 Barstow, Cynthia The Eco-Foods Guide. New Society Publishers. British Columbia, Canada 2002 3 Poverty, Disease, Environmental Decline Threaten Global Stability. Vital Signs 2003. Worldwatch Institute. 2003 4 Michael Pollan. The (Agri)Cultural Contradictions of Obesity. New York Times. October12, 2003 5 Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Environmental Studies at Western Michigan University. 6 Robert Waldrop. The Next Big Thing is Local Food. Daily Oklahoman. 15 Oct 2003. 7 Janet Raloff. Local Foods Could Make for Greener Grocers. Science News. Vol. 164, No. 5. 8 Buy Appalachian! 10 Reasons to Buy Local Food. Local Food Guide. Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project Marshall, N.C., 2003. 9 Cortese, A. October 28, 1995. Sustainability 101. Presented at the Sustainable Boston Conference, Boston, Massachusetts. 10 Anderson, M.A. and J. Wilkins. Education, Food Production and Landscape Protection. In Lois Levitan (ed). Rural Landscapes in Urban Environments. The Critical Link Between Environment and Community. 1999 11 Corby Kummer. The Pleasures of Slow Food. Chronicle Books. San Francisc. 2002 12 Br. David Andrews. Eating is a Moral Act. Eaters Ethics in Food Choices. National Catholic Rural Life Conference. 13 Dahlberg, K.A. Regenerative Food Systems: Broadening the Scope and Agenda of Sustainability. In P. Allen (ed). Food for the Future: Conditions and Contradictions of Sustainability. John Wiley & Sons; New York, pp. 75-102. 1993 14 Pirog, R., and A. Benjamin. Checking the Food Odometer: Comparing food miles for local versus conventional produce sales to Iowa institutions. Ames, Iowa: Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.2003. http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/pubinfo/ papersspeeches/ food_travel072103.pdf. 15 Kingsolver, Barbara. A Good Farmer. The Nation. November 3, 2003. 16 Pothukuchi K, Joseph H, Burton H, and Fischer A. Whats Cooking in Your Food System. A Guide to Community Food Assessment. Community Food Security Coalition, Venice, CA 2002. 17 Ashman, L., J. de la Vega, M. Dohan, A. Fisher, R. Hippler, and B. Romain. 1993. Seeds of Change. Strategies for Food Security for the Inner City. Prepared for the Southern California Interfaith Hunger Coalition. Los Angeles, California. 18 Wackernagel, M. and Rees, W. Our Ecological Footprint. New Society Publishers, CT.1996 19 Vandana Shiva. Stolen Harvest. South End Press, Cambridge, MA 2000 20 Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation Houghton Mifflin Press, New York, 2001 21 Riebel L. and Jacobsen, K. Eating to Save the Earth. Celestialarts. Berkeley, CA 2002

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