Understanding Food Systems

[Rory]

We've probably all seen pictures of food riots in other countries and
the effects of chronic hunger at various places and times. One of the
traditional advantages of living for the last quarter-century in the
United States is that most of us have not needed to consider food
systems, any more than we have had to think about clean water or
sanitary sewers. Understanding food systems is still useful, though,
and can help all of us act more wisely for personal and community
health.

Although the term "food security" has been used recently to stoke
political fears that Al Qaeda is planning to put rat poison into our
Cheerios, the original use of the term refers to hunger. Food security
is part of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization
(FAO)'s "famine scale." By FAO designation "food security exists when
all people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe and
nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for
an active and healthy life.”

The next step on FAO's famine scale is "food insecurity," and this
term has been adopted for domestic use by the USDA, which recognizes
food insecurity with hunger and food security without hunger. Under
this scale Washington state rakes fifth in the nation for food
insecurity with hunger, tenth in the nation for food insecurity
without hunger, with Clark County above average in both categories. By
objective, governmental standards, there are many people in Clark
County who do not have secure access to "sufficient, safe and
nutritious food." To understand why this might be the case, it is
useful to look at the broader concept of "food systems."

Food systems is an issue of concern to Clark County Choices 2010, an
alliance of groups which aims to bring a wide variety of public and
private interests together to address long-term issues of community
health. They generally define "food systems" as the combination of
business, government, charity and community groups which provide food
to our people. Businesses are part of our wider food system, including
agribusiness, grocers and restaurants. Government assistance is a key
part of our food system, in the form of food stamps, school lunch
programs, nutritional assistance to seniors and so on. Community
organizations such as farmer's markets, CSA's, individual and
community gardens are an important part of the food system for many
people, as are explicit charities such as soup kitchens, food banks,
church groups and private individuals helping their friends and
neighbors. Each part of the food system is important, as none can do
it all. A healthy food system includes private businesses, community
organizations, friendly associations and charity.

Food systems are not perfect, and the "safety net" of church and
government and friends often lets people and entire communities fall
through the cracks. Key areas of the city such as the Harney Heights
and Fruit Valley neighborhoods, for example, are "food deserts" (a
term originally used in Scotland), devoid of healthy grocery stores
and options beyond convenience stores and fast food. Many rural areas
are also without many choices, including not only the rural south and
inner cities, but also huge swaths of the midwest where commodity
agriculture and a short growing season leave even farmers without many
food options. Food deserts and the associated increases in "lifestyle
diseases" such as childhood obesity and diabetes have great
consequences not only for quality of life, but also for the broader
economy.

No one solution will mend the entire food system, but when each of us
does what we can and supports our neighbors, it strengthens us all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_security
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famine_scales
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_desert
http://oregonhunger.org/the-problem.html
http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Consumption/Obesity.asp
http://www.clarkcommunitychoices.org
http://www.oregonfoodbank.org/research_and_action/

[Rory]

There is a terrific article on developing local food systems online at
http://www.oklahomafood.coop/local-food-system.php

Published by the Oklahoma Food Cooperative it makes a few terrific
observations on where to begin in developing a sustainable, local food
system, including.


+ Form and function follow food.
+ Eat with the season.
+ Be temperate in your selection of foods.
+ Prepare meals from basic ingredients.
+ Develop the organization and systems of your kitchen.
+ Recycle resources and energy
+ Process and preserve foods at home. Practice food storage.
+ Grow some of your own food.
+ Buy foods from local farmers and producers.
+ Never buy meats that originate in confined animal feeding
operations.
+ Design for economy.
+ Design for catastrophe

For more info please visit

http://www.oklahomafood.coop/local-food-system.php or join
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/localfoodcoops/