Making The Food System Ours

States around the country with large conventional farming operations are attempting to put a stop to the recent spike in undercover videography at factory farms.  Animal welfare activists have captured a number of short videos from inside these farms in the effort to expose what they perceive to be abuse and illegal mistreatment of farm animals.

In response, the Iowa legislature has already passed a bill making it illegal to enter a farming operation under false pretenses, and other states are following suit.  You can find the details, as well as one of the videos, here:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/02/29/147651002/states-crack-down-on-animal-welfare-activists-and-their-undercover-videos

Although these laws raise important legal questions about privacy rights and whistle-blowing, the real issue is more fundamental.  These videos raise basic questions about our (inter)national industrial food system: namely, is such treatment of animals inevitable in this system, and who is responsible for the conditions inside of these factory farms?

It is tempting to condemn the farm owners and workers at these operations as cruel and perhaps even heartless, but the truth is more subtle.  The actions depicted in the videos are disturbing, but we need to see them not as the result of individual cruelty, but as symptomatic of a food system that is built around producing and moving massive amounts of food over enormous distances as quickly and as cheaply as possible.  If this description sounds familiar that's because it should - what I've described is the basic operating formula of any manufacturing industry.  After all, there's a reason these operations are called factory farms!

When farming loses its respect for the environment and its relationship to the local community it ceases to be agri-culture and instead becomes agri-business.  And the final step in this process - the one that we are now experiencing - is that farming transforms from agri-business, to agri-manufacturing.  In such a situation, it is inevitable that animal welfare be neglected in favor of the "bottom line."

The industrial food system belongs to all of us.  Every time, for instance, that we purchase pork from one of these factory farms we are funding this system.  Not only are we making profitable the poor treatment of animals at these factory farms, we are also validating the large-scale production of genetically modified corn, soy, alfalfa, and other crops, the great majority of which harvest goes toward feeding factory farmed animals instead of people.

But it's difficult not to fund this system.  The meat and produce produced by the industrial food system are cheap, and when you're on a budget they're almost impossible to turn down.  That's why the Food Policy Working Group continues to advocate for the food justice of Memphis and Shelby County, with an important focus on local farmers and farmers markets.

There are few things as basic and as vital as the food that we eat.  It's time that we take control of the food on the dinner table and it make ours.

Two Exciting Bills in the TN General Assembly

The Tennessee General Assembly has taken initiative in the effort to guarantee food security and good food for all Tennesseans. As I write this, two bills, one for the House and one for the Senate, are making their way through the legislature. Both the House bill (HB 2260), and the identical Senate bill (SB 3487), aim to facilitate community gardening throughout our state.

We owe our thanks to Representative Hardaway from district 92 here in Memphis for proposing the original House bill, and to Senator Tate from district 33, also in Memphis, for proposing the Senate bill. These brief but important bills provide, among other things, an updated definition of community gardens and enable municipal and county governments to convey property to nonprofits for the purpose of cultivating these gardens. The bills prioritize collaborative gardening between senior citizens, who often are a wellspring of gardening knowledge, and our youth, who have the power to ensure that our communities continue to move toward greater food security.

Just as importantly, both bills call for the creation of programs to involve school children in community gardening, possibly for academic credit.

In proposing these bills of their own initiative, Representative Hardaway and Senator Tate demonstrate how far the movement for food security has come in Memphis. Questions remain as to some of the specifics of the bills - especially the provision which disallows community gardens from using the proceeds of sales for anything other than maintenance and upkeep - but the bills are encouraging nonetheless!

The status of the bills can be followed here: http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx?BillNumber=HB2260

And you may find this glossary of terms helpful in understanding the sometimes cryptic abbreviations employed by our state legislature: http://www.capitol.tn.gov/legislation/billabbrev.html

Our Food Stamp President

Newt Gingrich is a man with some rather peculiar ideas. In addition to calling for the colonization of the moon, Gingrich has taken to labeling Obama the "food stamp president." Now, it's not entirely clear what Gingrich means by that phrase. If in calling Obama the "food stamp president" Gingrich is suggesting that Obama has personally caused the massive increase in food stamp (or SNAP) enrollment, then he is committing some questionable reasoning.

To begin with an obvious point, Obama does not decide who receives SNAP benefits or who is eligible for them - That is the job of Congress. SNAP, which stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is designed to fluctuate with the economy. This means that in times of recession (like the one we are currently experiencing) SNAP automatically increases in size, in order to accommodate the increasing need.

Granted, it is true that Obama's 2009 stimulus package included increases to SNAP benefits, but is that a bad thing? The USDA certainly does not think so. In fact, according to the USDA, SNAP increases economic growth in this country by a factor of 1.79. This means that for every dollar spent on SNAP, our economy experiences $1.79 of growth. This makes SNAP more effective at growing the economy than unemployment benefits, infrastructure spending, and federal aid to states! And it's really pretty obvious when you think about why that's the case. What do Americans do with food stamps? Well, they buy food! The money spent on SNAP goes back into the economy, and with a substantial increase. (1) (2)

But let's be serious - we know Newt isn't doing any number crunching. He's not really concerned with SNAP's effectiveness. He's concerned with getting elected. In fact, it's clear that in calling Obama the "food stamp president" Gingrich is attempting to play off racial tensions in order to get votes, just as his idol Ronald Reagan did through the misguided notion of the "welfare Queen." And as always, the facts tell a different story than what the demagogues would have us believe. The majority of SNAP recipients are not black. African Americans don't even make up the largest group of SNAP recipients by race. That title belongs to non-hispanic WHITE Americans, who make up 35.7% of the households receiving SNAP benefits. In contrast, African American households make up 22% of the total. While we're at it, we should probably point out that 47% of SNAP recipients are children and 8% are over the age of 60. Oh, and 41% of SNAP recipients live in a household in which at least one member of the household has a job. (3)

And just for good measure, and in the continued interest of dispelling the welfare queen myth, which Gingrich seems to be echoing. Let's recognize that the average SNAP household consists of 2.2 persons.

SNAP isn't the problem. It grows the economy, and even more importantly it helps feed children, seniors, and other Americans in need. Besides, Gingrich should realize that if America is going to colonize the moon we're going to need a well-fed and healthy population...

(1) http://slopefarms.com/blog/2012/01/23/food-stamps-feed-the-economy-and-people-too/

(2) http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR103/ERR103.pdf

(3) http://www.fns.usda.gov/oane/MENU/Published/SNAP/FILES/Participation/2010Characteristics.pdf

(4) http://www.fns.usda.gov/oane/MENU/Published/SNAP/FILES/Participation/2010CharacteristicsSummary.pdf

Food, Farming, and Friends

Are you a farmer? A community gardener? A food entrepreneur or activist? Do you just love delicious, local, Mid-South food?

If you answered "yes!" to any of those questions, then join GrowMemphis on Monday, February 6th at the Farm to Table Conference for Mid-South Producers at the Memphis Bioworks Foundation. It will be a day of friendly and meaningful discussion on our local food system, followed by a screening of the film, Cafeteria Man, and a Q&A with the star himself, Toni Geraci. There will also be ample opportunity to build new partnerships in our local food system and to catch up with old ones at the networking lunch, which will be provided by local farmers and the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Garden.

The movement to build a better food system in and around Memphis has made great strides over the past few years and we have the ability to keep the momentum going, and to increase it! The Farm to Table Conference presents an excellent opportunity to do just that. No one who is serious about improving our local food system should miss it!

Buy tickets at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/216675

The breakout session topics will include "Community Supported Agriculture 101," "Growing Vegetables in the Mid-South," "Farmer and Chef Perspectives on Selling to Restaurants," "Farm to School," and many more. See the full schedule on our facebook page.

We look forward to seeing you there!