India's Food Security

On March 16, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will present a new bill on food security. The bill will promise 75 percent of rural population and 50 percent of urban households the right to 7 kg of foodgrains a person every month, at 3 rupees per kg for rice, 2 rupees per kg for wheat and 1 rupee per kg for coarse grains to the below poverty line category of people. This bill will also insure food to children under age 14, pregnant women and lactating mothers and certain marginalized people.
As great as this sounds, from an agricultural standpoint, the government is going to start needing a lot more foodgrain. This will add increased stress on the local farmers. It is said that the government will have to increase foodgrain procurement efficiency from 55 to 60 tons.
Will this cause insecurity among farmers? Private land will be harder to procure.

Due to this added need and large population, the Indian government has been working on new technology and thus are looking to biotech crops. "Biotech cotton in developing countries such as China, India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Bolivia, Burkina Faso and South Africa have already made a significant contribution to the income of millions of small resource-poor farmers in 2011; this can be enhanced significantly in the remaining four years of the second decade of commercialisation, 2012 to 2015, principally with biotech cotton, maize and rice," said Dr Navarro, manager of Global Knowledge Centre on Crop Biotechnology. 
Although this might fix a hunger problem, will GMO's cause other problems? This is a risk India's government is willing to take, but are they considering the long term effects it will have? 


-MAU

Wait...you want me to pay $8 bucks for milk??

I went to the grocery store recently, and noticed the ridiculously priced “organic milk”, while I was there. I couldn’t believe it, almost $8 bucks for milk!

Who can afford to buy organic milk? Is this a form of food injustice? In my opinion, it most definitely is. Think about it, milk is only good for about 2 weeks, and organic milk must expire much sooner due to its minimal chemical additives. Therefore, in order to eat organic, a family should be able to shell out about $30 bucks a month…for milk!

Thus, a family who wants to only eat, and purchase “organic”, would have to be a high income earner. Is this just? Should the “best” quality food be only available to high socio-economic status families?

 I feel that food is related to health and well being, so if we are depriving a group of people from the availability of healthy foods, we are in turn depriving them of a healthy lifestyle and well being. This to me is the essence of the cycle of dehumanization and food injustice.

 ~Meron A.

Child Health-Related Quality of Life and Household Food Security

http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/159/1/51

Yet another very interesting article; where researchers tested the effects of food security on the physical and psychological quality of health of children. The study concluded that there was indeed a correlation between food security and a child’s overall quality of health. Researchers found that children, who lived in food insecure households, had an overall poorer quality of psychological and physical health.

This makes complete sense to me, because I would expect that a child who grows up in an environment of high stress levels, the child will observe and take on the family stress themselves; bringing on poor mental health, due to worrying, and feeling fearful; in addition to a poor physical health due to not enough adequate nutrition food sources.

Once again, this is another article that shows the effects of food and environment on health and overall well-being. It should now be more apparent that there is a significant correlation between ones environment, food availability/quality, and their health/well-being. Knowing this, I find it hard to understand why there is not more action towards preventing these easily preventable health problems amongst neighborhoods with a high prevalence of food injustice and security.

~Meron A.

Iron Deficiency Associated with Higher Blood Lead in Children Living in Contaminated Environments

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1242086/pdf/ehp0109-001079.pdf

This was a very interesting article on a study done in 2001. In this article researchers wanted to test their hypothesis that a deficiency in iron would result in a higher blood lead count, in children who live in contaminated environments; more so than children who were not living in environments that were contaminated.

This article stood out to me because I was able to make the connection between health, environment, and diet. This study embodied all of these important aspects that environmental justice advocates care so much about.

For example, if one is living in a contaminated environment, this will in turn make this individual more prone to health problems. Also, the contamination in the environment could exacerbate their genetic predisposition to a certain illness. In addition, if one lives in a contaminated environment, it is safe to say that their food is contaminated as well. Thus, this is an example of multiple pathways of contamination.

~Meron A.

Adverse Health Effects of Plastics

In regard to our previous blog post, "Packaging Options: The Negative Effects of Plastic", this website offers a helpful chart of plastics to avoid, where to find them, and how they may affect you!

http://www.ecologycenter.org/factsheets/plastichealtheffects.html

-Dana

Food = Environmental hazards

What are food miles ? They are the miles your food travel from start to finish, from prosuction to consumption, from field to plate. So many people passively buy food from their grocery store without much consideration from where it has come from. Have you ever considered that when you buy your weekly bunch of bananas they have been shipped from Guatemala ? Globalization has caused an increase to food miles. Connor Steve, author of Buy Local Produce and Save the World said, ”The environmental cost of food transport is given as US 3.8 billion dollars a year, and it is claimed that it in-creased by 12% in the period between 1992 and 2002.” He also said, “If all of the U.K. food came from within 20 km of where we live, we could save £2.1 billion a year in environmental and congestion costs.”

Two word can be said about food and its massive transportation industry : Greenhouse gases. Our desire for whatever food we want all year long is causing harm to our environment. Eating locally would cause these CO2 emissions to decrease.

The NYTimes said, “Food is traveling because transport has become so cheap in a world of globalization,” said Frederic Hauge, head of Norway’s environmental group Bellona. “If it was just a matter of processing fish cheaper in China, I’d be happy with it traveling there. The problem is pollution.” Previously, there have been no taxes on the transportation of food, but countries specifically in the European Union are starting to force the cost of pollution on countries taxing transportation.

Transportation is not the only issue causing an increase to fossil fuel emissions. Production is also another problem. Studies show that in some cases, the transportation of goods has a lower carbon footprint then those produced locally.

Another problem is also due to the increase of humans eating meat. The FAO records that farm animals account for between 20% and 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This number accounts for the deforestation for grazing lands.

So how do we improve this problem ? Christopher Weber and H. Scott Matthews of Carnegie Mellon University said that adopting a vegetarian diet would reduce emissions more than if we became localivores. But this debate on what should this populated earth eat continues still. Nevertheless, we should consider our food miles and how our demand for certain foods affect the environment.

-MAU

Packaging Options: The Negatives Effects of Plastic

More and more in this society we have become more dependent on packaging for everything; specifically plastic packaging. Products that used to be packaged in glass containers or tin cans now come in plastic bottles or jars, as do products that used to come in paper or cardboard containers. As a result of the recent packaging habits, we use more plastic container each day then we did ever before. Roughly 300 million tons will be produced worldwide next year (Plastic Not so Fantastic). The amount of plastic manufactured in the first ten years of this century will approach the total produced in the entire last century.While it is a quick and easy and can be used virtually anywhere, plastic is not always that option. Besides being so versatile, plastic is leaving behind a growing trail of waste. Plastic production outstrips plastic recycling by six to one (Negative Effects of Packaging).

Plastic Recycling and Waste

Pacific Ocean Trash Vortex

If we step back now to look at the recycling process of plastics and where they usually end up, the answer usually is the garbage. Plastic is not an easy material to recycle. Producing plastic as well as recycling it deals with many nasty chemicals that are not good for human health. Plastic, produced from natural gas, is chemically altered by plasticizers during production to increase resilience. Unfortunately these plasticizers tend to vaporize during the process presenting a health risk. This is not the only risk, "diethylhexyl phthalate is cancer inducing, while other additives interfere with the human endocrine system and suppress the immune system, also leading to cancer and causing birth defects, according to planetthoughts.org, an environmental watchdog website. Toxic emissions into both the air and water are common at plastic production plants"(Negative Effects of Packaging). After production, plastics have a very short user life. Only a small portion of plastic is 'recycled' and often this is sold to other countries with more lenient protocols. Often un-recycled plastic ends up in floating trash islands in the ocean. While it is semi well known, the magnitude of the Pacific Trash Vortex still surprises people (two times larger then the size of Texas). The amount of toxic chemical that are leaking into the ocean from this large garbage pile has not even been fully understood. The local wildlife has been greatly affected. Bird carcases are found filled with plastic and garbage that the animal tried to eat as food. A quick image search on Google.com may show a picture of a turtle eating a plastic bag or other animals being affected by the horrible amount of trash humans (especially Americans) produce.

'Garbage Island' floating on the Pacific Ocean

Comparing the recycling of plastic with glass is an interesting view. While 36% plastic is recycled compared to 22% of glass containers, plastic takes up 1/4 of garbage being added to landfills by volume (Glass V.s Plastic Containers)! This is much larger then it seems as plastic is usually thin and crush-able. Glass garbage only makes up 2% by volume of all garbage going to landfills (and glass is very dense and usually thick). For both products, making recycled products uses less energy then when starting with virgin material, but we (human populations) can't seem to get the plastic in the recycling bin.

Making recycled glass containers actually uses 35% less energy then making the original product. Producers do have to worry about impurities though. While plastic containers are primarily used for their low density and durability, plastic is created from oil which is non-renewable. Sadly plastic can't be recycled forever; eventually it will result in a brittle product if it is recycled too many times. Glass has the benefit of being able to be recycled over and over without losing quality in the finished product (Plastic Not so Fantastic).

Chemical Migration from Plastic to Humans and the Environment

According to the International Plastics Task Force, harmful chemicals -- such as acetaldehyde -- can  migrate from plastic packaging to the contents of the package (or to soil and water in the landfills they sit in). There are many plastics that have such harmful chemicals including polystyrene, PVC and polyethylene.

Chemicals that are added to plastics to increase durability and to produce the flexible qualities are absorbed by human bodies. These non-naturally occurring chemicals have been found to alter hormones and produce adverse human health effects. Plastic buried deep in landfills can leach harmful chemicals that spread into groundwater coming around to effect hose living close by. An example, bisphenol A (BPA), found in polycarbonate bottles and the linings of food and beverage cans, can leach into food and drinks. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 93 percent of people had detectable levels of BPA in their urine (Plastic Not so Fantastic). The report noted that the high exposure of premature infants in neonatal intensive care units to both BPA and phthalates is of “great concern.” BPA is known to create reproductive problems and highest exposures can lead to heart disease and diabetes.

Problems that plastic causes extend beyond humans. Over one-third of all plastic is disposable plastic that will end up littering the environment. Considering the other species inhabiting our planet, the plastic debris from littering and land fills are laced with chemicals that are often ingested by land and marine animals. Not only can this injure and poison wildlife, but this contamination also comes directly back to humans who caused the problem in the beginning. "More than 180 species of animals have been documented to ingest plastic debris, including birds, fish, turtles and marine mammals, according to the report...For example, laboratory studies have shown that phthalates and BPA affect reproduction in all studied animal groups and impair development in crustaceans and amphibians." (Plastic Not so Fantastic).

Just think for a bit the next time you are grocery shopping, buying a plastic water bottle, or heating something plastic up in the microwave. Chemical that are leeching into your food/liquids and then once you dispose of them, into the environment to effect you again through the circle of life.

Be Environmentally Aware. Think Recycling. Pick Glass.

- Marshelle

The USDA and Local Food Security

The United States Department of Agriculture announced this week it's support for local food security organizations. Marking a great leap forward in healthy eating in the U.S., these grants show the growing importance of food security in our own country. With a focus on low-income communities and good nutrition, these programs are working to eliminate food deserts all over the country. For numbers and figures check out the press release here:

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2012/02/0052.xml&contentidonly=true

-Dana Lofgren

Food Security and Genetic Engineering: The Effect on the Growing Communities

Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful?

The debate about Genetically Modified Foods/Organisms (or GMO's) becomes a question regarding the effects that these products have on the body, surrounding plant habitat, and environmental effects.

Background

“The term GM foods or GMO's (genetically-modified organisms) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. The enhancement of desired traits has traditionally been undertaken through breeding, but conventional plant breeding methods can be very time consuming and are often not very accurate. Genetic engineering, on the other hand, can create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and with great accuracy.… Not only can genes be transferred from one plant to another, but genes from non-plant organisms also can be used.”

 

According to the USDA and FDA there are over 40 plant varieties that have completed all federal requirements for commercialization. These include

GM Foods

·         Tomatoes
·         Cantaloupes
·         Soybeans
·         Sugar beets
·         Corn
·         Cotton plants

Specifically the soybean, used as a staple food additive in the United States, ensures that most US consumers have been exposed to GMO’s.  Of all GM crops, the US grows 68% with soybeans and corn as the top two foods grown.

While GMO’s do have increased tolerance and resistance to the variable that usually would worry the farming community, can have special nutritional value added to them, and can improve their pharmaceutical use, there are many negative aspects.

The GMO industry is criticized for “pursing profit without the concern for potential hazards and the government for failing to exercise adequate regulatory oversight.” The industry is facing doubt majorly concerning environmental hazards, human health risk and economic concern. GMO’s can cause unintended harm to other organism, reduce the effectiveness of pesticides causing increased dosages to be used, cause gene transfer to non-target species, and allergies. The effects on human health are mostly unknown but the potential for a large risk to human health is great.

In 1999 FDA held there meetings with the US public to begin the process of establishing a new regulatory procedure for government approval of GMO's. While some countries (Brazil) have banned GM crops, in the US, a more (lenient) regulatory system is in place.

“In the United States, the regulatory process is confused because there are three different government agencies that have jurisdiction over GM foods. To put it very simply, the EPA evaluates GM plants for environmental safety, the USDA evaluates whether the plant is safe to grow, and the FDA evaluates whether the plant is safe to eat…The FDA counters that the agency currently does not have the time, money, or resources to carry out exhaustive health and safety studies of every proposed GM food product. Moreover, the FDA policy as it exists today does not allow for this type of intervention. “

It is the labeling of GMO’s that is the easiest to make people aware of what they are putting into their bodies. But with that comes the question of the level of detectability of GM food cross-contamination.  A 1% threshold may already be below current levels of detectability.

We must be wary about jumping ahead in science and releasing products without the backing about the risk that they may cause. As now organic produce is extremely important and popular to prevent ingestion of chemicals, avoiding GM crops will most likely be in our near future.

-Marshelle

McNation

http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/super_size_me

Is Our Lack of Biodiversity Causing Food Insecurity?

Imagine you are trying to refurbish a 1967 corvette, as you are working on the engine, you only have multiple batteries, alternators, and radiators. You cannot exactly make that corvette drive with only those parts. Similarly, we are trying to feed the world with only a few resources. The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization for the UN) said that "3/4 of the the genetic diversity in agricultural crops has been lost just in the last century! Of 6,300 animal breeds. 1350 are endangered or extinct. Just twelve crops and fourteen animal species feed the world today." Do you think this has caused food prices to rise? I think so! Also, the surge to continue the mass-production of these few resources has forced the other ones to disappear. We cut down biologically diverse forests and replant with a few tree species. This has caused a change in the diet of animals. The same thing has happened to humans. We have removed the biodiversity of food of the world causing a change in diet to all people. We now eat genetically-modified versions of the same product. Just look at how many things contain the ingredient, corn. A list of some corn products can be found here: http://www.livecornfree.com/2010/04/ingredients-derived-from-corn-what-to.html

But what if we, stewards of the earth, strove for biodiversity?

Biodiversity is so important to not only food production and diet but also environmental conservation. We cannot continue exploit nature to give us the few varieties of resources that we want and can modify. This has caused an unequal distribution of resources. 

What if we had small scale polycultural systems of farming? This not only is a traditional form of farming, but it also allows numerous plant species to grow. This in turn causes diversity in the animal kingdom. 

Biodiversity might cause that corvette to start running.

-MAU

Over 300 hits!

Just wanted to share some stats :)

Our Audience

- Marshelle

AGRA: Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa

AGRA is an ambitious program led by former UN Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan to eliminate problems of food security throughout the African continent. It's goal is to help countries in Africa create sustainable farming practices that help communities produce their own food. By focusing on all aspects of food production such as the necessary seeds, soil, marketing, finance, and policy, AGRA's comprehensive programs also initiate job growth.

While this may be an example of a top-down approach to change (the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are its founders) it is African led and practiced. By giving the financial and research support necessary for such an endeavor, but leaving the decision-making to the various countries and farming communities in Africa, I think that this is the beginning of a respectful approach to a solution.   I believe that this is an example of modern technology and traditional place-based knowledge coming together to forge new ideas. It fosters an atmosphere of mutual recognition and doesn't place the importance of one over the other.

Visit the website for more information, news updates, job or fellowship applications, and stories from the people themselves!

http://www.agra-alliance.org/

-Dana Lofgren

Food & Freedom Riders

http://grist.org/food/2011-10-14-food-justice-for-navina-khanna-its-whats-for-dinner/

Tipping their hats to the Freedom Rides of the Civil Rights Movement, a group of inspired young leaders who call themselves the Food & Freedom Riders carried forward the struggle for justice, in the summer of 2011. Their task was to uncover the stories of farmers, workers, and communities who are working to change the food system that denies them justice. Their goal is to weave together a movement of people from diverse backgrounds, and to learn from the past and find the food movement’s own place in history.

What a great way to spread the word! I feel that it is very important to educate young people of the fact that food justice is interrelated with environmental justice and social justice. The food justice battle will not be solved by only focusing on ramping up farmers markets and promoting consumption of locally produced organic food. To address food injustice, it seems that we have to attack poverty. Good food is expensive, thus ramping up our economy seems like a better way to go.

If a group of people in America were denied or had a limited access to education, or health care, this type of problem, I feel, would receive much media and government attention. Why is this not the same for food justice? I never knew of such a thing until I purposely made an effort to learn about it.

The Food & Freedom Riders are working to expose the term food justice, for all to be aware of. If you would like to follow their journey, they can be found on twitter @liverealnoworg.

~MERON A

Pesticides! The bounty of America

Have you seen the recent film entitled Food Inc? Have you noticed the recent surge to eat organic food? Have you noticed that more kids are being diagnosed with food allergies and diabetes? Have you noticed the numerous recalls on food products because of ecolae and salmonella? People are getting sick as a result of what they are eating. And no it's not some sketchy food joint but our grocery stores that are giving us this food. A good way to describe today's Americans is they are a microwave generation. What I mean by this is they want things fast and now, hence the millions of fast food restaurants. We want pineapple and bananas all year long, oblivious to season or where they come from. Did we realize our demand for all this produce has become a source of CO2 emissions from the transportation of these goods? What's more is did we even think about how this banana we are about to eat is perfectly ripe just at the point of purchase? Last time I checked, Us in Washington do not have a climate for growing bananas. The answer to this question is pesticides! Pesticides insure us ripe fruit at the point of purchase and it everyday if we so choose. When it comes down to it pesticides are man's way of controlling nature in order to yield the results that he desires. But is nature something for man to control? Pesticides allow for every dollar spent, four dollars saved. Yes, I agree this shows economic advantages but do we end up really saving ourselves when we are lost in medical debt? Pesticides are not only hurting our food, but they are also hurting the workers. Often times, farm owners spray pesticides when the workers are still in the field. This ends in numerous health issues.
We must do something that says that we do not want pesticides in our food! A corn farmer at the end of the Food Inc. film said that if we demand, they will deliver! So let's demand pesticide free food!

-MAU

The Apple Pushers: A Solution in a Pushcart

Obesity, diabetes, and heart problems: Americans have an issue with food. While these symptoms might more blatantly point to overconsumption as the cause, there is also the subtle yet intrinsic tie they have with food shortages. That is, healthy food shortages. 

This documentary is a story of the American dream - with a bit of a twist. Following the lives of five cart pushers recently immigrated to the U.S., it not only addresses the problem of food deserts - it offers a solution. New York City's Green Cart Initiative, established in 2008, was first fronted by philanthropist Laurie Tisch and continues to offer fresh produce in areas of New York City that need it most.

Affordable, convenient, and flexible, these carts are only the beginning of a raised awareness in food scarcity in our very own United States. While opponents argue against the initiative, citing lack of need, it only emphasizes the discrepancies between the lifestyles of those in power, who likely don't live in food deserts, and those of the disenfranchised. It only stands to reason that the group of people most affected should have the loudest voice, and in this case, the right to good nutrition. 

Interested in watching the full documentary? Click the link below for a list of showings near you, and stay updated!

http://www.applepushers.com/dates-and-reviews.php

-Dana Lofgren

Food Security in India leaves much to be Desired

My Junior year in high school I visited family in India for 10 days with my mother. While I had been warned of the socioeconomic difference between the United States and third world countries, I was not aware of how big of a shock it would be.  For those who have seen the movie Slumdog Millionaire, I can assure you that the movie is not far from the truth. Besides the dirty living conditions, begging scheme, and uneven classes, one of the things that struck me as very shocking was the malnutrition of a high percentage of citizens, especially that of the lower class and homeless.

A new report released by World Food Programme revealed that even with recent high economic growth rates in India, food security has not improved.  Even since gains in the 1990's, "the number of undernourished people is rising...Slowing growth in food production, rising unemployment and declining purchasing power of the poor in India are combining to weaken the rural economy."

The article talks about the effectiveness of the a couple different food-based interventions to see if application to India would be effective. Professor Athreya concluded that “There is a need to create a universal PDS with uniform prices affordable to the poor and the allocation should be based on the number of consumption units in the household.” having access to programs that aid food security safety next and agricultural production will help decrease the problem.

The article defines food security as: "availability of food in the market, access to food through adequate purchasing power, and absorption of food in the body."

In general, South Asian has poor food security. Specifically, India ranks 94th in the Global Hunger Index of 119 countries. The reason, food and nutrition insecurity. Indian citizens often have minimal diets that consist of low nutrition foods. Besides this, most people living in India don't have easy access to safe drinking water or toilets.

Due to this class and my travels, I am becoming even more aware of the lack of food security in most parts of the world. Yet again, the question is: What to do about it?

-Marshelle S.

BREAKING NEWS: "Famine conditions in Somalia have ended, UN says"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16866913



Last night, the UN declared that the famine conditions in Somalia have ended. Well, actually, not quite. It seems that the drought has improved due to some rainfall; however, 1.7 million Somalians are still "in crisis". Food security is incredibly unstable in Somalia due to the environment they live in. Droughts are inevitable, thus, individuals who depend on their farms for food go hungry when their crops don't grow due to the climate.

As you can see food security seems to be very highly linked with the environment you live in. In America, high quality foods, such as organic, are more expensive than most unhealthy foods, like fast food restaurants and pre-packaged foods. This means that in lower socio-economic areas; grocery stores tend to not open-up in these neighborhoods. So, the individuals in these areas are faced with little food choice due to the environment they live in.

Also, in Somalia the poorest areas were the ones that suffered the most during this drought.

This does not seem fair; the fact that one's environment determines the state of food security in one’s life. Shouldn't we all have the same availability of resources? Starvation should be experienced by no one, especially when there are plenty of individuals with an excess of resources. I've said this before and feel a need to say it once again; food justice and security is for all, and should not be determined by one's environment or socio-economic status.

~Meron A.

Serious Problems

The earth faces two dire issues: obesity and malnutrition/starvation. Many would say that starvation is because of the lack of resources while obesity is the excess of resources. This may be true, but the problem of obesity is largely due (excuse the pun) to an excess of the wrong resources. Obesity especially in the southern states in the US do not have easy access to fresh food and produce, as we have described previously. While this does not present immediate deaths like starvation, wait ten years and diabetes, heart conditions, autoimmune disorders, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc will claim their victims. Food deserts are serious! What has been our response to them: nothing. Living in the areas where there are food deserts are people of color and low socioeconomic status. This is a huge environmental injustice. If there were no health or farmer's markets in Beverly Hills, there would be hell to pay! Yet, communities of color and low income have no voice. Unfortunately, the loudest they will ever be heard is in their death.
I am sure you are thinking, "Wow! How morbid! And way over exaggerated." I admit it is morbid, but not exaggerated. There has been over 112,000 preventable deaths due to obesity and its effects. Hopefully, this will make you increasingly aware and awake you to fight the battle against this environmental injustice!

-MAU

Native Americans are losing their Food Security

In a lecture today at UW I became more aware of how the US Government has created a situation where Native Americans, the people who inhabited this land first, now are losing their food security.

As a partial (I mean very very partial 1/32nd) Native American, this is a very frustrating thought. Not only are the Native Americans very environmentally friendly, aware of their impact on Mother Earth, and less focused on increasing their pocket books, but most importantly they are not as overcome by the need to 'dominate' nature. Why does our government and modern Americans feel the need to dominate nature, behave un-sustainably, and not worry about how our action effect the environment. Not only the environment, but our behavior has a direct impact on the aboriginals of the North America.

This issues has to do with environmental justice and food security. I will briefly touch on the EJ side of things and will focus on how our habits are slowly destroying the food security that the Native Americans had with their original culture.
 

The Native American Chinook Tribes relied heavily on fishing

 in their diet and as a part of their spiritual being.

Food Security
Currently, the US government uses many areas of land that were previously inhabited by the Native Americans to control Mother Earth. This includes the topics covered in class today and many more.

Building dams can destroy salmon breeding grounds, make gathering food (Fish) hard, submerge food and medicine gathering grounds, and can force the native dwellers to relocate. Also, with these dams polluted sediment that usually may flow down stream can now settle in the dammed areas and can cause health problems in the people living off of the fish who habitat the area. How else will they easily gather fish to practice the life style that their ancestors have been practicing for years?

Also, using the forests to breed certain types of trees destroys the natural variety that usually grows in locations. This also can cause certain plants to take over their unnatural areas (scotch broom) which destroys the environment of the natural habitat. This makes gathering the necessary food, medicine, and material extremely hard. This again is another great example of how our government is making living a traditional Native American lifestyle hard to do.

The people now inhabiting the United States are not aware of the immediate effect that their actions have on the people who originally lived on the land they now call home.

Environmental Justice
This is yet again, a cookie cutter case of EinJ. Taking land from minorities (the Native Americans) and using it to put more money in the pocket on the government. Also, not including the opinions of the Native Americans when they build dams, populate forests for money, and relocate them away from their home, the US government continues to act unjustly to the people that were here from the beginning.

How does this make you feel? What do you think can be done? What can each of us do in our day to day lives to help minimize our damage?

-Marshelle

Poverty and Food Sufficiency


This month I decided to put myself on a healthy eating cleanse. To it sum up, what I was allowed to eat was homemade food, no preservatives, white meat and lots of fresh produce. Luckily I live in Seattle where Food Security is high and those percentage of people that live in poverty is normal with national standards.

While visiting Jacksonville Florida over MLK weekend for a conference, I tried to head to a grocery store to pick up produce in order to avoid breaking my rules. The only neighbor hood that was located close by downtown Jacksonville was a sketchy Winn Dixie that had minimal produce.

Seattle has a lower percentage of Low Income inhabitants and a MUCH lower percent of minorities than does Jacksonville FA. As we have been studying with EJ, is is expected that due to the increase in low-income residents and minorities, there is a greater chance of low food security.

After I got back I was doing some research and found a couple articles on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) website.

Dynamics of Poverty and Food Sufficiency, D Ribar & K. Hamrick

This article has an interesting study linking the dynamics of poverty and food sufficiency to that of income and race. An experiment is completed using a survey to gain knowledge about a group of people every 4 months on 9 different locations.The findings yet again confirm how EJ is a problem we must face.

Some interesting findings from this study:

• The USDA currently administers 15 domestic food assistance programs that work individually and in concert to provide a nutrition safety net for children and low-income adults.
• The programs (USDA) spent over $37.9 billion on the domestic food assistance program.
• While only 3.8 percent of people (1 of 26) were in households classified as food insecure with hunger, poverty and food insufficiency's were positively related.
• People who lived in families with incomes below the poverty line were several times more likely to face food insufficiency than those in families with higher incomes.
• Women were more likely to live in poor families and food-insufficient households than men.
• Women with higher poverty rates were more likely to become food insufficient than to stop becoming food insufficient
• Children were more likely to live in poor families of food-insufficient households than adults and less likely to exit from either of these conditions.
• Poverty rates and food insufficiency rates for Blacks and African Americans and Hispanics were roughly three times higher than for Whites. B
• lack and Hispanics had very high rates of entry for poverty and food insufficiency and low rates of exits.
• Non citizens had poverty and food insufficiency rates that were comparable to those of Blacks and Hispanics.
• Poverty and food insufficiency declined with increased education.
• Poverty is 2-3 times worse food insufficiency than those who completed high school, and 6-10 times than those completing college.

As it shows in this study, low-income families and minorities are most likely to enter into food insufficiency and less likely to leave the situation.



Other interesting related articles on the relationship of  Food Security and income/poverty level from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) can be found by clicking the links below.

Characteristics of Low-Income Houses with Very Low Food Security, by M. Nord

Food Insecurity in High income Households, by M. Nord & C. Brent

-Marshelle Slayton

Food Deserts in America

-MAU

Seattle, a forerunner

So you are becoming aware of the problem but what is the solution? How can we be apart of helping areas where there are food deserts or help solve the global problem of food insecurity? A simple answer is start gardening, join a community garden, become a localivore, etc. Seattle, Washington is an excellent example of a city that encourages this type of action. For instance, there is a place called Marra Farm who is "a model urban community farm engaging people in sustainable agriculture and education while enhancing local food security. Tucked into the South Park neighborhood of Seattle, it has 4 acres of historic preserved farmland." South Park is a neighborhood full of poverty, pollution, and an area void of a supermarket and farmer's markets. Marra Farm seeks to change this neighborhood by providing not only fresh produce but also an avenue that children can get involved and be educated on issues like food security, pollution, and nutrition. They work with many different organizations and coalitions such a Lettuce Link, Seattle Youth Garden Works, Mien Community garden, local elementary schools and food banks, etc. 

Help out Marra Farm by volunteering or donating: https://support.solid-ground.org/LettuceLink

-MAU

Food Justice for All: Food Justice in the City

http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/food-for-everyone/growing-power-in-an-urban-food-desert

I feel very fortunate to have a home that is within close proximity to a grocery store that provides the option of purchasing fruits and vegetables. This, however, is not the case for many Americans who live in urban areas of a lower socio-economic status. This phenomena is referred to as a food desert. As a consequence, many Americans do not have access to healthy, and diverse food options. It is not lawful to seclude individuals of basic, human, necessities. So why is this type of environmental racism still occurring? Who is to blame? And how can we make a change for the better?

~ Meron A.

Jelly Sandwiches...Where's the Peanut Butter?

Have any of you realized how much you are paying for peanut butter these days? A ridiculous amount! I bought a container of cheap JIF the other day costing me about eight dollars! Why? What is causing this outrageous spike?
We have recently had the worst peanut harvest in decades! "Analysts attribute this drop to the intense heat and drought that hit the southern U.S. this year, as well as to high prices for other crops that led farmers to focus their efforts elsewhere," says CNNMoney.com

Americans spend about $800 million on peanut butter and consume an average of six pounds of peanut products each year, according to The National Peanut Board, a farmer-funded research group.

Can anyone say--global warming? Can anyone say--food insecurity?

But the question that comes to my mind is: If I am struggling to pay for this household staple as a middle class American, what about other people? What about families and communities who barely make it from paycheck to paycheck that can only send their kids with cheap PB&J sandwiches for lunch? What about about those who live in low income housing? 

-MAU

Food Insecurity: How? What now?

-MAU

What the UNFCCC has revealed in Durban, South Africa

http://www.news.wisc.edu/20224



When the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change met in Durban, South Africa this past December, it was to address the multiple aspects of global warming and its effects. This article points out the importance of researching sustainable farming practices and the need for new policy-making. The lack of focus previously placed on food security in a changing climate seems to be a reflection of those in power. While past UNFCCCs have discussed greenhouse emissions as the main problem we face today, the food shortages climate change has caused have been conspicuously absent in discourse. As most populations affected by food shortages are poorer and agriculturally based, the convention in Durban shows a movement, if small, towards justice for those most directly affected by climate change.