Open Blog 2

The group case study that I participated in this semester was the presentation on the
SNAP and Double Bucks Program. The research I conducted into the SNAP
program for our presentation really opened my eyes to some of the flaws
in the system and how it can be exploited and abused both by individuals
and by corporations. In particular I was shocked to learn how much of
the money from SNAP goes to profit large corporations and grocery store
chains.The video above was one I found extremely shocking as well as infuriating. To think that by simply raising their prices 1.4% Walmart could make enough profit to account for the losses they would experience if they were to pay each employee a living wage was a mind blowing to me. Furthermore, their increase in prices/wages would mean saving tax payers $300,000,000. 3,000,000! I think that if more people were aware how much of their tax money was just being funneled back into corporations like Walmart there may be more action taken to prohibit these types of things.

Open Blog 1

For my first open blog I wanted to talk about the 2nd annual Midlands Farm Tour that the USC Community Farm and Garden participated in this on April 5th and 6th this year. The farm tour is put on by the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association. The CFSA website talks briefly about the reason for organizing the farm tours and says they were created to better connect farmers and consumers. On the tours, visitors are able to see the reality of what goes on at a sustainable small farm. For example, how farm families balance their busy lives, how they grow food in harmony with nature, and how they market their products and support themselves financially. It specifically mentions the CFSA's desire for children of all ages to come on the tours. It says "Today so many children have read story books about farms and farm animals, but have never actually seen a farm. By touring, children learn where their food comes from and what a real farm is." I felt that this was very much in line with many things we have talked about in our class throughout the semester. One of the many focal points of this course, to me, has been the importance of educating the population on what is really in their food. It is so important that people understand what real unprocessed food looks (and tastes) like and where it actually comes from and I feel like the Midlands Farm Tour is helping to do just that on a local scale (which is even better!). I snapped the two pictures above while volunteering at the tour on April 6th.

Blog 22

How do permaculture and agroecology benefit the natural environment and humans? How do they affect our use of petroleum? The Right to Food UN Report focuses on third world countries. Which policy suggestions would work or not work in first world countries? Why or why not? From the mission of the Seed Savers Exchange, how might saving seeds make a greener food system?

 

Permaculture and agroecology benefit our natural environment because they focus on a more sustainable type of agricultural system. This also creates benefits for humans because permaculture and agroecology work to provide people with access to the resources that are necessary for their survival. Many solutions to ending hunger in third world countries obviously involve the use of agriculture. It is incorrect to assume though that by simply increasing a country's food production that country can effectively battle hunger or malnutrition.  To see significant progress farmers in third world countries must begin to move toward a lower carbon form of agriculture that also preserves resources.  One of the suggested policies I feel could work in first world countries is the concept of investing in knowledge because without investing in educational programs agroecology would not be possible. 

 

The reading on the Seed Savers Exchange made it clear that saving seeds can help to make a greener food system more focused on green values by preserving a diverse food system that promotes biodiversity & maintains thousands of different types of plants.

Blog 21

List at least one way locally sourced foods in South Carolina has a direct impact and one way it has an indirect impact on South Carolina’s economy. Is the Certified South Carolina Grown campaign worth the money put into the program? Explain in terms of economics and sustainability. Of the farming industries that were compared to NC and GA, which do you think is most important to expand and why?

One way locally sourced food has a direct impact on South Carolina’s economy is through the increased creation of jobs. Increasing local demand could potentially add 10,000 jobs, which would in turn affect the South Carolina economy. Another direct effect would be the funds that stem from local purchases and wages that impact the states economy. The indirect impact that local foods can be seen on the economy of South Carolina through the spending on in-state suppliers. Overall I feel that the Certified South Carolina Grown campaign is worth the amount of money that is put into it. I do also agree with the author that more money should be spent raising awareness about the program through advertising and marketing. Of the farming industries that were compared to North Carolina and Georgia, one area that would be important to expand would be in tree-nut farming because it had the biggest differential in the regional purchase coefficient. There was a difference of 80 percent in the regional purchase coefficient and tree-nut farming also had the lowest level of production. 

Blog 20

What implications do new research on the soil-health connection for the food system? How would attention to soil life affect farming and distribution?

 While reading the MyPlate webpage and brochure, keep in mind “The Politics of Dietary Guidance” article. Is the political influence that Nestle writes about evident in the MyPlate guidelines? Why or why not?  Do you think that these guidelines are specific and informative enough to affect people’s diets?

New research suggests that there is a strong connection between our soil and human health. For example, soil may protect us against the development of human sensitivity to certain allergens. Food that is grown in well-treated, nutrient-rich soil has the possibility to offer a variety of health-related advantages all while helping to build a healthy immune system. The difficulty lies in identifying which type of soil each individual's food is grown in. For instance, many organic farms have well-treated soil, but larger farms use pesticides that damage soil.

Instead of using words such as 'eliminate' and 'avoid' that would suggest that certain foods do not need to be consumed at all and are not an integral part of a healthy diet, the MyPlate dietary guidelines for consumers uses words such as 'reduce' and 'cut back'. I personally do not think that this wording is drastic enough. While these guidelines may still provide useful information, I don't think they do enough to communicate and suggest the need for real change in people's diets. If they were to use more radical wording and more action words I think more people would take the guidelines seriously and refer to them when making everyday dietary choices.

Blog 19

Being that these articles were written several years ago what are your thoughts on the corn commodity-created high fructose corn syrup now being linked to obesity? Describe the effectiveness or non-effectiveness of ‘downstream’ nutrition education. How does marketing play a role? Explain the problem with continuing commodity crops and importing more fruits and vegetables.

In what ways does supporting farmers and a possible switch to non-commodity/subsidized crops help to really address issues of farming crops that lead to junk food and obesity. Does the new farm bills’ current changes to stop subsidizing crops help us move in the right direction? If so, then how?

Describe the Mediterranean approach to eating and the health effects depicted in this article. What is your experience with this ‘diet’?

In my opinion, high fructose corn syrup is clearly linked to obesity. It is now found in just about every form of junk food Americans consume, and these same junk foods also typically cost less than many fruits and vegetables and other healthier options and taste better to most people as well. The downstream approach to nutrition education is not effective. While nutrition education is certainly important, the large price-gap between unhealthy foods and healthy foods seems to be the major deciding factor for low budget families when it comes to food purchases. Marketing plays an enormous role in the effectiveness of nutrition education. Very little budget is allotted by the USDA for the marketing of healthier snack options like fruits, yet the marketing budget for unhealthy snacks like sodas, potato chips, and candy is astronomical. These marketing campaigns make unhealthy foods look cool and fun, especially to children and teenagers, and create an environment conducive to unhealthy food choices. Importing fruits and vegetables is a quick fix but the problem with this approach is that it doesn’t offer the freshest produce or our local economy. Supporting our farmers and providing them with more incentives to produce fruits and vegetables as well as other healthy foods works to better address the issue of farming crops used in the making of junk foods like corn.  The new farm bills' plan to stop the further subsidization crops will not eliminate the problem because overproduction has been a problem in the American food & farming industries for so long it will take additional policies to convince farmers to focus on the quality of our food as opposed to the quantity produced and to see more than just a bottom line. The Mediterranean diet focuses on the consumption of fish, healthy oils, fruits & vegetables, and whole grains  which is certainly a step away from the American diet of processed foods and refined sugars and I believe it is a step in the right direction.  

Blog 18

Describe the Community Food Security movement and what perspectives/voices are included in this approach? How does the Community Food Assessment tool fit in? How might a Social Justice framework around food insecurity re-frame these issues? (compared to, say, a strictly health/nutrition approach?) With the Missoula County case study – how do cultural beliefs, social, political and economic relationships affect the community food system?

Think back to when our student-lead group presented on this issue a few weeks back. What questions and concerns should be raised regarding our own system here in SC

Community Food Security means having readily available access to healthy and safe foods and the CFS movement works to address the issues within our global food economy such as the cost of transportation as well as the loss of local, family farms.  Some voices included in this approach are farmers, ranchers, anti-hunger activists, nutritionists, environmentalists, public health educators, and city planners. The Community Food Assessment tool fits in by “organizing tools for identifying food-related issues, planning what to do about them, and gathering local support to take action to address them”. The CFA works to solve the many issues associated with the CFS movement on a community level. The Social Justice framework re-frames issues by connecting food consumption and production. It helps to address food security on more of a community level. 
A few questions/concerns regarding our SNAP/Double Bucks community food system in South Carolina:
Is the idea of Double Bucks used strictly at farmer's markets really feasible? Would it also be beneficial to expand the use of Double Bucks to state-grown produce that is sold in grocery stores as well? 
What about people who do not live near farmer's markets or grocery stores who offer local/organic produce? How do we give people living in food deserts in SC the same access to healthy foods as those who are not?