Sustainable agriculture has become so entwined with the subject of food in the Bay Area that it pops up regularly in this blog, whether the subject is fine dining or cooking at home. Urban dwellers who support the idea of sustainable and local agriculture – and there are legions of them in Northern California—usually do so on the consumer level, whether by participating in a
cow share or by just trying to shop organic at the supermarket. But at last week’s
Cooking for Solutions Sustainable Foods Institute at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a constant theme was that green food shopping is no longer enough.
The farm bill is much too complicated to deconstruct here (though this Facebook page looks like a helpful resource.) It’s demonized by sustainable food and nutrition advocates for its billion-dollar subsidies to commodity crops like corn, soy and wheat—which tend to create the kinds of foods that make us unhealthy—and its lack of support for farmers that grow the fruits and vegetables the USDA always tells us to eat (and are mostly grown in this state). And then there are the proposed cuts to the SNAP or food stamp program, also part of the farm bill.
But Prolman pointed out that what’s less known in the debate are programs that support small farms with grants, loans and training, part of the USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative,are also threatened in current budget negotiations. Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, who also spoke at the Monterey conference, promoted this initiative as a way that the government supports regional agriculture.
Of course, consumer dollars go a long way toward convincing businesses to make green moves, and food choices can certainly decrease your impact on the planet. But according to environmental advocates, just going to the farmers market every week isn’t going to cut it.
Home Cow
"Know your Farmer, Know your Food" is such a great idea. It's hard to argue with the value of buying something directly from a farmer.
bessie snow
There is a new online discount sweeping the country this holiday season, called "Printapons" where a local store is featured every day with huge discount.