[SustainableTompkins] Food justice article & question

[Katie Quinn-Jacobs]

I agree that the education/time/money matrix is an important component 
to understanding the problem and must be taken into consideration when 
looking for solutions. 

I wonder if a volunteer program along the lines of "Big Brother/Big 
Sister" for home gardening could be developed?  Where urbanites 
interested in gardening are matched up with someone who has a garden?  
Sort of a "garden share," where both parties benefit.  This might be 
particularly interesting to older gardeners who would welcome help in 
their gardens.  Perhaps United Way could help fund the initiative?

Although more complex, school credits or health insurance premium 
credits or employer tax breaks could be tied in too to create 
incentives.  Would Walmart give employees a garden benefit?  Could 
students earn physical ed credits for gardening?  Perhaps Blue Cross 
Blue Shield could knock off a few dollars on their premiums if you 
participate in a garden share?

-- Katie Q-J



Elan Shapiro wrote:
> Here's a  sobering article about how we  sustain 
> or don't sustain all members of our communities. 
> Question: How can we ensure that 
> relocalization/sustainability strategies 
> (policies, economics practices,  agriculture, 
> lifestyle, etc.) address this issue?
>
> Healthy Diets Out of Reach for Many
>
> Eating a healthy diet is getting so expensive 
> that many American families cannot afford it. 
> Not only are fruits and vegetables costly, but 
> food price inflation is reducing the ability of 
> low- and middle-income households to get the 
> nutrients they need.  Recent research confirms 
> these findings.
>
> A University of Washington study, conducted over 
> a two-year period in the Seattle area, found that 
> good, healthy foods increased in price by almost 
> 20 percent, four times the rate of overall food 
> inflation.  Meanwhile, less healthy, high calorie 
> foods held steady in price or actually dropped. 
>
> "We were shocked, said Adam Drewnowsky, director 
> of the University's Center for Public Health 
> Nutrition and co-author of the study, The Rising 
> Cost of Low-Energy-Density Foods, published in 
> the December 2007 issue of the Journal of the 
> American Dietetic Association.  "The 
> nutrient-rich calories, the food we should be 
> eating are zooming out of sight, he stated.  "So 
> eating well is becoming unaffordable for many, 
> even in the middle class.
>
> As healthy foods get more expansive, unhealthy 
> foods stay cheap.  "When it comes to empty 
> calories, it's very difficult to compete with 
> sugar, noted Drewnowsky.  In Brazil, for example, 
> sugar made locally from sugar cane "is produced 
> at the cost of 30,000 calories for one dollar. 
> Nothing else comes close.
>
> The academic findings were recently confirmed by 
> a federal study.  Are Lower Income Households 
> Willing and Able to Budget for Fruits and 
> Vegetables? is the title of a January 2008 report 
> issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture 
> (USDA).  It is not surprising that households 
> with income near or under the poverty line spend 
> less money on food than higher income households. 
> But even when they experience a small increase in 
> income, such households will allocate more money 
> to only two of seven product categories -- beef 
> and frozen prepared foods.  For low-income 
> households to prioritize fruits and vegetables, a 
> household's income must increase more 
> substantially.
>
> So, how can low- and middle-income families 
> achieve a healthful diet?  "It takes three 
> things, explained Drewnowsky.  "Education, money, 
> and time.  If you have all three, you're home 
> free.  If you have two out of three, you can 
> manage.  But if you only have one out of the 
> three, or zero out of the three, you are pretty 
> much screwed.  And a lot of low-income people 
> have zero out of three
>
> For additional information, see the USDA report 
> at:  
> <http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR54/> 
> http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR54/.  The 
> University of Washington study is on the web at:  
> <http://www.mdconsult.com/das/article/body/86804079-2/jorg=journal&source=&sp=20186529&sid=0/N/619891/If07018007003.fig>http://www.mdconsult.com/das/article/body/86804079-2/jorg=journal&source=&sp=20186529&sid=0/N/619891/If07018007003.fig
>
>   

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