I’m late in seeing this but the World Bank published this report linking food systems to obesity last year.
It’s got lots of charts and tables and ends with actions that can be taken in food production systems to improve food quality. It’s wonky, but useful.
USDA and the National Agricultural Statistics Service have just published “Farms and Land in Farms: 2017 Summary.”
Here’s the bottom line:
Earl Butz, USDA Secretary under presidents Nixon and Ford, was infamous for, among other things, telling farmers to “get big or get out.” And so it came to pass….
Government agricultural policies have a lot to do with this, no?
I reviewed an earlier draft of this report, and was impressed by its comprehensiveness and attention to detail. If you are interested in understanding how our current agricultural system came about, what problems it causes, and what to do about them, this report is an excellent place to start.
It’s “new vision for farm and food policy” calls for:
Its conclusion:
It is time for a change in our agricultural policies and priorities, away from a near absolute emphasis on maximizing production and toward ameliorating the problems caused by the intensification and specialization of farming. Developing a more balanced agricultural system will require extensive changes throughout our food production system. Those reforms will threaten established interests and reshape farming in the U.S., but also create opportunities to build more vibrant rural communities. Accepting those challenges is essential because the
threats generated by current farming practices cannot be ignored any longer.
I’m not sure how USDA defines “diverse,” exactly, but I think it must be referring to size and income in this report.
Like so:
I’m also not sure how USDA defines “household” for very large-scale farms (Big Ag), but that’s where the money is, apparently.
IFOAM—Organics International–offers a Global Policy Toolkit on Public Support to Organic Agriculture, for use by anyone who wants to advocate for organics and sustainable agriculture.
The toolkit includes:
The main report offers Policy summaries for specific measures to promote organic production and consumption.
No excuses!
The USDA has a new report out on global trade.
It’s full of facts and figures about what foods we export and import, how the trade agreements and tariffs work, and how food aid works. Here’s who we gets worldwide food aid:
And here’s why our food safety system is so important to protect:
If your eyes glaze over whenever you read anything about NAFTA or any other trade agreement, this is a good place to start understanding the issues.
How about some good news for a change?
I. Politico reports on on a new report, Feeding the Economy, on the importance of agriculture for the US economy (you can search the site for your own state and congressional district).
The findings are impressive:
As Politico puts it, “more than a fifth of the U.S. economy and a quarter of American jobs are either directly or indirectly tied to the food and agriculture sectors.”
That’s more than 43 million jobs and $1.9 trillion in wages, and $894 billion in taxes. That’s $6.7 trillion for the impact..
Who paid for the study? 22 food and agriculture groups, including the Corn Refiners Association, the American Bakers Association and the United Fresh Produce Association.
II. The Washington Post writes:
For only the second time in the last century, the number of farmers under 35 years old is increasing, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest Census of Agriculture. Sixty-nine percent of the surveyed young farmers had college degrees — significantly higher than the general population.
The implications for public policy are obvious: promote farming opportunities for young people.
III. Here’s what The National Young Farmers Coalition says in its new report:
Its agenda:
Now, to make that happen…
I. The Environmental Working Group
It just released its farm subsidy database for 2015 and 2016.
The new information reflects the demands of the 2014 farm bill.
The findings:
The website is interactive. You can click on states and counties.
Tomkins County, New York, where Ithaca is, got $25 million in federal subsidies.
It’s fun. Check it out.
EWG also released it’s Double-Dipping report on how taxpayers are subsidizing farmers twice for crop losses.
II. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)
It organized dozens of farm organizations to sign a letter calling for greater investment in agriculture through the farm bill education-and-research title.
It also released An Agenda for the 2018 Farm Bill. This focuses on investing in:
III. Representative Chellie Pingree (Dem-Maine) is also working on farm bill issues.
Her particular focus is the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act:
Many people are working on farm bill reform. It needs it.
This session is on Practicing Food Studies. It will be at 5;00 p.m. Details to come.