National Public Radio (NPR) recently aired a couple of stories on local food production that highlights the various issues with trying to improve access to, and awareness of, locally grown food.Currently the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is trying to promote both farmers markets and local food production. However, according to one NPR story, not everyone is supportive of this effort. One of the reasons cited by Sallie James, an agricultural trade policy analyst with the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C., is that it is not “economically feasible for the vast majority of Americans to buy and eat local foods.” This is due to both the size of the American population and the ability of people to have reasonable transportation access to local food markets. James also cites the fact that the farm subsidy system encourages large, commercial production, which is why “[s]eventy-five percent of that production is currently handled by less than 4 percent of farmers in America.” Simply put, James thinks the current system encourages this practice out of efficiency needs.
James does have an idea of how to improve access to fresh fruits and vegetables. ‘“You allow Walmart to come into urban areas and provide cheaper fresh produce to people . . . The reality is they have a very good distribution network. They can get fresh produce into rural and [urban] areas very well.”’ Of course, it is worth noting that a lot of advocates for farmers markets do not want a Walmart in their urban environment for fear the retail giant would drive out local competition.
Still, the administration does seem interested in promoting fresh fruit and vegetable consumption as well as farmers markets and locally grown foods. As another NPR story points out, this is evidenced by the fact that the First Lady has planted a vegetable garden on the White House lawn and the fact that very near the White House is “what locals are calling the White House farmers market. It’s the first time since Thomas Jefferson was president that fresh produce is being sold in the open air so close to the president’s house.”
Since local is sometimes more expensive than produce raised on commercial farms, farmers markets “can be cost-prohibitive for lower income families.” To combat this, a pilot program has been launched in which a few farmers markets are participating, including the White House famers market, where the farmers markets will accept food stamps. According to the NPR story, the stamps are worth twice as much at the markets as they are elsewhere.
Mary Ellen Taylor sells vegetables straight from her Virginia farm at the White House market commented that “I also have redeemed more WIC [Women, Infants, Children federal program] coupons here at this market than any other market than I am in.” The USDA is operating the pilot program. USDA Secretary Vilsack believes the government can help smaller and medium-sized farming operations stay viable by creating local markets for the food raised on these farms.
As Vilsack stated in the NPR story, ‘“There is a real opportunity for us to grow those smaller operations to mid-income-sized operations, and the way to do that is by creating opportunities locally for local production to be consumed locally.”’
The USDA is hopeful the new, “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” program will help spotlight and promote local food production and consumption and consumer awareness of where the food we eat actually comes from. Vilsack is also hopeful that the emphasis the USDA is putting on local food can help improve the economies and development of “rural communities.”
In the past year, USDA resources have helped the increase the amount of farmers markets nationwide by 13 percent. Still, “only a small fraction of the nearly $35 billion 2008 farm bill is going to organic, local and small farms.”
To read the NPR stories click here. And click here.
Posted: 10/05/09
