Talking Points: Looking Up from the Table

Where does my food come from?

• Currently, 1.2 million acres of farmland are lost every year (about 2 acres/minute)

• Commodity subsidy programs only supported about 39% of farms in the U.S. in 2003. The bulk of commodity money goes to a small number of large farms that do not grow a diversity of crops. This encourages consolidation of farms instead of diversification and support of medium sized family farms.

How come smaller farms are disappearing from the American landscape?

• Almost 80% of counties that are dependent on farming have lost population in the United States between 2002 and 2005, due to a lack of employment opportunities and education and health services.

• There are more than twice as many farmers over 65 than there are under 35.

• Three out of five farmworker families are living below the poverty line in the U.S.

• Some people criticize federal farm subsidies and programs as being too expensive to the tax payer. However, the Farm Bill Makes up less than 1% of the Federal Budget

Does everyone have access to healthy, affordable food?

• Over 35 million Americans live in households that cannot afford the food they need throughout the year

• In West Oakland, California, the number once cause of mortality in 2000 was all types of cancer, number two was heart disease.

• Recently in March, the last grocery store in West Oakland closed, leaving only corner markets with little to no fresh produce.

• Childhood Obesity and childhood diabetes are serious national concerns. Children lack access to healthy food in schools.

• Obesity health care costs range from $98 billion to $117 billion annually.

Recommendations for Change

• Establish a fair market price floor so that food companies, not taxpayers, pay their fair share to farmers.

• Develop a renewable energy program that prioritizes rural development, supports local ownership and promotes sustainably produced feedstocks.

• Develop programs that reward farmers for conservation efforts and healthier crops.

• Protect the rights of farm workers and food industry workers in meat and poultry packing plants.

• Promote local food systems

• Reform subsidies program to support diverse crops and a larger percentage of farmers

• Promote, protect and help communities develop more farmer to consumer programs, like Farmers’ Markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA).

• Develop an easy to implement farm-to-school program to support children’s health, rural economy and entrepreneurial farmers.

• Farmers are stewards of half the nation’s lands. However, conservation programs designed to address water, air and wildlife challenges are not available to 75% of farmer applicants.

• The federal government’s farm and food policy must better support organic farming and sustainable alternatives. The organic food market in the U.S. is projected to reach $30.7 billion in 2007.

• Allow federal food aid program to phase out the sale of food aid, like food stamps, and allow a cash-based system where food can be bought from local farmers’ markets and health food stores.

Trends seen in farming practices and issues related to food quality are not inevitable, but are the result of a series of public policy choices.

“A Fair Farm Bill for America”, from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy

“Seeking Balance in U.S. Farm and Food Policy”, from the Farm and Food Policy Project, 2007

The People’s Grocery, West Oakland