Earth Week: Day 2

The 50th anniversary of Earth Day arrives in two days. Oil futures are tanking today. Headline becomes "Oil tanks!"? (Sorry, couldn't resist.) We overproduce food, so farmers go broke. We have a broken economic and distribution system so kids, parents, and others go to bed hungry. We're in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic with no sign of adequate testing, treatment or vaccine, but idiots are protesting shelter-in-place orders. Obviously they're not familiar with the great Kris Kristofferson's lyric: "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose. Nothin' ain't worth nothin', but it's free. [g*d, do I miss Janis some days!]

can there be "food deserts" in farm country?

Photo by J. Harrington

I've been doing more reading and thinking about food systems these days and I keep running into examples of the accuracy of John Muir's observation:

When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.
- My First Summer in the Sierra  , 1911, page 110. 

First question: what is a food system? According to the American Public Health Association:

Food systems include inputs, mechanisms, and structures for food production, processing, distribution, acquisition, preparation, consumption, and metabolism. ² Also included in a food system approach are the participants in that system, including farmers, fishers, industries, workers, governments, institutional purchasers, communities, and consumers. Food systems are deeply entwined with many social issues. Overlapping food systems serve local, regional, national, and global levels; herein, the term refers to the national level, unless noted.

APHA defines a sustainable food system as one that provides healthy food to meet current food needs while maintaining healthy ecosystems that can also provide food for generations to come with minimal negative impact to the environment. A sustainable food system also encourages local production and distribution infrastructures and makes nutritious food available, accessible, and affordable to all. Further, it is humane and just, protecting farmers and other workers, consumers, and communities.

It doesn't take a lot of awareness to realize that our current food system isn't sustainable and is taking only "baby steps" toward becoming more sustainable. There's a number of organizations, international, national, Minnesotan and local that are working to improve the current system. Fortunately, the folks organizing Earth Day are among those who recognize the roles played by how we produce our food in deteriorating the planet on which we depend for all the necessities of life.

The good news is that, if we manage to transform our food system, it can go a long way toward helping us solve another major environmental problem we're facing, climate change. We'll get into that  tomorrow. A major question in my mind is whether the needed changes can be accomplished through evolution or revolution. I suppose part of the answer to that question is how broken we're willing to let the climate get before we change. A growing number of reports note that we're running out of time but still have some options.

Farm Country

by Mary Oliver

I have sharpened my knives, I have
Put on the heavy apron.

Maybe you think life is chicken soup, served
In blue willow-pattern bowls.

I have put on my boots and opened
The kitchen door and stepped out

Into the sunshine. I have crossed the lawn.
I have entered

The hen house.

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