Food – Page 21 – Kristen Baumlier

Category: Food

2011 Farm Bill R.I.P. – but 2012 bill is around the corner

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Kbaumlier

I’ve been reading news about the “undercover U.S. Farm Bill” being in the works the past few monthes. The most recent news is that the 2011 Farm Bill got thrown out– since no agreements were reached.

The bill was going to cut $23 billion dollars over the next 10 years with a $15 billion net cut in commodity programs, a little over $6 billion net cut in conservation programs, and a $4 billion slice from the largest of all farm bill programs, the SNAP or food stamp program. This would then free $2 billion to help fund farm bill programs that lacked secured budget baseline after the current farm bill expires in 2012 and to fund new programs.

The Farm Bill impacts who can farm, how they farm, the types of food that can be grown, and the price of certain foods at the grocery store. Farm policy is a big part of the reason fast food is cheap and healthy food is difficult to find, and the Farm Bill is a matter of concern for everyone, not just farmers.

One top issue for the next Farm Bill is whether government support programs are being used responsibly and effectively. Another issue is the USDA’s current emphasis on an approach to rural development that’s broader than just making payments to big corn and soy farms.

Some questions the Farm Bill can address include:

-Could there be more incentives for farmers to grow fruits and vegetables, and not just commodity crops?
-Could accepting food stamps at farmers’ markets help to combat obesity?
-Should sodas be banned from the food stamp program, similar to the program’s existing bans on tobacco and alcohol?
-Could a “whole-farm revenue” concept for crop insurance replace the present system that encourages production of a single crop, and instead encourage more diverse crops?
-Could an expansion of the green payments program incentivize sustainable farming rather than overproduction?

The recent concerns about the 2011 farm bill is that it was done essentially “in secrecy and ahead of schedule. Currently the final bill that was not approved has not been released to the public.

What is going to happen to the future of food? Get up to date information about the 2012 farm bill from the sites listed below.

Image Source:

Eco Farm

Links:

http://www.fooddemocracynow.org/

http://sustainableagriculture.net/

A Subversive Plot?… Plant a Garden

Posted on November 27, 2011November 27, 2011 by Kbaumlier

Roger Doiron is founder and director of Kitchen Gardeners International (KGI), a Maine-based nonprofit network of over 20,000 individuals from 100 countries who are taking a (dirty) hands-on approach to relocalizing the food supply. The group is a network of gardeners and good food advocates who work to make local foods even more “local” and broader.

In 2008, Doiron and KGI worked to campaign to have “high impact gardens” put in high profile places in order to promote growing food. What is a better place for this than the U.S. White House – a location that ohad been a edible landscape both for animals and people years ago. The idea of a food garden at the white house had been proposed by Michael Polland And Alice Waters – but the efforts had never resulted in a garden being planted.

Doiron and KGI led a successful proposal and petition campaign to replant a kitchen garden at the White House which gathered over 100,000 signatures and international media coverage. Together, gardeners and good food advocates pitched in on March 20, 2009 – to help White House and the Obamas plant a healthy kitchen garden on the White House lawn.

KGI is working to get gardeners around the world to work together on feeding a growing population which has a degrading natural resource base and changing global climate.

There are currently over 1 billion hungry people in the world and that number is set to rise as the global population rises from 6.7 billion to over 9 billion in 2050. Doiron and the KGI promote the idea that planting more kitchen gardens – behind homes, schools, and in vacant urban lots – will be part of the solution

In his TED talk given in Spring of 2011, Doiron gave a humorous talk called, “A Subversive Plot – How to Grow a Revolution in Your Own Backyard.” Doiron starts out talking about how food is a food of energy and power, and how when we encourage people to grow their own food – we are encouraging them to get power over their food, health, and money.

If you have not seen this talk yet- I recommend checking it out – and starting now to plan your plot in your yard for Spring of 2012.

Links:

TED Talk – Roger Doiron – “A Subversive Plot – How to Grow a Revolution in Your Own Backyard.”

Kitchen Gardeners

Video about the Petition of the Garden on the Whitehouse Petition

The Posterity Project: Famine Aid Posters

Posted on November 24, 2011November 24, 2011 by Kbaumlier

In the last 60 years, East Africa has been hit by the most severe drought and experts report that over 12 million people are at risk. Fundraising efforts are struggling to keep up the relief effort. One in three children is suffering from severe malnutrition. Most children are in need of high-nutrional food, sanitized water, and inoculation from disease. UNICEF is working to give support but there is more to be done.

50/50 is an international initiative with nearly 50 projects spread across 8 different countries that is a collaborative fundraising experiment of digital projects to help support raising money for East Africa. The project calls on artists and media makers to submit one fundraising project a day for 50 days, with the end goal of raising $1.57 million toward UNICEF relief efforts.

One project, Prosperity is a limited edition of Giclée archival poster prints that are designed to support the 50/50 initative. All posters were designed The Mill’s creative staff and its network of artist friend in order to support the famine aid in East Africa.

The posters range from abstract images of the sun, to cartoon like images of Africa. The images are related to East Africa and famine – but are not obvious our heavy-handed.

Hyesung Park’s poster Together has figures interacting, spelling out the world AFRICA. Colin Hess’ poster What the People Say is a pen and ink cartoon-like image of Africa surrounded by thought bubbles with celebrity quotes such as, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels – Kate Moss.” Michelle Higa’s Sun is a textured image of a abstract radiating round “sun.”

So far, Posterity has released about half of the posters and the rest will debut after Thanksgiving.

Image Source:

The Posterity Project

Links:

50/50 Project

The Posterity Project

The Mill

Victory Gardens

Posted on November 20, 2011November 20, 2011 by Kbaumlier

In the past few years, more individuals are raising their own backyard vegetables. A resurgence in gardening bring to mind the victory gardens of World War I and World War II all over again – when the government was urging Americans to get busy growing food in any backyard. The effort was seen as a way to support the military, since the canned fruits and vegetables would go to the groups – and citizens would raise and preserve their own food.

Also called “war gardens” or “food gardens for defense,” gardens were planted in peoples’ backyards and on public land in World War I and World War II.

In 1943, over 20 million backyard gardens produced 8 million tons of food – almost half the fruits and vegetables consumed across the country. In the city neighbors banded together, cleaned up vacant lots and planted their own community gardens.

The gardens were also considered a civil morale booster since gardeners could feel empowered by their contribution of their work and rewarded by the produce grown. These gardens produced up to 41 percent of all the vegetable produce that was consumed in the nation.

Victory gardens were planted in backyards and on apartment-building rooftops, with the occasional vacant lot “put to use as a cornfield or a squash patch. During World War II, sections of lawn were publicly plowed for plots in Hyde Park, London to publicize the movement. In New York City, the lawns around vacant Riverside were devoted to victory gardens, and in San Francisco part of Golden Gate Park was made into a garden.

Victory Gardens came in many shapes and sizes. People in all areas, both urban and rural – made gardens to grow food for their families, friends, and neighbors.

Today the idea of the government promoting gardening seems far away. For years we have been bombarded by marketing images and messages of shopping and purchasing goods as a way to support our economy and country.

In 2011, the modern, grassroots- driven victory garden is often inspired by the local food movement which aims to promote good health and change in the environment.

Some modern day victory garden projects include the work of the artist group Future Farmers, who did a project from 2007-09 to promote victory gardens, and the Victory Garden Initiative whose motto is, “Move grass… Grow food.” There has been increase in community gardens, and cities like Detroit where farming in vacant lots and in front yards is helping create positive change in the community.

Where I live – it is the end of the growing season – but we have all Fall and Winter to plan and dream of what to grow in the garden next year.

Links:

Future Farmers Victory Garden Project

American Community Gardens Association

Victory Garden Initiative

Eagle Street Rooftop Farm

Food Rules: the Illustrated Expanded Edition

Posted on November 18, 2011November 18, 2011 by Kbaumlier

I finally got it. I ordered the new expanded edition of Michael Pollan’s book Food Rules which has illustrations by artist Maira Kalman and expanded food rules. The book came in the mail yesterday.

I admit – I did not buy the first Food Rules book, since it seemed like a quick read – and I felt that I followed all the rules in the book … so it wasn’t for me. The new book however caught my eye – partially due to the addition of the illustrations and the expanded rules that I’ve seen and read about this month on other sites and newspapers.

Michael Pollan’s Food Rules began with an idea that the wisdom of our grandparents might have more helpful things to say about how to eat well over the recommendations of science, industry or government. The first edition pocket size 112 page softcover book outlined a set of rules for eating wisely, many from a variety of ethnic or cultural traditions.

So what are Pollan’s food rules and why should we care? Pollan’s simple attitude toward food and good, healthful eating has been publicized a lot: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

In the new edition of Food Rules, there are 83 rules he presents that are simply ideas or suggestions to support those three sentences. Some rules I learned are Rule 13: Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle and If you’re not hungry enough to eat an apple, then you’re probably not hungry.

The new edition has illustrations by artist Maira Kalman, and is expanded with a new introduction and nineteen additional food rules, and is a hardcover volume.

Michael Pollan recently said that he wanted to work on a more visual version of Food Rules to reach more people and continue the conversation that the first edition started. He saw an exhibit of Maira Kalman’s work at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco and pursued collaborating with her.

Maira Kalman’s illustrations help bring the book to life – and are a great addition to Pollan’s writings. Images in the book include a painted block of processed cheese or a hostess cupcake on a pink background, and the images bring rules like Eat all the junk food to life as long as you cook it yourself or Eat food to life. The images are printed on good paper and the illustrations look great in the book.

The book publisher has some featured videos online of Michael Pollan and Maira Kalman talking about some of the rules while in a grocery store that are interesting to watch.

So what will I be doing later? Curling up with my new book – and eating an apple.

Image Source:

Maira Kalman

Links:

Food Rules: Illustrated Edition

Videos of Michael Pollan and Maira Kalman talking about the rules