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Field Guides to Food

Opportunities for Leadership, Learning, and Impact in Ecological Health and Sustainable Communities

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People are working to make the region's agricultural system healthy...
...and resilient enough to produce quality food without expensive or toxic inputs.
This statement was based on a passage from "Opportunities for Leadership, Learning, and Impact."
Approximately 1.7 million pounds of atrazine and 3 million pounds of acetochlor were spread on Minnesota fields in 2005. Both are linked to birth defects and cancer in animals and humans and have been banned in the European Union. Farmers, their families, and the community are exposed to these pesticides through the application process and beyond. Families are at-risk from pesticide residues, for example, from an act as benign as washing a farmer’s clothes in the family laundry. Similarly, the community can be exposed to application drift and groundwater contamination. One of every five wells tested in southeast Minnesota by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency contains nitrate levels higher than the state health standard.
It is also reflected in statements from the Minnesota Corn Grower's Association (on a previous version of their webpage)...
Farmers live where they work, so they drink the water, breathe the air and eat the food raised there. They have a very personal stake in keeping our environment healthy... Farmers strive to achieve what is know as a sustainable circle of agriculture. This is an interdependent system of crops, livestock and people that provides items essential to society while maintaining the health of our environment.
...the Land Stewardship Project...
The Land Stewardship Project believes a community based food system is a just food system: one in which food is produced with a high level of stewardship for our soil and water, and with justice for all people. A just food system honors the flavor, texture and aroma of food produced at a community scale, and celebrates the place and the people who produce it.
...the Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy...
We are working to stop the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture and aquaculture, while limiting the release of mercury and other toxic pollutants that fall onto farmland and enter the food supply. IATP is also monitoring the impact of genetically engineered crops on the environment, human health and farmer income.
...and Slow Food.
Our food should nourish a healthful lifestyle and be produced in ways that preserve biodiversity, sustain the environment and ensure animal welfare – without harming human health... Our food should be affordable by all, while respecting the dignity of labor from field to fork.
People work to make food operations more transparent...
...(as well as more accountable in terms of working conditions, pay, and social and environmental impacts); they point to the social relations and accessibility possible with locally owned farms in contrast to nationally and globally managed farm operations.
This statement is based on passages from "Opportunities for Leadership, Learning, and Impact."
Perhaps the fastest and best way to improve access to sustainably produced food is by transforming federal nutrition programs designed to feed the poor. Specifically, the Federal Farm Bill offers an excellent venue to change vendor purchasing practices in favor of local, fresh food. (p.12) USDA Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program was created in 1996 to fight food insecurity through community food projects that help promote the self sufficiency of low-income communities and their access to fresher, more nutritious food supplies. Projects bring a community’s whole food system together to assess strengths, establish linkages, and create systems that improve the ability of community members to meet their food needs. (p.58)
And it is reflected in statements by the Land Stewardship Project...
The Land Stewardship Project periodically sends out Action Alerts that describe how citizens can make their voices heard on critical issues related to family farming, the environment and our rural communities.
...and FLAG's "Preserving Minnesota's Agricultural Land: Proposed Policy Solutions".
The State Agricultural Land Preservation and Conservation Policy should be amended to include better enforcement mechanisms and specific notice requirements... [and to] establish additional state farmland preservation goals and integrate them into the state’s overall land use planning framework."
People would like the regional food and agriculture industry to provide opportunities...
...to make a decent living in southeast Minnesota across different stages of life.
This statement was based on a passage from "Opportunities for Leadership, Learning, and Impact":
Recently, immigrants, primarily Latinos, have been drawn to the area because of jobs at local agricultural processing plants. Such opportunities have made Madelia a diverse community and one where employment and economic development are increasingly dependent on large companies based outside the area.
It is also reflected in statements by Farmers' Legal Action Group (on a previous version of their webpage)...
Targeted, top-notch legal information and advocacy are indispensable in the struggle to defend family-based agriculture and secure social and economic justice for farmers.
...and the National Association of Convenience Stores.
The convenience store industry employs 1.88 million Americans, and labor and health-care costs are the largest expense category for the industry... NACS continues to work with congressional leaders on labor and health-care issues so retailers can control their costs and not have to make the choice between offering benefits and hiring new employees.
Agricultural practices are used to protect regional water quality...
...via soil conservation and nutrient management.
This statement was based on passages from "Local Food: Where to Find It, How to Buy It"...
Buying locally grown food is an investment in the economic and social well-being of your community... [You are] helping the local economy by circulating dollars locally, creating a multiplier effect as farmers spend those dollars at local businesses. When you buy locally grown food, you have the opportunity to vote with your dollars for the kind of farming you want to support. Your food-buying choices can encourage farmers to use methods that are important to you, be they crop rotations to reduce pesticide use and soil erosion, the humane treatment of farm animals, even the setting aside of some acreage for pollinator or wildlife habitat. (p.2)
...and "Opportunities for Leadership, Learning, and Impact."
Mainstream agriculture degrades water quality by depleting and polluting groundwater, encourages flooding by eliminating wetlands, destroys wildlife habitats, emits greenhouse gases, and degrades air quality with pesticides and particulates. In addition, as farms become controlled by large, out-of-area corporations, fewer local people and rural communities benefit economically. Sustainable agriculture, including biomass production, reduces runoff, creates wildlife habitat, prevents soil erosion through farmland trees, and offsets greenhouse gases. (p.4)
It is also reflected in statements from the Minnesota Corn Grower's Association (on a previous version of their webpage)...
With a GPS, "farmers are able to evaluate their acreage right down to the square foot. This allows them to pinpoint areas where fertilizers and other inputs need to be applied... By applying only what is necessary, farmers can keep run-off to a minimum... Instead of wheels, some new tractors have treads much like a snowmobile track. This distributes the vehicle's weight over a greater area, so the soil doesn't compact as much. Less compacted soil can absorb more water, thereby reducing runoff."
...and the Southeast Minnesota AG Alliance (on a previous version of their webpage).
Our organization promotes production agriculture as a vital and necessary enterprise to the financial and ecological welfare in Southeast Minnesota... Many of our members attend their local zoning and planning boards and talk with county commissioners to make sure that the people making the laws have an accurate view of today's environmentally friendly farming practices.
Food production in southeast Minnesota uses much more energy per acre than the global average...
...although people across the food system are working to address this.
This statement was based on passages from "Opportunities for Leadership, Learning, and Impact"...
Currently, food travels approximately 1,500 miles from farm to fork. For example, a cut of meat purchased by a Minnesota consumer at a supermarket, even if raised by a Minnesota farmer, is likely to have been processed out of state and shipped back in.ii Roughly 17 percent of all energy used in the U.S. is devoted to bringing food to our tables, for a total cost nationally of more than $139 billion per year.
...and "Local Food: Where to Find It, How to Buy It."
If your lunch today was typical of most American meals, the food you ate traveled hundreds -- or even thousands -- of miles to get from the farmers that grew it to you. A lot of resources went into the refrigerating, processing, packaging, and transporting of that food. (p.2)
It is also reflected in statements from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy...
We are working to stop the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture and aquaculture, while limiting the release of mercury and other toxic pollutants that fall onto farmland and enter the food supply. IATP is also monitoring the impact of genetically engineered crops on the environment, human health and farmer income.
...and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Not only does eating locally grown fruits and vegetables save fossil fuel, your food is fresher, tastes better, cost less, retains more nutrients plus support local farmers and keep dollars in your community… Current research is also showing both short- and long-term benefits to our population and the planet with organic and other sustainable production systems... Biodiversity is enhanced in organic agricultural systems, which makes these farms more resilient to unpredictable weather patterns and pest outbreaks...
People are concerned to make sure there is adequate access to lending for farmers...
...and food and agricultural entrepreneurs (particularly for those just starting out).
This statement was based on a passage from "Opportunities for Learning, Leadership, and Impact":
Several topics were identified by interviewees as critical to helping shape a comprehensive vision for a sustainable regional food system [including]... Improve access to capital for new farmers and new entrepreneurs. (p.7) Poverty and access to credit and capital also keeps new farmers from living their dream of owning and running their own farms. (p.47)
People are eager to promote healthier eating habits...
...via regionally produced food, but these may be more accessible to people who can afford to pay a premium.
This statement was based on passages from "Finding Food in Farm Country"...
Two Plainview women who wanted to assure that fresh-cooked meals could be created from organic foods took the bold step of starting their own restaurant. A cluster of organic growers near Oak Center has labored persistently for two decades, against great odds, to raise organic produce for an expanding urban market. It is not apparent on the surface why, in the midst of one of the most powerful agricultural systems in the world, such relatively fragile and small initiatives would even be necessary. (p.3) What makes each initiative effective is that each builds connections among community members, and each builds wealth that takes root in the local community. (p.5)
...and "Opportunities for Learning, Leadership, and Impact."
A sustainable regional food system is guided by several principles [including that]...it is accessible and affordable to all citizens. (p.3) Benefits [of a sustainable regional food system] include... access to healthy, local food for vulnerable communities and a broader public, while building self-esteem and community pride. (p.48)
It is also reflected in a statement by the Land Stewardship Project.
Diversified agricultural systems--organic in particular--are a luxury the world can ill afford at a time when the population has surpassed six billion people, say scientists like Nobel Prize-winning plant breeder Norman Borlaug. John Emsely, a chemist at Cambridge University has called organic farming "the greatest catastrophe that the human race could face," according to World Watch. Supporters of industrialized agriculture have argued for years that the only way to feed billions of mouths is by raising crops and livestock in large-scale specialized systems reliant on petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides.
People are working to make fresh produce more available...
...throughout the region.
This statement was based on passages from "Opportunities for Learning, Leadership, and Impact"...
"A sustainable regional food system is guided by several principles [including that]... it is accessible and affordable to all citizens... Specifically, a sustainable energy system would... provide affordable and adequate energy for vulnerable communities and everyone in the region." (p.3,19) "The health impact of the nation’s current food system is enormous. Poor diets—based on unhealthy foods high in contaminants and added fats and sugars, low in vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids—have been linked to obesity, disease, and behavioral disorders." (p.52)
...and "Local Food: Where to Find It, How to Buy It."
"People nationwide are discovering that for true freshness, flavor, and nutrition, local food is hard to beat." (p.2) "Promotes healthy food choices" is listed as one of the top 10 reasons to buy local food.
It is also reflected in statements from the Minnesota Department of Health...
"By improving the offerings of fresh fruits and vegetables, Farm to School programs will help make the healthy choice the easy choice for students and school staff."
...and the National Gardening Association.
"The satisfying experiences of planting, cultivating, and harvesting fruits and vegetables creates a lifelong appreciation for healthy living... By supporting thousands of school and community gardens nationwide, we help children and adults establish links between plants, gardening, food, and health."