The Challenges

The most prominent challenge to building a sustainable food system is to make food available and accessible to all. The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) states the right to food is a fundamental human right and its mission is to assist in building a food-secure world. Food securityA state in which all persons in a community’s population obtain a nutritionally adequate diet that is culturally acceptable throughout the year that is not dependent on emergency aid sources, but more so from local production. in America is defined as the “access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life.”US Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. “Food Security in the United States: Key Statistics and Graphics.” Last updated June 4, 2012. http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/FoodSecurity/stats_graphs.htm#food_secure As of 2009, 14.9 percent of households, or 17.4 million people in the United States, had very low or low food security and these numbers have risen in recent years (Figure 1.9 "Food Insecurity: A Global Perspective").Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. “Food Security: Concepts and Measurement.” In Corporate Document Repository, ID: 144369. 2003. http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/y4671e/y4671e06.htm

Food security is defined by the FAO as existing “when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.”Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. “How Does International Price Volatility Affect Domestic Economies and Food Security? In The State of Food Insecurity in the World. 2011. http://www.fao.org/publications/sofi/en/ The FAO estimates that 925 million worldwide were undernourished in 2010. Although there was a recent decline in overall food insecurity (attributable mostly to a decline in undernourished people in Asia), the number of undernourished people world-wide is still higher than it was in 1970, despite many national and international goals to reduce it.

Another challenge to building a sustainable food system is to supply high-quality nutritious food. The typical American diet does not adhere to dietary guidelines and recommendations, is unhealthy, and thus costs this country billions of dollars in healthcare. The average American diet contains too many processed foods with added sugars and saturated fats and not enough fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Moreover, the average American takes in more kilocalories each day than ever before. This shift of the population toward unhealthy, high-calorie diets has fueled the obesity and diet-related disease crisis in this nation. Overall the cost of food for the average American household has declined since the 1970s; however, there has been a growth of “food deserts.” A food desertA location that does not provide access to affordable nutritious food. is a location that does not provide access to affordable, high-quality, nutritious food. One of the best examples of a “food desert” is in Detroit, Michigan. The lower socioeconomic status of the people who live in this city does not foster the building of grocery stores in the community. Therefore, the most accessible foods are the cheap, high-caloric ones sold in convenience stores. As a result, people who live in Detroit have some of the highest incidences of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease in the country.

Figure 1.9 Food Insecurity: A Global Perspective

Source: Calculated by ERS based on Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement data.

A fourth challenge to building a sustainable food system is to change how we produce, process, and distribute food. Large agribusiness, complex industrial processing, and massive retail conglomerations distort the connection we have between the food on our plate and where it came from. More food is being produced in this nation than ever before, which might sound good at first. However, some factors that have contributed to higher food production include using genetically engineered plants, excessive use of herbicides and pesticides, and the selective promotion of only a few crops by the policy of crop-specific subsidies (money given to farmers by the federal government). The subsidies are given toward the support of only about eight crops, most notably corn and soybeans. This policy diminishes the variety of crops, decreases biodiversity among crops, and supports large agribusiness while disadvantaging small- and medium-sized farms. Additionally, the whole system of food production, processing, and distribution is lengthy, requiring a great deal of energy and fossil fuels, and promotes excessive use of chemicals to preserve foods during transportation and distribution. In fact, the current US food system uses approximately 22 percent of the energy in this country and is responsible for at least 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.Canning, P. et al.“Energy Use in the US Food System.” US Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Report, no. ERR-94 (March 2010). http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR94/ERR94_ReportSummary.pdf

Solutions to the Challenges

While these challenges are daunting there are many potential solutions that are gaining momentum in the United States. The APHA advocates expanding the infrastructure for locally grown food, improving access to healthy and local food for low-income Americans, providing education on food origin and production, building up the livelihoods of local farmers, and using sustainable farming methods. Detroit is currently a “food desert,” but there is a fantastic example of how to positively impact the growth of a sustainable food system within the city. It is called the Eastern Market and it is a six-block inner city market with over 250 vendors marketing local produce, meat, seafood, plants, fresh-cut flowers and much, much more. Unlike many urban farmers’ markets it sells foods that are of better quality and lower prices than grocery stores. Its forty-thousand visitors every Saturday demonstrate its success as a community-based way to foster good nutrition, good health, and social interaction.

Tools for Change

You can do your part in building a sustainable environment by literally starting in your own backyard.

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Ten Steps You Can Take to Help Build a Sustainable Food System in Your Community

1. Eat a “low-carbon diet.” This is one where the foods that you eat require less energy and fuel to produce, process, and distribute than other foods.
2. Join a community-based farmers’ market.
3. Have a garden at home and join a network of home gardeners. Find out how by visiting the USDA website on gardening: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=GARDENING &parentnav=CONSUMER_CITIZEN&navtype=RT and the National Garden Association, http://www.garden.org/.
4. Compost your food and garden waste. Learn some of the essentials of composting by visiting “Composting at home,” a fact sheet provided by Ohio State University (http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1189.html).
5. Buy local food—make at least 10 percent of your food purchases local and share what you know about local food with friends and family.
6. Pool your resources with family and friends to purchase locally.
7. Drink tap water instead of bottled water.
8. When purchasing foods, choose the ones with less packaging.
9. Support state initiatives that support local farmers and build infrastructure to sell more healthy food.
10. When dining out, ask what nutrients are in the food and where the food labels are on the menu (to encourage the restaurants to label). Also, visit the restaurant’s website as the information may be posted there with a space for comments.

These are some great steps to build a more sustainable food system for you and your family, friends, neighborhood, community, city, state, nation, and world. For more solutions, watch Note 1.60 "Video 1.4". Throughout this book we will highlight multiple steps you can take toward building a sustainable food system in the Tools for Change sections, so stay tuned.