Food democracy is a true ‘grassroots’ movement toward sustainable, responsible, healthy and community-based food production and distribution.
The food democracy movement asserts that people have the power and the responsibility to actively participate in decisions concerning their food system.
The ultimate goal of the food democracy movement is to guarantee that all people have access to “affordable, healthy and culturally appropriate foods.”
These ideals can positively affect all aspects of our lives beyond our overall health or the local economy, especially in a poor and food insecure state such as New Mexico. Access to sustainable, safe alternative food sources free from corporate control is an issue that goes to the heart of our democratic institutions and affects our daily lives.
The notion of food democracy stresses social justice in all aspects of the food system, from farming and raising livestock to marketing and distribution. Proper nutrition and healthy eating options are viewed as the foundations of a healthy and free society.
The rise in incidents of diabetes, obesity and many other health problems in America can be directly traced to corporate control over the food supply and our high-fat and -fructose diets, along with the rise of fast food culture.
I’ve heard the argument from working parents that they don’t have the time or the energy to create healthy, nutritious meals for their families after long hours at work, and this is an issue that must be addressed as well. Wholesome, organic food can be expensive.
According to a recent U.S. Census Bureau report, one in six Americans now live in poverty. Fast food is cheap and easily accessible, and many people eat it because they don’t have the energy, resources, or ability to cook a decent meal. Cooking is a lost art in this country.
Food democracy is a safety issue too. We can’t even trust the agencies charged with protecting our food supply, including the Food and Drug Administration. In August, public health officials in California raided the Rawsome Food Club in a SWAT-style sting operation and charged the owners with producing and selling unpasteurized goat milk and cheese and other products. Rawsome was also charged with “mislabeling cheese,” and conspiracy to commit a crime.
The really scary part is that, according to the FDA’s lawyers, the “plaintiffs’ assertion of a new ‘fundamental right’ to produce, obtain and consume unpasteurized milk lacks any support in law.”
They go on to state: “There is no ‘deeply rooted’ historical tradition of unfettered access to foods of all kinds. … Plaintiffs’ assertion of a ‘fundamental right to their own bodily and physical health, which includes what foods they do and do not choose to consume for themselves and their families,’ is similarly unavailing because plaintiffs do not have a fundamental right to obtain any food they wish.”
It might be helpful to insert a quote from Thomas Jefferson at this juncture: “If the people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny.” Chew on that, FDA.
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Community gardens are a viable alternative to some of the problems faced by inner-city families where poverty is rampant and access to healthy produce is rare. Economically devastated areas like Mileston, Miss., Detroit and New Orleans are leading the way in the organic revolution by creating publicly managed gardens from the ruins of crumbling neighborhoods and abandoned lots.
In Chicago, a group of community activists got together and purchased an old city bus from the Chicago Transit Authority, and created the ‘Fresh Moves Bus,’ a novel approach to bringing fresh fruit and vegetables to the unfortunate citizens living in what are called food deserts.
‘Food desert’ is a relatively new term, coined to describe inner-city communities so impoverished and crime-ridden that major grocery store chains refuse to do business there, including Walmart. You know things are bad when you can‘t find a Walmart within 20 miles.
In Detroit — another food desert — the Detroit Agricultural Network has grown to more than 700 neighborhood gardens, affectionately cultivated by local community members. Grace Lee Boggs, 95-year-old community activist and organizer, praised the program.
“Slowly but surely, this revolution is transforming Detroit and Detroiters. It reduces neighborhood blight, reconnects children and adults, and provides a community base for economic development.”
UNM is doing its part to help bring awareness of food democracy and sustainability issues to students and local residents thanks to the Office of Sustainability and the UNM’s very own community garden: the Lobo Gardens, located behind the UNM Real Estate Department on main campus. Lobo Gardens is a campus- and community-based initiative of the Research Service Learning Program at UNM.
The gardens function as experiential learning laboratories for UNM students, which help build community ties and foster education and collaboration while exchanging and enacting ideas for building a healthier and more sustainable environment.
Last summer the Lobo Gardens partnered with Chartwell’s dining services at La Posada and at the Chartwell’s Mercado in the SUB in order to bring produce grown in the Lobo Garden directly to students on campus.
Look for the “Extreme Local — Made Fresh with Lobo Gardens Produce” stickers on Mercado deli sandwiches. The RSLP also partners with the Dragon Farm at South Valley Academy, Kirtland Elementary and the Lobo Grower’s Market.
On north campus, UNM Hospital has been hosting a weekly “Farm Fresh on the Plaza” event, which features locally grown produce as well as prepared food from several local vendors every Wednesday from 2 to 5 p.m.
And finally, a proclamation has been submitted to Mayor Richard Berry to declare October “Local Food Month.” The Mid-Region Council of Governments Agriculture Collaborative has numerous events planned all over the state throughout the month of October to promote the cause. For more information, visit their website at: www.LocalFoodMonthNM.com.
All of these initiatives attest to the fact that food democracy is a progressive, rapidly growing social movement that is on the verge of exploding into a global phenomenon. It needs to happen.
