food and agriculture

Commercial agriculture

Large scale farms, grown to sell for a profit on a regional national or global market often highly mechanized with lots of inputs

Subsistence agriculture

Self-sufficient agriculture that is small scale, low technology and emphasizes food for local consumption, less about profit

Agriculture, labor, force

Share of persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or Provide services for pay or profit in the agricultural sector

Agricultural labor force includes

Farmers

Research scientist at university

Workers for seed companies

Workers for producers of chemicals

Lobbyist for industry groups

Engineers who design sell and repair farm equipment

Agricultural production is at an all-time

High

Labor force in agriculture is that an all-time

Low

Shifts in farming in the US is impacted by the

Mechanization of farming

US currently has blank farms and operation with average size of blank acres

2.05 million, 444

Average size in 1935 was 135 acres

Out of all the farms in the US blank are classified as large and produced blank of all agricultural goods

2.8%, 39%

Of all the farms in the US blank are classified as small and produced blank of all agricultural goods

88.8%, 25.8%

Commercialization of crop production and new tech technologies have sparked the rapid growth of

Agribusiness

Agribusiness

The businesses that provide a vast array of goods and services to support the agricultural industry

Economies of Scale

Savings in cost of production that comes from increasing production of a good

The mini components of agribusiness

Inputs

Primary production

Process processing and manufacturing

Distribution and logistics

Retail and marketing

Inputs

Companies that provide seeds fertilizers pesticides animal feed water/irrigation systems and machinery

Primary production

Farms, ranches fisheries that grow crops or raise livestock

Processing and manufacturing

Facilities that convert raw, agricultural commodities into packaged food, dairy goods, textiles, and bio fuels

Distribution and logistics

Supply chain networks handling transport, cold storage, warehousing, and wholesale trade

Retail and marketing

Supermarkets, restaurants and export markets that deliver final goods to consumers

Organic agriculture

Production of crops without the use of synthetic or in industrially produced, pesticides, and fertilizers

Organic farming practices have helped some farmers

Extract themselves from major corporate farming interest

Organic Agriculture core prohibitions

Genetically modified organisms – band in all organic production, including seeds, crops, and livestock feed

Synthetic pesticides and fertilizers – prohibited though naturally derived or biological pest controls are allowed

Sewage sludge – strictly forbidden as a soil amendment or fertilizer

Ionizing radiation or irradiation – banned for preserving or treating organic foods

Organic food is often more

Expensive

Access to organic food depends on where

People live

Food inequality is about more than

Individual consumer choices

Hunger

Living less than the daily recommended 2100 cal the average person needs to live a healthy life

Chronic undernourishment impedes

Childhood development

Chronic under nourishment weakens

Immune systems

Chronic undernourishment undermines

Social fabric of communities

Causes of hunger globally

Poverty trap

Climate and weather

War and displacement

Unstable markets

Food waste

Food insecurity

When people don’t have enough to eat and don’t know where their next meal will come from

In the United States 48 million people including 14 million children experience

Food insecurity annually

High food security

No reported indications of food, access problems, or limitations

Medium food security

One or two reported indications typically of anxiety over food, sufficiency or shortage of food in the house. There is little or no indication of changes in diets or food intake.

Low food security

Reports of reduced quality, variety or desirability of diet. There is little or no indication of reduced food intake.

Very low food security

Reports of multiple indications of disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake

Food deserts

A small region area or neighborhoods with limited access to fresh nutrient rich foods

What is the main criteria for determining a food desert?

Distance from nutritional retailers

Central point in neighborhood to nearest grocery store

Rural – 10 to 20 miles to grocery store

Urban – 1 mile to grocery store

The low income threshold

A neighborhood poverty rate of 20% or higher or a median family income at or below 80% of the statewide or Metropolitan area median

The low access threshold

At least 33% of the population or a minimum of 500 people lives more than 1 mile away from a supermarket in urban areas or more than 10 miles away in rural areas

Food deserts are often a result of

Land use policies that have facilitated the growth of wealthy suburbs where large retailers compete

Some retailers are often reluctant to open stores in

Low income neighborhoods, and rural areas

Low income – less money to spend

Rural – lower population density

In food deserts, the primary food retailers tend to be gas stations and convenient stores which offer

Processed, energy, but nutrient poor foods

Food that is accessible in food desert is often highly

Processed and high in calories, sugar, salt, fat, and artificial ingredients

Urban agriculture

Cultivating land or raising livestock in small plots and cities, generally on converted Brown fields or on rooftops

Self consumption, trade, small scale retail

Approach to increase agricultural production in food deserts

Food sovereignty

The right of people and communities to control their own food systems, including how food is produced, distributed, and consumed

The concept of food sovereignty is closely associated with La Via Campesina An international movement of

Peasants, small scale farmers, indigenous peoples, and rural workers that introduced the concept at the 1996 world food Summit

Key principles of food sovereignty

Local control over food production

Protect protection of indigenous knowledge and cultural traditions

Fair and equitable food systems

Ecologically sustainable agriculture

Food security focuses on

Whether people have reliable access to sufficient nutritious food

Can come from local or global markets

Food security asks

Do people have enough food?

Food sovereignty focuses on

Who controls the food system and how decisions are made?

Emphasizes democratic control, local decision-making, and community rights

Food sovereignty asks

Who decides what food is produced how it is produced, and who has access to it

Examples of food, sovereignty in practice – nephi Craig

An indigenous chef builds a food project centered on ancestral ingredients and nutrition

Asks how can food be connected to health identity and Healing

Examples of food, sovereignty in practice – Elsie dubray

A young Lakota scientist and her family work with bison and indigenous knowledge

Asks how can science and indigenous knowledge inform one another

Examples of food, sovereignty in practice – Yurok youth/ancestral guard

Young Yurok Advocates work to protect Salmon and the river ecosystems that sustain them

Asks why is river restoration also a cultural issue

Why is food sovereignty an environmental justice issue?

Distribution, recognition, participation, repair and self-determination

Food sovereignty – Buffalo

Bison is central to the film story about the Lakota community. It provided meat and supported indigenous economies, cultural practices and spiritual life. The film highlights efforts to restore bison as an important traditional food source.

Food sovereignty – salmon

Salmon is a foundational food for the Yurok People and is deeply connected to cultural identity and community life. The film follows efforts to protect Salmon populations by restoring the river ecosystem and addressing the impacts of dams.

Food sovereignty – wild plants, and seeds

Traditional gathering includes wild, edible plants, and seeds, San Carlos, Apache, elder and traditional food gatherer Twila cassadore teachers younger generations about ancestral food, knowledge, seasonal gathering, and relationship relationships with the desert landscape

Food sovereignty – gloscho /Desert wood rat

This traditional source of protein is featured when cassadore Takes her niece hunting. The scene illustrates how food sovereignty also involves preserving traditional skills and reclaiming food practices that have been marginalized.