4.29.2008

President Bush Urges Support of Local Farmers

Courtesy of The Daily Table, President Bush has declared that the best way to deal with the rising cost of food is to give your local farmers' markets and your local farmers your business. Hallelujah! It's certainly a first step and I hope he (and whoever follows in the next administration) puts their policies where their mouths are. Part of supporting the non-subsidy farmer is making sure he/she can actually sustain themselves so, in other words, stop the criminally uneven commodity crop subsidies.

Finally, I feel like our country is at a point where we can seriously talk about how we're feeding ourselves and in what direction we want to go. Food is at the forefront like it hasn't been in decades.

Am I wrong to feel somewhat pleased about the skyrocketing food prices in the U.S.? After all, that's what happens when much of your food distribution relies on petroleum...

Eat, drink, and discuss.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

yes, i think you are wrong to feel gleeful of the rising food prices. as a fellow librarian and foodie, i had to cancel my CSA subscription this year because my husband is out of work due to the economy. i can barely afford to shop at farmer's markets as they have become quite boutique-y in price. i try to buy local, i try to buy organic. but the fact is that the other stuff is still cheaper. we eat almost exclusively at home and mainly a diet of grains and veggies with spots of vegetarian protein. i used to belong to the elite that longed for a raise in gas and food prices so people would change their habits. now i'll be lucky to hold on to my small condo and librarian job. i *hope* the same doesn't happen to you.

Unknown said...

I think you're absolutely right and, as today's New York Times article demonstrated, the food shortage and skyrocketing prices affect middle and lower classes and they severely affect developing nations. And the non-organic is definitely cheaper - there is a two dollar difference between a non-organic head of garlic and an organic one from FreshDirect. There's no way you can convince someone struggling that this is a wise investment.

Have you tried sharing your CSA subscription with 1-3 other people? When I lived in New Jersey previous to NYC, I knew lots of moms who shared a subscription and would divvy up the contents. That could be a cost-saving measure.

I hope I didn't seem "gleeful" and I worried when I used the word "pleased" that it would appear so. In fact, I'm enormously heavy-hearted that it is these circumstances that make food a national (and international) headline. Even as it is, the UN is going to make recommendations regarding the crisis...I fear many people will have to die before they force the issue. I think we're only at the tip of the iceberg and it'll get worse before it gets better.