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The Paradigm of the Real Cost and Value of Food
The Proverb: Give a man a fish he eats for a day. Teach a man how to fish and he eats for a lifetime. Many might think; this passage is straight from the bible or an ancient Chinese proverb, in fact it is neither. The proverb was actually coined by Anne Isabella Ritchie during the 1880's in a story she wrote titled Mrs. Dymond.
Its relevancy however seems so important today as we face alarming rates of poverty, homelessness and food insecurity.
According to the United States statistics on hunger 45 million people fall into this category, which translates into 14% of the population. 19% are children, 8% senior.
Millions and millions of dollars are spent each year on hunger relief programs and organizations aimed at feeding the poor. Yet, as the economy grows it seems the rich continue to get rich and the poor, poorer while the middle class remains stagnant. I want to know do we really target the root cause of hunger?
When we talk about poverty, do we just talk about ways of ending it or do we have financial and economic programs and resources in place to deal with the problem?
As a person and farmer living in a low- income neighborhood the cost and the value of food comes into question.
Each year in low -income neighborhoods across this country, money is put into programs and nonprofit organizations such as food pantries and soup kitchens to combat hunger. Granted, they offer tremendous help and support in feeding the needy. However; does charity in its greatest form really help to stem the tide of hunger and poverty? When people are constantly given free food at no cost, do we then devalue the true cost of food? These are questions I keep asking myself.
As a farmer, I am up against such programs that have people to believe that my organically grown produce is too pricey or expensive. Heck, the fact that they can get a flat of strawberries or tomatoes free and I am asking them to pay for a pint or a pound of the same item does not make sense.
For too long, the hunger and emergency food programs which were meant to be short-term solutions have become for some a way of life. In my neighborhood you can get free food each day from a local food pantry and or soup kitchen. It might not be the healthiest but it's there. People in low- income neighborhood have been institutionalized into thinking that free food is part of the system. It is a food system that has plagued our neighborhood with cheap food, fast food, junk food and processed food. Having us to believe that this is our way of eating, a way of life which is unacceptable.
This brings me back to the real cost and value of food.If you look at the real cost of food in my neighborhood you can see that it is associated with the high cost of diet-related diseases. Hypertension, type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease are leading the way to the high cost of health care. A health system of ongoing treatment in the long run is not sustainable.
As for the value of food; marketing and advertisement is at its core. When we have people placing more value on buying a new pair of $200 sneakers verses the cost of a $2 freshly grown bunch of carrots. I have a problem with that. When someone can find $25 to put more minutes on his or her cellphone but question the fact that my $2/lb. collards are expensive. I again have a problem with that. When we have people placing more value on materialistic things rather than on food and water. I have a problem with that and I am angry. Somewhere, somehow, companies are making money on the backs of the poor and infirm and that money is not being re-invested in our communities.
So how can we get from under this paradigm of the real cost and value of food? It goes back to hunger and poverty and the proverb stated by Ms. Ritchie. The answer lies in finance and economics, namely JOBS!!
Imagine in low-income communities, with technology and businesses coming in and training people to run and manage their own enterprises. Imagine how it would look for folks to be paid a living wage job so that they can save and invest, buy a home or pay rent, send their children to the best school and finally being able to pay for healthy nutritious food. Why do we have to imagine it? Let's just do it! We have the resources, we have the technology and we have the people wanting the opportunity to get from under poverty and provide for their families.
I know the answer may sound simplistic, but I do dare to dream and I dream big.
If we continue to feed the poor without the ability to give them the financial resources needed to be self sufficient we fail, but if given the opportunity to have them own a business, or a living wage job we succeed.
The fight against poverty and ending hunger will never be won with a handout; rather, it can be won through financial and economic self-sufficiency and determination.
This post is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post and the EAT Foundation, in conjunction with the high-level side event, "Urban Food Systems: The Nutrition Challenge," during the 71st United Nations General Assembly in New York. The EATx at UNGA is a collaboration with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. #EATx #eatforum-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
gaia
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