tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1569744605620721949.post8929494122854893455..comments2023-11-03T00:27:59.937-07:00Comments on History at the Table: Tyler French: Attending to other tables as well as our ownUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1569744605620721949.post-77353429232305727952013-04-18T06:40:19.859-07:002013-04-18T06:40:19.859-07:00Will, we have programs in NH that do that. It help...Will, we have programs in NH that do that. It helps to complicate the image of "the poor" - a large percentage (can't look it up just now) of America's poor are rural, though our image is that of urban poverty. And a growing chunk of lower-income people are living in outer-ring suburbs as middle- and upper-income people rediscover the benefits of city living (and gentrification serves their needs). So, in NH and Northeastern MA for instance, many people who use food assistance programs actually do have the space for a garden. MAny come from gardening/farming traditions in their own families as well. So the the ability to use food stamps to generate many times the amount of food per penny makes sense for them. <br /><br />Of course, it doesn't make sense for everyone. First, there has to be enough surplus in the household economy to allow the purchase of a potential, not an immediate, food source. Second, not everyone is in the position of having space for a garden. Third, if you don't have a gardening past, it is a learned skill. Fourth, seeds aren't enough to create a garden by themselves, and other inputs may be required.<br /><br />So for me, this highlights the need for flexible, targeted, and localized solutions. It doesn't hurt urban users of food assistance to have seeds on offer, but it makes a big difference for rural people. <br /><br />I wanted to touch on the Slow Food $5 campaign issue, as well. While Tyler's criticism of the implicit messages is important and central to our work, it's also interesting to note that the $5 challenge was also attacked from within the movement, by people who felt that its message devalued farm labor and endorsed the "Big Ag" message that the primary value we engineer into food systems should be lowest possible cost. Again, it's a question of food systems work. Many farmers I know (some of whom qualify for food assistance!) objected to the idea that people should be looking to bargain down the price of their food, which is already either fair or near-inadequate for many of them.<br /><br />This does return us all to systemic issues. For me, it also points to a set of skills we need to nurture in public history practitioners and their allies in the food movement. Integrated Systemshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12326071120855371015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1569744605620721949.post-18139385200879191092013-04-17T04:15:10.446-07:002013-04-17T04:15:10.446-07:00A couple of years ago I met a person at a conferen...A couple of years ago I met a person at a conference who was advocating that people use food stamps to purchase seeds. Since then, I've thought about this idea a lot. It seems a totally impractical way to address food insecurity; at the same time, it is an intriguing solution to the problem of consumption: make lower-income people food producers.willwalkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17226523023448401566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1569744605620721949.post-36611243005848511982013-04-16T21:42:34.465-07:002013-04-16T21:42:34.465-07:00So many thoughts to consider! Thanks for a nitty-g...So many thoughts to consider! Thanks for a nitty-gritty policy analysis, which many of us are slow to consider (as you note). I think you and I are asking the same question about class: How can "organic," "natural," and "local" not be code words for "upper middle-class do-gooder"? Revising the "rhetoric of ease" is another thought I'll be rolling around for a while.Rebecca Bushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05761473915174236055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1569744605620721949.post-60389115518209779962013-04-15T11:58:44.474-07:002013-04-15T11:58:44.474-07:00Taylor,
Thanks for raising these issues. After yea...Taylor,<br />Thanks for raising these issues. After years of volunteering on an urban farm, my husband has become involved in starting a community garden program, with the idea that the economics of local farming will not produce a product that is broadly accessible to residents and that personal gardening offers another way to access good quality food. The next challenge, however, is environmental--making sure that the urban soil is free of lead and other heavy metals. greenfieldbrihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15425192610963941525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1569744605620721949.post-45187126159523760502013-04-11T11:53:25.649-07:002013-04-11T11:53:25.649-07:00I have presented the exhibit twice so far and that...I have presented the exhibit twice so far and that tension between generous impulses and larger systematic solutions has come up multiple times when discussing the content with my audience. I have take-away postcards with individual action items and many are willing to take cards about donating to or volunteering at Harvest Hope but are resistant to the idea of talking to policy makers about systematic solutions. Connecting these levels of action as well as connecting food assistance participants with the majority of my exhibit audience (who have largely been food secure individuals) and policy makers would be the next step.<br /><br />For example, Governor Haley is trying to push through a SNAP waiver that would limit the foods SNAP participants would be able to buy. At the public hearing I attended, one SNAP participant asked why Haley, DSS, and DHEC did not ask for SNAP participants' opinions before moving forward with the waiver. Although the discussion was structured around what should and shouldn't be on the SNAP-allowed food list, the majority of those who spoke were wholly opposed to the idea of the waiver. Engaging food assistance program participants, program administrators, and policy makers should have been the first step: a local, face-to-face discussion to begin larger, systematic change. <br /><br />-TylerAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06634618381518686796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1569744605620721949.post-65594592370048461042013-04-11T10:41:57.258-07:002013-04-11T10:41:57.258-07:00This is such a thought-provoking post, Tyler - it&...This is such a thought-provoking post, Tyler - it's got me thinking in a bunch of different directions!<br /><br />Certainly these issues of class in the locavore world are vexing (and frequently discussed). I particularly like your discussion here of the importance of working on the policy and community-organizing fronts at the same time. One of the big sticking-points in making these kinds of changes in the U.S. is that so many people don't buy into the collectivist mindset that sees everyone as interconnected and to some extent mutually responsible for each other. <br /><br />I think that mindset definitely kicks in at the local level around food issues - I'm always amazed each year in my fairly non-wealthy area when our local "food-a-thon" fundraiser pulls in tons of donated food and a good deal of cash as well. It seems that people do rally around each other when they realize that others in their community are poorly-nourished. But that doesn't necessarily translate into broader policies, and a lot of the same people who are generous in giving individually would likely grouse about their tax dollars going to support the same thing on a more systemic level.<br /><br />So should we be trying to link those two levels, and perhaps look for ways to present the policy solutions as just a larger version of the generous impulses that often operate on a more local scale? CATHY STANTONhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11471830785628905120noreply@blogger.com