Book: Winne, Mark. Closing the Food Gap Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty. Beacon Press, 2008. In the introduction, Mark Winne describes what he encountered during his few trips to inner-city supermarkets in 1979. From meat displays dripping blood to rotting produce, his experiences do not make Hartford, Connecticut's corner markets seem enticing. Though changes in safety regulations have likely made these markets more stomach-able, it remains true that only privileged people can travel to to suburban supermarkets instead. He then goes on the define the food gap: the failure of the economy to meet basic human needs of impoverished people. Poverty further contributes to this gap by making it so some people do not have money to buy nutritious food. The ways that food systems and social class contribute to poverty and food insecurity are described in detail; Winne claims “a lower, less privileged class barely catches up to where the upper class was in the last decade” (Winne xvii). For example, just as impoverished people began to implement the food pyramid concept into their diets, the upper class had abandoned that idea for low-sugar, all organic diets. The other chapter I chose to read was called “Income Disparities, Poverty, and the Food Gap.” In this chapter, Winne describes why he decided to work to solve hunger. He says “I came quickly to the conclusion that food was the most tangible and direct way to help individuals and communities gain a measure of control over their lives” (Winne 173). His sentiment is that food is the most basic of human issues and all other hardships can only truly be solved after food insecurity, which is a direct result of poverty. Though to him solving poverty would be the true solution, he indicates his personal, radical belief that poverty can only be solved, and therefore the food gap closed, by a complete redistribution of wealth. The chapter ends on a cynical note, with the recognition that until income inequality is eliminated any solution to food insecurity is temporary. The inadequacy of the Food Stamp Program, the rising prices of produce due to the increasing popularity of Whole Foods among the wealthy, and the overall limited food access for the poor makes it difficult, if not impossible, to escape food insecurity. Podcast: Peterson, Greg. “Jayson Matthews on Solutions to Hunger.” Audio blog post. Urban Farm U, Jan. 2017. In this podcast, Jayson Matthews, who currently serves as the Director of Ending Hunger for the Valley of the Sun United Way, discusses the prevalence and the complexities of urban food insecurity in America. Through his work in Maricopa County, Arizona, which is home to about 600,000 food-insecure people, Matthews looks at food insecurity in the context of how food can be used to break the cycle of poverty. He says that it is difficult to make a dent in homelessness, increase financial stability of families, or ensure kids are learning well without first eliminating food insecurity. Food insecurity is not starvation; it is not knowing where your next meal is going to come from. Similarly, chronic food insecurity is when a person requires access to emergency food systems three or more weeks of the month in order to keep food on the table. When the basic act of eating causes a person constant anxiety, it is difficult for that person to be their best self. Matthews firmly believes that hunger impacts everything a person does, from eating habits to the formation of relationships. Cultural differences come into play when comparing rural and urban food insecurity. For example, people in urban areas may have access to more emergency food services such as food banks and soup kitchens, but there is also a large stigma against those who access these resources. In contrast, rural communities tend to be much smaller and closer knit and may share food resources. People in the U.S. like food to be fast, cheap, and sugary, which combined with low wages results in food insecurity being linked with malnourishment, obesity, and disease. Matthews speaks largely about the importance of food security for personal relationships. Healing conversations often involve food, whether they are about financial matters, family issues, or celebration. This safe space created by food where important discussions can take place does not exist for food-insecure families. His permanent solution to food insecurity is somewhat simple: bring communities together. By this he means... The issue is not a lack of food, and giving out unhealthy food is not a permanent solution. In communities where resources are shared, members have the opportunity to share both resources and knowledge about cooking and health. Not only would a community food system give people better access to food, it could provide an emotional support system for food insecure families and empower them to make their voices heard. Matthews concludes that meals were meant to be shared, and a community-based strategies to fighting food insecurity is the only way to target hunger by changing people’s relationships with food. News Articles McMillan, Tracie, et al. “The New Face of Hunger.” National Geographic, Aug. 2014. In her captivating article featuring numerous personal accounts of poverty, Tracie McMillan asks the pressing question: why are people malnourished in the richest country on Earth? Her descriptions shed light into the lives of food insecure families whose stories prove her central point: the face of hunger in the United States today is not the same face it was fifty years ago. She links food deserts, poverty, education and time-factors as contributors to food-insecurity in American families. One striking story described an Iowan mother whose primary job was taking care of her disabled husband; she plants a garden that she claims is the only way her family has access to fresh produce and is what made them food-secure. It is shocking that a family a rural area surrounded by agriculture, could suffer from lack of access to fresh produce. Imagine how little produce impoverished families in urban communities, who would have difficulty growing a garden, must have access to. Sullivan, Emily. “SNAP Recipients May Soon Lose Mobile Access At Farmers Markets.” WAMU, American University , 25 July 2018. Worry arose for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients in the District of Columbia this past July when their access to farmers markets was threatened by a contract switch. Through the App Mobile Market+ the 120,000 D.C. residents who receive food assistance have the ability to shop at farmers markets. However, in August this service is being discontinued because the contract with the U.S.D.A. that funded the app is being transferred to a new company. This company did not have a mobile service running at the time of the contract switch, and it was estimated that this transition would take four to five months. There was concern regarding how food-insecure families would obtain fresh food during this period. This article seemed to point out a massive flaw in the way the U.S. approaches food assistance; one seemingly small disruption could mean months of no access to fresh food for urban families who rely on farmers markets for produce.
Chatterjee, Rhitu. “Kids Who Suffer Hunger In First Years Lag Behind Their Peers In School.” NPR, NPR, 23 Mar. 2017. According to the U.S Department of Agriculture, an estimated 13.1 million children in the United States live in households with insufficient food. In addition to this startling figure, a recent study published by psychologist Anna Johnson showed that these effects are long lasting. This study shows that children who experience hunger in the first three years of life tend to lag behind in school later. They score lower when tested at the beginning of kindergarten in social, emotional, and cognitive skills. Even if the parents are skipping meals to ensure the children are well fed, hungry parents tend to "be irritable, harsh and impatient with their children," according to Johnson. The effects of a irritable or depressed parent can be just as influential developmentally as a lack of nutritional nourishment. These findings not only reinforce the need for governmental food assistance programs such as S.N.A.P., they say something about cycles of poverty affecting food-insecure families. If one year of hunger in early life can permanently alter a child’s academic potential, how are food insecure children ever supposed to escape poverty? Discussion Understanding the cause of food insecurity is crucial when considering the how to develop food systems that will truly be beneficial to urban communities. Mark Winne and Jayson Matthews both make the point of explaining the cyclical component of food insecurity: if you are food insecure growing up, you are more likely to be food insecure in adulthood. This link is backed up by Anna Johnson’s research, which shows development is affected by childhood hunger. My group is planning on our project being focused on the use of urban agriculture to mitigate food insecurity, and I think these points highlight the importance of focusing on elimination of childhood hunger as a long-term plan to reduce cycles of poverty. I was also compelled by what Jayson Matthews said about the importance of community in food. It reminded me of the small Colorado town shown in the documentary A Place at the Table, where the school teacher delivered food to hungry families each week. Tracie McMillan also discusses community’s importance role for food insecure people in her writing. In “The New Face of Hunger”, the photo series shot by Stephanie Sinclair depicts a Bronx family sharing a bucket of fried chicken brought to them by a neighbor with their extended family. A crucial role in the development of our project will be to think of ways to bring together the community through urban farming. Not only would this reduce food insecurity, it could also mitigate other issues in urban communities associated with poverty. The final point I drew from my research, is that whatever policy or program we determine would be best to implement, it is important to connect with community members the entire way through the process. Matthews spoke about countless urban gardens he had seen fail because of a lack of communication and understanding of the community they were planted in. One must interact with community members and acknowledge that they know what is best for their community better than any outsider. Overall, I think my research on the causes and state of food insecurity in urban communities will play a key role in developing a useful and realistic solution involving urban farming. I am curious to learn more about solutions involving agriculture and farmers market to the issue of food insecurity an urban communities. However, before solving a major issue like food insecurity it is important to understand the context of the problem, which my research provides.