After reading some of these previous posts, it seems to me that an obvious answer would be for the goverment to re-route farm subsidies and the money they would use to regulate what people on foodstamps can buy, and use those funds to invest in small, organic farms, who proceeds would go directly to food banks and pantries around the country. If the farms were located all over the country, all different types of produce could be available year-round. This would create and sustain agricultural jobs in our country, and allow low income families access to healthier produce.
However, answers like this are never as simple as they seem. Think of the million little details I fail to mention. What about the cost of shipping the produce around the country? How could small farm provide enough food for food banks all over the nation? Who will teach the newly-employed farmers how to grow and harvest the crops? How do we ensure that the produce stays fresh before it reaches consumers? Even if futile funding was re-directed, would it prove enough to start these farms?
On a completely unrelated note, I found it really interesting that this article mentions that only 6 percent of households in this country qualify as "very low food security," or "hungry," according to the USDA. Since I serve at a Summer Food Service Program, it makes me wonder just how "hungry" the kids I'm feeding are - what are the odds that I'm actually reaching that 6%? Is "hunger" the issue we really need to be focusing on in this nation? Or is malnutrition the real monster?
Sydney
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