Food and Foreign Policy

As I pulled several wilted tomato plants from my sorry, soaked vegetable garden this weekend, I listened to a news report about how global warming and attendant change in weather patterns are expected to lead to famine and massive population movements.

I read two items today that remind me once again how food and foreign policy are so  profoundly linked.

One is a Washington Post story on how Michelle Obama’s celebrity in Russia is to a large degree  focused on her creating and tending an organic garden at the White House.

The other is a sentence in the May/June issue of Foreign Affairs:

“Families in the poorest parts of Africa and Asia spend up to 80 percent of their incomes on food; for the average U.S. household, that would mean an annual grocery bill of $40,000.”

How would life be different if 80 percent of earnings had to go to food? I really can’t imagine it.

In 2008, Americans on average spent 9.6 percent of income after taxes for food. But I don’t believe that really cheap food is the answer to food shortages. Food that is American-cheap and processed has given us soaring obesity and diabetes, and diminishing fertility of farmland. I’m sure it will cost more to support  food grown locally in a sustainable way. We should no more be the food provider to the world than we should be the policemen to the world. Both concepts are unsustainable.

Safeway Touts “Buy Local”

Safeway — the huge, California-based supermarket chain — is marketing “buy local” at Safeway as a way to help California’s troubled economy.

Of course it is easier in California than in any other state for supermarkets to find local (within state) suppliers.  And the buying power of Safeway will undoubtedly undercut and stress some California organic farmers and their farmers markets.  Nonetheless, isn’t the greater good done by a marketing campaign that says says local agriculture is the way to go?

There is one thing missing in this story — is the local produce they are selling produced in a sustainable way, a way that maintains or  increases soil fertility and future productivity?

Meet Mr. and Mrs. Dirty Boots

OK, I have to mention one of my favorite blogs, now that it appeared in www.bestgreenblogs.com

“A Self-Sufficient Life” is a blog by a UK couple who moved to a mountain in Spain where they harvest olives and almonds for very little money. They find adventure in self-sufficiency.  Yes, by all accounts they live the hippie dream. I don’t begrudge them any extra money they might make from the ads on their blog.

They call themselves “Mr. and Mrs. Dirty Boots.”

This week, Mrs. Dirty Boots is sharing recipes for cheap nutritious  breakfasts and lunches. Here’s her simple recipe for one of my favorite Indian foods: vegetable chapattis.

Celebrate Earth Day!

It’s Earth Day! What can you do today to celebrate the earth? Here are just a few ideas:

1. Walk or bike ride to class or work instead of driving your car. Or at least, take public transportation!
2. Join a CSA. That’s community support agriculture for those of you new to the sustainable or local food movements. Find a farm near you at: http://www.localharvest.org/
3. Recycle. Or better yet, fill up a reusable water bottle from the tap before heading outside.
4. Offset your emissions. There are a number of places you can do this. Check out Carbon Fund or Terra Pass
5. Power off and get outside and enjoy the day – rain or shine! And, when you power back up tomorrow, share with us how you celebrated Earth Day today so that we can take your advice tomorrow. Every day should be Earth Day!

Go Green by Choosing the Greens in Seafood Guides

Did you know there is actually a cheat sheet you won’t get in trouble for using?  Yep, it’s a cheat sheet that will help you choose seafood that is sustainable.  Several organizations make these cheat sheets, or seafood guides, that take into account many different factors including the level of bycatch (see previous entry), impact of the fishing gear on habitat, and the status of the fish populations.  Using color codes, the seafood guides indicate which seafood you should pick.   Green means go for it!  To no surprise, red means stop or think twice before buying this seafood.

Check out the regional pocket guides, available from Seafood Watch at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  There’s even a guide for sushi! Print one out or download it to your iphone and take it with you to restaurants and grocery stores.  How does your favorite seafood rate?

Food Matters, Local and Organic

Columnist Mark Bittman points out in the International Herald Tribune why organic food isn’t always the best choice, especially when considering carbon footprint. And speaking of local food, Doug Hubley wrote a really nice summary of a presentation by  four Maine-based Bates alumni, each an expert in food issues.

What’s the True Price of Your Seafood Dinner?

That’s what I have been studying since I graduated from Bates in 2000. Did you know that commercial fishing vessels haul a lot of other marine life aboard their vessels in addition to whatever it is that ends up on your dinner plate? All that “other” marine life, the fish, marine mammals, sea turtles, sharks, sea birds, and invertebrates that are accidentally caught, are called bycatch. Bycatch is one of several things to consider when seeking out sustainable seafood. I am going to post several entries on sustainable seafood and other related topics over the next several months as Bates contemplates these important food issues. What is most important to you when choosing seafood for dinner?

White House Getting Vegetable Garden

For the first time since WWII, a vegetable garden is being carved out of the White House lawn. The First Lady says it will provide organic food for family meals, but more importantly, will help educate children  about healthful, locally grown fruit and vegetables at a time when obesity and diabetes have become a national concern.  Here’s the New York Times story.

Time To Consider CSA

No, not the Confederate States of America — Community Supported Agriculture. I started this blog last fall saying how much I appreciated everything about a new farm in my town created by a young couple using the CSA formula. CSAs are popping up all over the U.S., and this is the time of year when new ones solicit subscriptions in advance for shares of whatever they grow this summer. You pick up your shares of food once a week, fresh from the farm. Big Picture – It increases national security when we grow locally and don’t rely on food trucked from California’s Central Valley. Piety and virtue aside, it tastes better. Here’s info on the CSA I belong to in Poland Spring.

Make a Compost Bin, Easily

With food comes waste, and there is no better way to deal with vegetable waste than composting. I found the simplest, best compost bin design at “A Self Sufficient Life.” Materials: 5 old wood pallets and some screws. (It ain’t pretty, but you know it will get the job done.)