Foreword by Rev. David Beckmann
Executive Summary: Rebalancing Act: Updating U.S. Food and Farm Policies
Introduction: A Question of Balance
Did you know that one in four Americans participate in a federal nutrition program? Because of this high rate of participation, the nation’s nutrition and farm policies absolutely need to be aligned.
Farm policy should significantly increase production of healthy foods. But farm policies alone can’t automatically improve nutrition among low-income families. Nutrition programs need to do more than provide food for hungry people; they must ensure that healthy food is available to all.
The 2012 Hunger Report: Rebalancing Act: Updating U.S. Food and Farm Policy, recommends ways for the federal government to better respond to the agriculture and nutrition challenges of today and tomorrow.
Keep reading to learn about why public goods should be public sector priorities, how helping poor countries helps our country, and ways we can rebalance our food systems through the farm bill.
Chapter 1: Farm Policies for Today and Tomorrow
Do you think that U.S. farms produce enough fruits and vegetables to meet our recommended daily allowances of vitamins and minerals?
In fact, U.S. farms don’t produce enough fruits and vegetables to meet the entire nation’s recommended daily allowances of vitamins and minerals. Current policies favor production of calories, not nutrients. This causes a harmful imbalance in our food system.
The U.S. public needs farm policies to ensure a safe and affordable food supply, to protect the sustainability of vital natural resources that agricultural production depends on, and to produce well-balanced, nutritious foods. America’s farmers and the federal government are natural allies in the fight against domestic hunger and malnutrition—and this alliance is enshrined in the nation’s farm policies.
Keep reading to learn about how farm policy impacts rural America, nutrition, and economic opportunities.
Chapter 2: Fortifying the U.S. Nutrition Safety Net
Did you know that more than half of all participants in nutrition programs are children?
Nutrition program participants are often the most vulnerable members of our society. That’s why preventing people in the United States from going hungry is the single most important objective of federal nutrition programs.
In times of high unemployment and reduced incomes, government spending on nutrition programs increases to help people cope with these difficult economic conditions.
Keep reading to learn how SNAP serves as a vital lifeline for millions of Americans and how federal nutrition programs can protect Americans, especially children, against nutrition deficiencies.
Chapter 3: Farm Workers and Immigration Policy
Do you know who to thank for harvesting much of our U.S. fruits and vegetables? Immigrant farm workers.
In fact, domestic production of fruits and vegetables—foods Americans should be consuming more of—could decrease significantly without immigrant farm workers.
Close to three-fourths of all U.S. hired farm workers are immigrants, most of them unauthorized. Immigrant farm workers fill low-wage jobs that citizens are reluctant to take.
Their unauthorized legal status, low wages, and an inconsistent and sometimes unpredictable work schedule contribute to a precarious economic state.
Read more about the history of importing farm workers, current agricultural working conditions, and agricultural guest worker programs.
Chapter 4: Rebalancing Globally
Did you know that one-third of all child deaths around the world are attributable to malnutrition?
The number of children dying daily from malnutrition would be much higher without support from the United States, which responds directly to hunger and malnutrition in the developing world with food aid and agricultural development assistance.
These days, U.S. food aid programs and agricultural development assistance are increasingly focused on pregnant and lactating women and children younger than 2. Even brief episodes of hunger among people in these vulnerable groups are cause for alarm.
Keep reading to learn about highly nutritious forms of U.S. food aid, the 1,000 Days movement, and Feed the Future.
Conclusion
Did you ever stop to think how overwhelmed churches would be if they had to feed all hungry people without any government support to fight hunger in the United States?
With many new members of Congress calling for steep cuts in government spending, voters in these districts have asked, why do we need the government to feed hungry people in the United States. Can’t churches do the job?
In 2009, one in seven people in the United States was receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. In most states, government support for anti-hunger resources outweigh resources from charitable providers on the order of nine to one.
As the 2012 Hunger Report shows, it is imperative that both public and private programs work hand-in-hand to end hunger in our nation.
Keep reading to learn why public and private assistance are both essential to ensure that people do not go hungry in the United States.
