In This Issue: #34

In America, the belief has been fostered that we need to feed the world. I’m of the belief that we need to feed our children first. A recent report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (USDA ERS) states that “in 2016, 20% of Ohio’s children were ‘food insecure.’” As writer Nicole Rasul details in her story on page 26 about the City of Columbus and Franklin County Local Food Action Plan, these children do not know where their food will come from some days. By these stats, we’re not doing such a good job, at least in Ohio, of feeding all of our children.

We have great partnerships in our community working to advocate for local food access across all ZIP Codes yet children are still some of the last to receive the benefits of growing up on local food. A box of Cheerios? Sure. But the taste of organic tomatoes from a farm near where they live? A rarity. For children and families that are food insecure, access to local food from the region where they are born and live is limited. Oftentimes what they do eat is food that comes from some other state, country or continent, developed and packaged, sometimes, in a lab. What does this do to a child’s development? Surely, it diminishes the feeling of belonging to a place, that God-given sense of stability and identity in this world.

Governmental programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provide a means for families to buy at farmers markets close to home and get the fresh food they need. Yet that program (as I write this) faces possible reductions due to the up-and-coming revisions to the Farm Bill. Policy program coordinator Amalie Lipstreu at Ohio Ecological Food & Farming Association shares on page 24 a breakdown of what is at stake.

When I spoke with Danielle Nierenberg, president of the nonprofit Food Tank (see story on page 32), I asked her how she keeps her team future-focused when so much in the food world is mired in the negative. She paused for a moment and then spoke of how working with so many young people who are passionate about the future keeps her eye on the prize of positivity.

As autumn approaches, I’m reminded of what the future of food is: the children. They will determine what we eat, how we eat and how food is grown and distributed. If we raise them to believe food comes from a box, their beliefs will determine our future. We need more local food businesses and leaders in Central Ohio to get involved in some way in the food insecurity crisis to bring more local food to children. That’s the way we’ll have a resilient local food system in the future, and a sense of HOME worth fighting for. Thank you to the City of Columbus and the Franklin County Local Food Action Plan and all of its partners for fighting the good fight.

Eat Well, Love Well, Live Well,
Colleen Leonardi