This new list of metrics will be useful as we design and work our food system projects and orgs. Not perfect. Missing mental health. Good start!
It’s not just violence and poverty that Central Americans are fleeing. It’s also climate change. In this NY Times article, you’ll read about how the temp in Central America has increased 2 degrees F, how the rains are off schedule, and how coffee won’t grow in the heat like it has for so many years. Farmers are heading north.
In 2017 the World Bank reported that climate change could cause 1.4M people from Mexico and Central America to migrate north. Agriculture in Honduras employs 28% of the labor force. With so many farmers and farm workers leaving, now there’s a farm labor shortage in Honduras.
The U.S. provides aid to Honduras and other Central American countries. The U.S. President has proposed to cut off all aid, apparently believing the lack of funds will prevent migration. It appears that exactly the opposite will happen: cutting off U.S. aid will only make the situation more desperate for Central American farmers.
The American Medical Association released a study in 2018 showing a 25% drop in cancer diagnoses for people who eat organic. This could be a big win for Texas organic farmers. How will we get this information to consumers? In Texas we rely mostly on private companies and the Texas Department of Agriculture to market Texas-grown organic foods. Is this enough? Leave comments to share your thoughts on how we could market Texas organics!
Here is a good summary article from New Hope Network on the impact of this research.
U.S. household food purchasing is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions – about 16% of total U.S. emissions in 2013. Households with higher incomes contributed the most to greenhouse gas emissions. This report is summarized on the site of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and published in the Journal of Food Policy in August 2018.
Actions you could take to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions: eat a little less meat, eat food grown closer to home, waste less food.
This article on Medium includes some good tips on planning and holding a successful public community meeting on food security.
1 – Do we really need another meeting?
2 – Curate!
3 – Comfort zone
4 – Fun.. intentionally
5 – Inspire
6 – Make space for networking and informal learning
Self-care is an important, and often overlooked, aspect of food system sustainability. Join our friend, Dr. Naya Jones, tomorrow from 5-6pm at the SAC Ballroom on UT Campus as she explores the topic self-care through a personal, interpersonal, and collective lens. Free T-shirts and food while supplies last!
Details:
Tuesday, September 25 from 5pm to 6pm
Student Activity Center (SAC), Ballroom North 2.410
2201 Speedway, Austin, Tx 78712