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US: Food Security

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Wed, 2011-10-26 00:45 — mdmcdonald
Food supply, food politics, and food safety in the US, inclusive of global concerns and needs

Group focusing upon the food security needs of the US, and world.

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Members

Allen Clark Bob Ross Carl Taylor Christine Springer Corey Watts david hastings
drvroeg Gavin Macgregor... John Hoffman Kathy Gilbeaux LintonWells LuisKun
Maeryn Obley mdmcdonald Michael Gresalfi Rahul Gupta Ray Shirkhodai Samuel Bendett
Siftar Tim Stephens tom.mcginn William Lyerly
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Email address for group

us-food-security@m.resiliencesystem.org

House Passes Farm Bill; Strips Out Food-Stamp Program

Mon, 2013-07-15 22:41 — Kathy Gilbeaux

               

In this March 19, 2013 photo, a tractor plows a cotton field in Hatch, N.M., in preparation for the spring growing season.(Photo: Susan Montoya Bryan, AP)

House lawmakers narrowly passed a new version of the farm bill that doesn't include money for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program relied on by millions of Americans.

usatoday.com - by Christopher Doering - July 11, 2013

WASHINGTON -- House lawmakers approved a scaled-back version of the farm bill Thursday after stripping out the popular food-stamp program used by 48 million Americans.

The bill narrowly passed on a 216-208 vote, largely along party lines. A dozen Republicans voted against the measure while no Democrats voted in favor.

The measure focuses solely on farm programs and would delay, at least for now, efforts to overhaul the country's food-stamp program that traditionally has made up 80% of spending in the bill.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Chapter 4. Food or Fuel? - Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity

Fri, 2013-07-05 18:15 — Kathy Gilbeaux

earth-policy.org

Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity

Chapter 4. Food or Fuel?

by Lester R. Brown

At the time of the Arab oil export embargo in the 1970s, the importing countries were beginning to ask themselves if there were alternatives to oil. In a number of countries, particularly the United States, several in Europe, and Brazil, the idea of growing crops to produce fuel for cars was appealing. The modern biofuels industry was launched. 1

This was the beginning of what would become one of the great tragedies of history.

Chapter 4. Food or Fuel?
http://www.earth-policy.org/books/fpep/fpepch4

Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity
http://www.earth-policy.org/books/fpep

( ALSO SEE - http://resiliencesystem.org/chapter-5-eroding-soils-darkening-our-future-full-planet-empty-plates-new-geopolitics-food-scarcity )

Country / Region Tags: 
Global
United States
General Topic Tags: 
Agriculture
Energy
Food
Population
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 
Solutions
Problem

Chapter 5. Eroding Soils Darkening Our Future - Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity

Thu, 2013-06-27 10:33 — Kathy Gilbeaux

earth-policy.org

Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity

Chapter 5. Eroding Soils Darkening Our Future

by Lester R. Brown

In 1938 Walter Lowdermilk, a senior official in the Soil Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, traveled abroad to look at lands that had been cultivated for thousands of years, seeking to learn how these older civilizations had coped with soil erosion. He found that some had managed their land well, maintaining its fertility over long stretches of history, and were thriving. Others had failed to do so and left only remnants of their illustrious pasts.

Chapter 5. Eroding Soils Darkening Our Future
http://www.earth-policy.org/books/fpep/fpepch5

SEE Global Resilience System for additional chapters (in the links below)

http://resiliencesystem.org/full-planet-empty-plates-new-geopolitics-food-scarcity

Farm Bill Fails in House Due to Food Stamp Cuts

Sat, 2013-06-22 17:49 — Kathy Gilbeaux

newsy.com - by Matt Moreno - June 20, 2013

http://www.newsy.com/videos/farm-bill-fails-in-house-due-to-food-stamp-cuts/

Maine passes second GMO label law in the U.S.

Thu, 2013-06-20 16:50 — Maeryn Obley

People work on a GMO protest sign.

Image: People work on a GMO protest sign.

treehugger.com - June 13th, 2013 - Margaret Badore

Yesterday, Maine's state senate easily passed a bill that may one day mandate the labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms. The law passed 35-0, but before labels are required, five consecutive states must also pass labeling laws.

For Maine, that means the GMO labeling will only go into effect if New Hampshire, the only state with which it shares a border, passes a similar law.

(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)

How Whole Foods Is Destroying All Other Urban Supermarkets

Wed, 2013-06-19 01:13 — Kathy Gilbeaux

 

Whole Foods is dominating the competition. (photo: Whole Foods)

slate.com - by Matthew Yglesias - May 8, 2013

Whole Foods had a stellar earnings announcement (PDF) yesterday evening announcing 8.5 percent identical-store sales growth and 13.6 percent overall sales growth. Strong growth was, to an extent, to be expected as the company had announced a deliberate strategy of lowering profit margins to try to expand sales outside their stereotyped high price "whole paycheck" niche. Except gross margins actually went up slightly.

The reason for this is particularly interesting, because it suggests that in Whole Foods' stronger markets its downscale competitors may be facing a real cycle of doom.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Symphony of the Soil - a remarkable film for all ages

Wed, 2013-05-15 19:06 — Gina Angiola

This film is a great tool for community-building ...and is transformative...

http://greenwheaton.org/environmental-film-symphony-soil/

 

 

" By understanding the elaborate relationships and mutuality between soil, water, the atmosphere, plants and animals, we come to appreciate the complex and dynamic nature of this precious resource. The film also examines our human relationship with soil, the use and misuse of soil in agriculture, deforestation and development, and the latest scientific research on soil’s key role in ameliorating the most challenging environmental issues of our time. Filmed on four continents, featuring esteemed scientists and working farmers and ranchers, Symphony of the Soil is an intriguing presentation that highlights possibilities of healthy soil creating healthy plants creating healthy humans living on a healthy planet."

Video - In a Chicago Suburb, an Indoor Farm Goes Mega

Thu, 2013-04-25 21:33 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Indoor "vertical" farming is a hot trend in the upper Midwest and other parts of the world, though some farms have had more success than others. Now one indoor farm is taking it to new levels in a giant warehouse just outside Chicago.

submitted by Samuel Bendett

Associated Press - by Martha Irvine - March 28, 2013

Nationwide Survey of Urban and Peri-Urban Farms

Fri, 2013-03-15 10:17 — Maeryn Obley

submitted by Stella Tarnay

March 2013 - Carolyn Dimitri, Lynda Oberholtzer, Andy Pressman

We are currently looking for farmers in or around urban areas to take part in a national study (through a survey) being led by New York University, The Pennsylvania State University, and the National Center for Appropriate Technology.
 
The study seeks to examine the state of urban and peri-urban farming in the United States, including the: (1) technical assistance and information needs on the part of urban farms that can be met through outreach programs; (2) production, management, and marketing risks for urban farms and the development of programs to address those risks; and (3) increased awareness on the part of policymakers and communities of the benefits of urban farming. A national outreach and technical assistance program will be developed based on the results of this research.

Farmers not in Philadelphia should take the survey below:
(SURVEY FOR NON-PHILADELPHIA FARMERS)

Farmers in Philadelphia should take this survey:
(SURVEY FOR PHILADELPHIA FARMERS)

Fast Food Linked to Asthma and Allergies in Kids

Mon, 2013-02-04 10:04 — LuLu2012

Fast Good  

Photo by Peter Dazeley/ Getty Images

healthland.time.com - by Alexandra Sifferlin - January 15th, 2013

Submitted by Kathy Gilbeaux

(LINKS TO STUDIES REFERENCED IN THIS ARTICLE ARE LOCATED AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST)

Obesity isn’t the only potential toll that dinner from the drive-thru may have on your health.

It’s not just your waistline that may pay a price for eating fast food meals three or more times a week, but your immune system as well. According to a study published in the journal Thorax, fast food fare is linked to an increased risk of asthma, eczema and rhinitis among kids and teens. The study  also found that eating fruit could protect against these disorders among all age groups.

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