Thursday, October 30, 2008

BARACK OBAMA CONNECTS WITH “FOOD”

Barack Obama’s October reference to food along with energy, economy, education, health, water, security and more that need fixing should not pass unnoticed.

The inclusion of “food” in elevating its level of discussion and presence on the campaign’s agenda was Obama’s first reference to food heard on the trail to date.  This is momentous. He’s made a connection.

I am not sure the connection came before or after reading Michael Pollan’s article in the New York Times Magazine, on October 12th.  Pollan cleverly outlines, “What the next president can and should do to remake the way we grow and eat our food.”  Pollan points out the “cheap food concept” that has dominated our industrial agricultural for the past 50 years, like the cheap oil and subsidies that enabled it are running out of favor as fuel prices and petroleum based soil additive costs soar and the environment deteriates. 

Solar grown with natural compost amended soil, and the best natural growing practices produces comparable yields with that of industrial growers and are much more water conservative in the process providing the favored path going forward. 

Pollan’s holistic perspective on the re-making of the entire food system of growing through consumption make clear that success for all the goals Obama has campaigned on: environment, climate change, reducing dependence on foreign oil, healthcare are all rooted in the agriculture and food chain process.

Our food supply is gushing with oil and we are burping up pollunts in the process. The process must be localized, solarized and naturalized to be sustainable and to produce the nutrient rich, high value calories we need for good health and survival.

Food activist, Anna Lippe’ author of the best seller Hope’s Edge and also Grub reported at the recent E.F. Schumacher Lecture Series that Obama was given a copy Michael Polllan, New York Times Magazine article.  She commented, “Obama says he read the article and went on to say, “I get it.”

This strongly suggests he sees the important role agriculture needs to play in addressing most of the critical issues facing our neighborhood communities, our nation and fellow mankind.

With the financial system in collapse and the nations economy rocketing into recession the entire lifeline system needs rebuilding from the ground up through a decentralized system from the local level economies on up, to regional, and national.

Agricultural is the first run on any economic ladder, no food, no commerce; it is that simple.  The true strength of a community is measured on its ability to feed itself locally.  Be a local hero, reduce oil dependency, buy locally produced products. There is a local solution for our nations problems.