Food Sovereignty!
Summer is approaching quickly, bringing with it (to those who will be in Omaha) late night break-in's to neighborhood pools, Memorial Park, fire pits, parties, but also delicious strawberries, rhubarb, tomatoes, and other yummy food.
I will be trekking downtown this May 3, and every subsequent Saturday to the Omaha Farmers Market, to purchase my food for the week. For anyone who wants to carpool- let me know! WT carpool party : ) Supporting local food markets, and family farms is essential.
For anyone who is concerned about poverty, human rights, climate change, big-business, or just their general health, it is so important to buy local.
for more information go to: www.foodfirst.org
On average, your food travels over 1,000 miles to get on your plate. Not only is the amount of petroleum used to plant and maintain these crops astronomical, but C02 emissions associated with transport is a main contributor to climate change. Consider the mid-west (especially Nebraska and Iowa) 80 years ago. We had food sovereignty-
"...the RIGHT of peoples, communities, and countries to define their own agricultural, labour, fishing, food and land policies which are ecologically, socially, economically and culturally appropriate to their unique circumstances. It includes the true right to food and to produce food, which means that all people have the right to safe, nutritious and culturally appropriate food and to food-producing resources and the ability to sustain themselves and their societies."
We had a rich diversity of crops during all the seasons. Now we are the Cornhuskers, the corn state. But is this something to be proud of? The fields are in the words of Michael Pollan, "cities of corn" and soya. This is not a natural, or sustainable method of food production.
Fast forward to the Corporate take-over and we see the explosion of monoculture, and beginning in the late 1940s, the drenching of our food in pesticides. With Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) some of our food isn't drenched in pesticides (which we can wash off part of) but are now actually in our food, thanks to gene splicing and dicing. GMOs have a defacto import moratorium in the E.U. (which is illegal according to the World Trade Organization) and all products containing GMOs must be labelled. Even countries which are experiencing famine have refused Food Aid of GMOs (we- US, Canada, and the UK- have offered countries tied aid- which means we give them a grant, which they have to pay back 75% of but they are required to spend it on buying GMO food from the U.S., and they have refused. They did this under the banner of "Better off DEAD than GM FED"
So why do we eat them? Why do most people not know about them? $!
So resist C02 emissions, the destruction of bio-diversity, and poisoning your body and support local markets, healthy eating, and the right of people to decide what they want in their bodies and communities by coming with me to the farmers market.
Seriously, it'll be fun, and we can make food and talk to amazing people. Let me know. If you leave me a comment and your e-mail I will contact you with my cell number <3