Understanding our food and how it gets to us is no simple task. This overview is a snapshot of the situation of workers and dynamics in our country’s food and farm system. The goal was to outline the current situation in the pandemic and possible solutions for each part of the food chain. It is… Read more »
May 13, 2020
Snapshots of the U.S. Food & Farm System: Pandemic Edition
Understanding our food and how it gets to us is no simple task. This overview is a snapshot of the situation of workers and dynamics in our country’s food and farm system. The goal was to outline the current situation in the pandemic and possible solutions for each part of the food chain. It is… Read more »
*** May 7, 2020 UPDATE: Meatpacking plants have become national hot spots for the novel coronavirus. Of the 25 largest clusters of COVID-19 cases in the United States, six are tied to meat processing plants (the rest are prisons and nursing homes). At least 48 workers have died from the virus, and another 11,000 have… 
While not without real challenges, family farmers – especially those able to directly sell to individuals – are responding with agility and creativity to help meet the food needs of surrounding areas. We give thanks to them and all who produce food, especially during this crisis. Here is a roundup of articles from this morning…. 
Will we have enough to eat?! Great attention is being paid to our food and farm system given the fault lines laid bare by the Covid-19 pandemic. We are learning how much there is that needs changing! I have selected articles in the nine topics listed below and hope these are helpful as we envision… 
First Nationwide Study Reveals Widespread Opposition The PC(USA) General Assembly in 2016 passed the On Advocacy Against Factory Farming resolution. The opposition to factory farms (CAFOs), where hundreds, sometimes thousands of animals are raised, seems to be growing in the United States. [See bottom for explanation of CAFO] The first nationwide survey on the topic,… 
Judging by the 900 people at last year’s Biodynamics Conference in Portland and the 700+ assembled in upstate New York this year, biodynamic farming is swelling! Given the high yields of healthy produce, grains and protein and resilience to climate change, the timing of this popularity couldn’t be better. Our minds and hearts have opened,… 
Agroecology is One Answer! By Andrew Kang Bartlett In a world where giant corporations largely shape our food choices and perpetuate a form of agriculture which depends on fossil fuels, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides and workers making poverty wages, family farmers and eaters alike are eager to shift towards a more equitable and eco-friendly food-farm… 
By Ahna Kruzic, Communications Director of Pesticides Action Network North America Original post Globally, today’s food and agriculture systems are responsible for more climate change-contributing emissions than the world’s cars, trucks, planes, and trains combined. At the same time, we’re confronted with evidence that climate change is wreaking havoc on agricultural production—and unraveling systems of… 
Iowa celebrated Cinco de Mayo with a unique speech by Senator Bernie Sanders and Iowan farmers who called for an agricultural and rural transformation. “This is a game changer, a key paradigm change for the Farm and Food Movement and beyond,” said Presbyterian Iowa farmer, Brad Wilson. The Des Moines Register article led with: U.S…. 
We’re winding down National Ag Week with this post on Agriculture and Climate. IATP provides a brief summary and some great resources below. And speaking of resources, you can download our Food and the Climate Crisis poster/placemat right here. Stay tuned for the launch of PHP’s Climate Challenge this summer! From the Institute for Agriculture…