Some facts behind the mess we're in

Each one of these bulleted points can make a post for this blog. The trick is stealing the time. Who or what gets robbed is always the challenge. Today, I'm robbing the laundry. Hmmm, it feels pretty good:

• U.S. is increasingly a corporate, industrialized system of production agriculture.

• The U.S. is a net importer of food. (2005, 2006, & projected for 2007)

• The U.S. is a fast food nation.

• The demise of our local processing industry.

• No storefronts for local foods.

• Very poor infrastructure for local food distribution.

• Very poor local access to locally-produced foods.

• Almost no year-round access to local foods.

• No local “think tank” for public policy research on food issues.

• Food safety and food security not being addressed locally.

• Loss of farms and farmland (60% and 57% respectively).

• Few beginning farmers/average age of farmer in Berrien County is 62.

• Skyrocketing external costs of food (fossil fuels, other inputs).

• No mobilizing force for residents, farmers, and organizations.

• Consumer ignorance regarding importance of agriculture to the local economy.

• No programs assisting limited resource consumers in procurement of locally-produced foods.

• No organizations promote institutional buying of local foods.

• Consumer ignorance of varieties, grading, home processing, and uses of non-industrialized food.

• No programs challenging youth about agriculture.

• No public school curriculum providing education about important food facts.

• The steep decline of specialty crops (strawberries, peaches, apples, currants, gooseberries, plums).

• No local resource for food programs, grants, food business development.