Hunger, Food and Power

Don’t underestimate the role power plays in the issue of hunger and people’s access to food. Food brings up powerful emotions in people – it is a very primal need. And powerful people, wealthy or not, do not go hungry. Powerful institutions control the growing, manufacturing and distribution of most of the food in this country. When some people don’t have enough food, there are programs run by powerful institutions (governments and NGOs) that can often decide who gets fed, what they get fed, when they get fed, and how much. This power can be used for good, and in most cases it is. There are also many peoples and organizations without power who struggle to provide assistance to those in need. Amazing feats are accomplished every day, yet people still go hungry in Vermont and across the world.

We can all do more good, and feed more people, when we strive to understand the power dynamics at work and proactively foster understanding, cooperation and empathy towards those with little or no power.

Hungry people can often feel powerless, which leads to feelings of frustration, hopelessness and anger. I know that feeling powerless makes me angry. Imagine the weight of these feelings, day-after-day, month-after-month, year-after-year. “Why can’t the powerful see what is happening, and fix the problem?” Advocates for the hungry can also come to feel powerless, frustrated and angry. At the same time, the corporate or government executives believe they are doing their best under the circumstances and wonder why the advocates are so frustrated and angry, and why the advocates can’t understand how “the system” needs to work?

The truth is the reasons hunger exists are pretty well know, and many effective solutions to hunger are at our fingertips. Starvation and severe malnutrition used to be a real problem in this country, and have largely been alleviated by successful government programs. It seems that there is no political will to take the next steps and end hunger and food insecurity. The necessary decisions are resisted because they will cause someone, somewhere to lose some of their power.

Do people really stand in the way of feeding others?

Maybe not directly, but many times I have heard the concern expressed that we must guard against people who are “unqualified” or “undeserving” getting food or benefits, or that people are “abusing” the benefits they do get. I have heard this from Presidents of the United State and U.S. Senators to social service case workers, food shelf volunteers and even other recipients of help; why is there so much concern about others getting “too much?” Could it be that if someone else receives a benefit that offends our sense of fairness or right and wrong, that we feel powerless, and therefore threatened?

It is difficult and against our nature to just let go of that threatened feeling. It is especially difficult to let go of that feeling again, and again, and again, each time our slim hold on power is threatened. I struggle; we all do. We just need to summon our reserves of grace, and each time remember that people must be fed, people must eat, and all of us have a responsibility to let go of some of our own power, and insist that others do so also. So let go, you’ll be glad you did.

Feeding [all of the] People Well: Why Food Banks and the Sustainable, Local Agriculture Movement Need Each Other (Part 2)

The local, sustainable agricultural community, and the movement to bring it mainstream, can really benefit from a clear connection to the food assistance network of food banks, food shelves and meal sites that make up the charitable food system. It is my experience that people committed to local food are committed to community-building and ensuring a tightly-woven social fabric. They will embrace the connection, especially if it can take their movement forward. Also, to truly be sustainable, a food system cannot just rely on a committed core of people: most of society needs to participate or the farms, and the system, cannot survive.

One hundred years ago all we had were sustainable local agricultural systems. Food simply could not be stored and transported long distances, which meant it went from farm to market for the most part. Those were the days of independent butchers, bakers, produce stands, and dairies. By the 1940’s, large, self-service supermarkets were appearing, radically changing our foods systems. The industry has been growing larger and more consolidated ever since. And the trend continues.

How can food banks help?

In a change process there are generally three groups of people: the early adopters, who will quickly embrace change (10-15%); the large middle, who are waiting to see which way the change is going before making a move (70-80%); and those that will actively resist change (10-15%). Here in Vermont we are already seeing the early adopters moving. The trick is to show the large middle that a tipping point has been reached and it is safe to adopt a new way of shopping and eating. Having the Vermont Foodbank, our 280 partners and the tens of thousands of Vermonters who access this food demonstrating how “farm-to-plate” can work – in a practical way – can go a long way to relieving the anxiety of the 80%.

The Foodbank, our partners and clients are a great laboratory and incubator for making the “farm-to-plate” model work in a situation where the conventional wisdom says it can’t work – with limited income people who don’t necessarily come from a culture of preparing fresh foods. In other words, if we can make it work, it’s ready for prime time.

The relationships between the Vermont Foodbank and the local, sustainable agricultural community are both longstanding and just starting. It is time to expand and deepen the relationships, and build the momentum necessary to sustain a movement.

So food banks need sustainable, local agriculture, and sustainable, local agriculture needs food banks. Let’s get to work.