Local food

We have panels with people like Ciarán Nugent and Blána Jo Lachlan and we're delighted to have Nuala Rigney and Bridget O'Connor and Thomas O'Connor.

So they're all going to be talking about issues relating to nature-based solutions, building community resilience, local food and how we bring communities together and strengthen our networks with each other.

One of the things that's coming through is this whole idea that in order for a community to be resilient to climate change, it has to be resilient in the first place.

It's very hard to move on beyond the initial basic wants of life.

If you

had 30 seconds each, because that's all Niamh is going to give me, if you had 30 seconds each, could you think of one action that you could recommend to the audience here if they were to go home and do one thing that would help to make us more resilient?

Nuala has a minute to think about it I was saying it earlier just being conscious being conscious of where you spend your money the most powerful thing we have as individuals and as a community is where we spend our Euros and for me in this food system understanding that when you spend your money on a local farmer or a local food producer or get food from a local person rather than supply from the larger retail units and the outlets you're actually keeping that money cycling within your community.

And it is the place you can have the most positive benefit, not just for the food you're eating, but for the environment and the downstream health consequences that are going to happen from bad food that we are importing.

And then it's that exciting bubble, you know, like autumn coming, what is going to come next? And speaking of coming next, because Pam or Pamela is going to be speaking at a very special food story event.

It's really about championing, you know, community and local food sources and those in hospitality.

And for everybody, all of us to have a voice within that event.

So what I'd love you to do, listeners, is just to take note and have a pen and paper handy, because on Saturday, October the 3rd, there's just going to be this great big food street, a big food story.

JBS has been convicted of corruption, bribery, and yet they still have this contract.

The USDA should cut off those companies, should cut off the companies that have labor violations, environmental violations, corruption charges, and instead give schools the freedom to take those funds and spend it on local food from sources that they trust, from sustainable farms that are doing things the right way.

Yeah, you know, it's interesting because we see that different times, different companies get caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

And you would think that would be an immediate, nope, you don't get any more contracts.

Do you feel like there's a lobbying group that's trying to continue to support these industrial food suppliers?

Yeah, the big beneficiaries of the U.S. state foods program, the multinational companies, they have lobbyists in D.C. and certainly they are advocating to keep the status quo when it comes to our school meal program.

So, for example, one of the things that we're advocating for is for school districts to be able to take the dollars that are going to the Tysons for through the U.S. state foods program instead get that cash to spend on local food.

That benefits the school, it benefits the local farmer, but it doesn't benefit Tyson.

The least accountable system is what we have right now.

So I just say, like, the idea that we couldn't create local food systems, by the way, we had them.

We did once have them.

But the idea we couldn't create them again even better with technology, it's the same idea that somebody would say is like, you know, 20 years ago, oh, you'd never stay in a stranger's house.

So that includes administering double up food bucks in Arizona, which helps folks with SNAP EBT afford more fresh produce, as well as the farmer's market nutrition program, like you mentioned.

another program helping people to afford more fresh locally grown fruits and vegetables so we do programs that help people expand their access to fresh produce and then we also do sort of systems work I like to say so that includes advocacy and policy so really looking at what are the what are the barriers that you know people and local food farmers are facing how do we advocate for for better easier policies for you know more people to get access to local food more resiliency in our food and farming systems and then we also engage in planning.

So this is a little bit jargony, but basically working on different municipal levels.

And that can influence, you know, plans, you know, a food action plan, you know, at a city level or a county level.

And, um, eventually when I, you know, got to studying, I, um, in more in college, I, um, pursued some work in health, um, or minor, I should say in health and wellbeing and more of that public health.

And I think that's where I got started.

I, I volunteered, um, in a local food justice network and got to experience some different volunteering.

And that's, I think where I really cemented, you know, I really care about food, food justice and, and working in that as a career.

You have to remember, especially distance that food travels matters.

So getting local and hyper local food and having that accessibility is really key to being able to capture all the nutrients from the food and actually do something for yourself.

So that's like the biggest reason that local organic food is so important.

One of the big things that people don't realize is the moment you pick a fruit or a vegetable, the nutrient density starts to decline.

And I think we're going to see a significant increase in food prices because of that.

And growing our own in our front and backyard can help address that.

So what is the role of small and urban farms in strengthening our local food systems, Rachel?

Sure.

The FDA recorded 266 food recalls in the first six months of this year, and more and more Houstonians are looking for local options when it comes to what they serve on the dinner table.

The Texas Center for Local Food aims to build the relationships necessary for a resilient Texas food economy.

This organization also aims to educate and connect farmers and ranchers to local and regional markets in our state.

They want to provide direct support to farmers markets throughout Texas.

So joining us now live to tell us more about food systems and the role they play in the lives of Houstonians is executive director for the Texas Center for Local Food, A.J.

Beard.

A.J., welcome to Hello Houston.

There's processing, distribution, supply.