Farm Bill, Farm Bill, Farm Bill…oh my!! We hear about it in the media, but how many people in our country know what this GIANT bill does? Well, this historically bipartisan bill is a major piece of legislation known as the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act, the FARRM Act. For the sake of sanity, I will refer to it from here on out as FARRM.  I had no idea how complicated this bill was until I did a policy analysis on just one section of FARRM, specifically the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps. SNAP is the oldest and largest nutrition assistance policy that exists in the U.S. to reduce the social problem of food insecurity and hunger. You might be thinking, “What is SNAP doing in legislation about agriculture?” I thought this at first :)

Ultimately, in 1939, Roosevelt formalized the food distribution policy within FARRM as a key component of the New Deal. This initiative, called the “Food Stamps Plan,” allowed individuals and families to purchase blue and orange paper stamps that they could use to buy food, household items, and surplus goods at affordable costs.[2] A variation of this program still exists today – SNAP.

                                                                 FARRM of Today
Today, FARRM has purposefully been turned into a large, intimidating, and complex mass of national food and agriculture policies. It is reauthorized every 5 to 7 years. While the latest reauthorization was muddled with conflict on all sides, politicians ultimately pushed through the FARRM Act of 2013, all 15 titles in tow. Please scroll through the document below to check out specific Titles and the policies they cover:

Ahhhhhhhhh, holy mackerel! So what does all this mean for us common folk? To summarize…they want us confused :) Collectively, the programs represented in FARRM directly and indirectly impact the types of crops grown, nutrition assistance for those struggling with hunger, control of animal diseases and waste generated, labor needed, bio-fuels and energy, and chemicals used to produce our food. All of these policies work together and seriously impact the health and well-being of humans, animals, plants, and ecosystems worldwide! 

                                                               FARRM to Health 
Until the latest reauthorization in 2013, FARRM has been considered a bipartisan bill suggesting a “political marriage” of farm and food policy to work together to address concerns about nutrition and support rural health.[3] But this time, the House of Representatives wanted to separate SNAP from FARRM, which was met with stern objections from many leaders. Some sources of conflict included the high cost of SNAP at a time when deficit reduction is needed, and assumptions about the worthiness of SNAP recipients. Chances are many of us know people who use SNAP because, in 2012, 46.2 million people, or about one in seven Americans, were enrolled in SNAP to meet their food needs.[4] Nearly 50% of these beneficiaries were children.[5]  Below are some interesting links to FARRM policy and news within the Senate and House of Representatives:

• http://agriculture.house.gov/farmbill
• http://www.ag.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/five-things-you-should-know-about-the-new-bipartisan-farm-bill-

While there may be some positive changes in FARRM 2013, many have grave consequences including the $9 billion in cuts towards SNAP over the next ten years; the provisions that consolidate and cut numerous farm subsidy programs, and use this money to fund crop insurance programs; and the new subsidy programs for corporate farms/agribusiness that support further production of commodity crops rather than specialty crops.

To be honest, part of me was a little disappointed when SNAP did not split from FARRM because I saw this as an opportunity for the largest nutrition assistance program to move into a more appropriate committee, such as the United States Department of Health and Human Services. However, this is not reality. So, perhaps we have to work together to create new opportunities for FARRM to act as a public health tool by strengthening environmental protection and fighting for social and economic justice. We can do this at the local level by taking control of our own food system again through local community gardening and agriculture!

Happy 2014 and welcome back to The Growing Project’s blog! Over the next few months, I will follow current events, talk to community members, learn from inspiring local organizations, and take a closer look at some of the tough problems our communities are facing. I hope you choose to stay tuned for future posts that will dive into the contradictions and complexities of our food system, food insecurity, and food waste. Ultimately, I hope to learn together how we can achieve global food justice!

So what exactly is food insecurity? According to the USDA, the social problem of food insecurity is defined as poverty-related insecurity around the physical and economic lack of access to adequate food for an active healthy lifestyle.[1] This can cause life threatening physical, neurological, psychological, and social consequences. If most of us think back, we can recall at some point learning about Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory. In order to move up in the pyramid, you must achieve the previous level.[2] See below for a quick refresher!

Like our need for water and air, FOOD is a critical physiological need that humans must fulfill before they can begin to feel any sense of safety and security in their world. Because of this, I believe that access to healthy, fresh food is a human right. So shouldn’t I be grateful that we live in a world where there is more than enough food to feed everyone an adequate amount every day?! Unfortunately, injustices in the system do not allow this. Hunger and food insecurity persist at staggering rates world wide and in the United States. With over 7 billion people who NEED food to survive, the numbers below are scary.

Did you know?

• In 2012, 870 million people of the 7.1 billion people in the world, or 1 in 8, were suffering from chronic hunger/undernourishment. [3]
• In 2012, 50 million people, or 14.5% of all United States households were experiencing chronic food insecurity. Of this, about 20 million were children, which is 22.5% of the entire U.S. child population!!![4] This equates to about 1 in 6 adults and 1 in 4 children.
• Consumers, retailers, and restaurants throw away more that 100 billion pounds of edible food each year![5]
• Even here in Larimer County Colorado, 13.5% of the population or 40,080 residents, and 17.7%, or 11,200 children under the age of 18, are struggling with chronic hunger.[6]

So what can we do to turn this trend around? First and foremost, education and awareness are key! Many local organizations, such as the Larimer County Food Bank, are spreading just that. Click on the links below to check out facts from the Map the Meal Gap Study and an interactive map that will show you just how pervasive national hunger is:

“Map The Meal Gap” stats and info: http://www.foodbanklarimer.org/About%20Hunger/Hunger101/Map%20the%20Meal%20Gap.aspx

The Interactive Map:
http://feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/hunger-studies/map-the-meal-gap.aspx

In my opinion, the Divided States of America has a desperate need at this time to let go of our incessant individualism. I think it is making us a stagnant, apathetic nation. We must come together, practice collective compassion, and begin to build strong communities where people look out for one another. And what better way to start to do that than to make sure that everyone has their fundamental need for food met! I am excited to practice this through my internship with The Growing Project (TGP) where I get to be part of social, political, and environmental action. Through five diverse programs, TGP ensures that people get to participate in community-growing efforts, have access to healthy nutritious fruits and vegetables, learn therapeutic gardening techniques, and are getting outside having fun in nature! Ultimately, I think we can work collaboratively to create strong, sustainable local, national, and even global food systems that view food not as a commodity, but as the necessity for life that it is. TGP hopes to work with any and all of you along the way to reduce food insecurity and food waste simultaneously! 

We always welcome volunteers and would love to see tons of people at our upcoming events:

1) Season Extender Workshop on Saturday 2/22/2014 from 1-3pm  (http://www.thegrowingproject.org/tgp-university.html)

2) Food For Thought Film Festival Fundraiser 3/6/2014 from 7-10p (http://www.thegrowingproject.org/events.html)

Thank you for reading and have a wonderful day!!

Footnotes:
[1] Larson, N.I., & Story, M.T. (2011). Food Insecurity and Weight Status among U.S. Children and Families. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 40(2), 166-173. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2010.10.028
[2] Maslow, A.H. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370-396. doi: 10.1037/h0054346
[3] World Hunger Education Service. (2013). 2013 World Hunger and Poverty Statistics. Retrieved from URL http://www.worldhunger.org/articles/Learn/world%20hunger%20facts%202002.htm
[4] Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress. (2012). SNAP to Health: A Fresh Approach to Improving Nutrition in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Retrieved from http://www.snaptohealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/CSPC-SNAP-Report.pdf
[5] Karger, H.J., & Stoesz, D. (2013). American Social Welfare Policy: A Pluralist Approach (7th Ed). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. ISBN-10: 0-205-92240-6
[6] Feeding America. (2011). Map the Meal Gap. Retrieved from URL http://www.foodbanklarimer.org/About%20Hunger/Hunger101/Map%20the%20Meal%20Gap.aspx

Hi, my name is Carolyn. I am currently in my second semester of graduate school as a Masters of Social Work student at CSU. Over the next semester, I get to complete a field internship with The Growing Project! I am so excited! I am from Albuquerque New Mexico originally, but so far I love Fort Collins and Colorado in general! In my free time, I love to rock climb (mainly outdoors, but the gym is ok), as well as camp, hike, and garden. I love to bake, ride horses, and play with my composting worms. I have never written a blog, but I am excited for the opportunity! Read at your own risk, for opinions may be shared :) 

For 4 years we've worked with at risk youth in our community in our giving gardens and at our very first on-site location of Jacob Center's- The Remington House. We were excited when we were invited to take Garden Time!, this past fall to join Colorado State University's Human Development & Resource Studies program called 'Campus Corps'.
On Thursday nights, member's of TGP gathered tools & materials and headed into the Campus Corps classrooms!
We brought our successful program of gardening with kids & prepared to get messy! And I mean that both literally and figuratively.

Kids love to get dirty and so introducing them to directed dirt digging, in a classroom, allowing a small garden box in which to play, thrilled these little worm-seekers! To keep it short, we had some fun!

The kids, mostly eager to just play in the dirt, came with a multitude of experiences with gardening. They enlightened us as we all shared time drawing, painting and planting. We taught them to 'let go' and accept that things in gardening (much like life) will go awry, and to take the learning opportunity to connect with the earth in a real and meaningful way. They'll learn respect for the forces of nature, see how life cycles through the seasons, and they'll actually enjoy eating the vegetables that they grow.

We're excited for the 2013 sessions and will be creating an abundance of activities that will keep these kids growing in the years to come! 

If you are interested in learning more about our Garden Time! Program and becoming a part of our volunteer team, email volunteer@thegrowingproject.org for more information

This has been quite the season for TGP. We added 3 giving gardens, our Garden Time! Horticultural therapy program grew from 1 to 2 locations, our new Project Grow with the Larimer County Corrections Center is making way in the spring, we traveled to Pine Ridge South Dakota to build a garden for our Lakota friends, and the Glean Team has reached its goal of 10,000 lbs of donated food! And this project continues to grow because of the unyielding support of our wonderful community, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving we want to offer a big THANK YOU for all you've done to help!

TGP would not be what it is today for not the tireless work of our volunteers; thank you for helping to build our garden beds, weed and harvest vegetables all summer long, and continually giving your time, heart and wisdom for all new projects we put forth.
We are also ever grateful for our local sponsors, so many of our efforts would not be possible without your contributions. Even throughout this recession you've funded our growth as well as your own, and for that we thank you. Big special shout out to Fort Collins Nursery, Bath Nursery, Odells Brewing Company, New Belgium Brewing company, Mugs and Starbucks for all of your gift backs, campaign & project support and recognition throughout the year. 
Thank you to Fort Collins Housing Authority for aiding in the growth of a wonderful partnership that will hopefully keep living up to food. people. justice. for years to come!
And to our fans on Facebook & Twitter, and you newsletter recipients, thanks for spreading the word (& the love) about The Growing Project! 
Even as the end of the year draws nearer, our projects aren't letting up & the time is flying by. In the midst of all the shopping, turkey, football and family visits of this weekend we'd like to pause in honor of the true meaning of this holiday, and tell you all how grateful we are.  

Sincerely,
The Growing Project

TGP is thrilled to start collaboration and join forces with an AWESOME Fort Collins organization called Hammer Time!.  Hammer Time! works under the DIY principle, empowering people to help themselves by sharing resources and working and learning together.  Their mission is right in line with TGP's belief that if we teach a person to fish, they'll eat (build, make clothes, garden) forever!

Hammer Time! has many programs and resources that empower people, including:

• An extensive "infoshop" that has  invaluable literary references in the form of books, zines, magazines, journals, videos, and newspapers; all for either borrowing or use on-site.
• A Free Store, which is based on the barter system, allowing anyone who is willing to donate items of their own and sort them, to take whatever they want of what others have donated.  Is that the coolest idea or what!?  What a way to halt the production of more "things".
  
• Their "Seams" Fabrication Station, where for a small suggested donation per hour, fibercraftpersons (yes, I'm going to use that word) can use all supplies for sewing, knitting, crocheting, or embroidering; including patterns and fabric.
  
• A Tool Co-op, which is basically a fully stocked workshop, where people can bring things that need fixing and use the tools there to get the job done, or perhaps build something new right on site. 
• And finally, TGP's favorite...their Community Garden! Similarly to TGP's UFO Giving Gardens, gardeners work together volunteering, and in this way increase their self-sufficiency and learn more than they ever could from a book!  It is a collaborative process, where everyone not only learns together through seeing what works and what doesn't, but also gains the fruit of their labor once harvest comes! 

Discussions are still in the works regarding how close or extensive the collaboration will be between TGP and Hammer Time! But as we all see it, the sky is the limit, and we all agree that by working together, our two organizations can provide an incredible resource for building community, sharing knowledge, and helping our FC residents become empowered...all while having fun and getting more connected!

A huge kudos to all the folks at Hammer Time!, who have grown it from a dream to a thriving reality and sustainable model, in just two short years.

Today, Bath Nursery donated OVER 100 tomato and pepper starts to TGP!

As soon as we got the word, 3 of us headed over to the nursery, with cars empty and ready to be loaded, but there were so  many starts that all 3 cars were filled up and we could take no more! 

We are very grateful for this very generous donation, as will be many hungry and lusciously dripping (with tomato juice) FC mouths, come late summer.  We were in desperate need for these starts, and without them, most of our gardens would have been void of tomatoes this summer...the crown jewel of any summer garden.

So thanks to Bath nursery for saving the day, and for contributing to countless bowls of salsa and Caprese salads this summer! :-)

This month, husband and wife team Jeff and Kathleen Baumgardner came to our Board meeting and presented us their idea for a local cafe, based off a bartering system, where people volunteer in exchange for fresh, healthy, local cooked food.  The goal is for anyone to have at least one exceedingly healthy meal per day, regardless of whether they can pay or not.

They shared how their vision is based off the successful SAME cafe, the first non-profit restaurant in Denver, whose mission is of "serving food for the greater good".  The front page of the Same Cafe's website says "Everyone, regardless of economic status, deserves the chance to eat healthy food while being treated with dignity."  

As Kathleen spoke about their cafe and why they are so dedicated to starting this in Fort Collins, her passion and compassion were deeply evident, as well as infectious, and you could tell that she believed deeply in this idea of personal dignity.   She passed on a story that she had heard from the people at Same Cafe, which illustrates this commitment to building people's sense of dignity and of having something valuable to contribute.  To paraphrase her story: "When people first come in, their heads are held low...you can tell they are ashamed and don't know where they fit in or what they have to contribute.  But someone will immediately take them under their wing and before asking any questions or putting them to work, they'll get them comfortable and serve them a delicious, warm meal.  Once they feel satiated and welcome, their heads are a little bit higher, and then they'll be given a simple job...maybe just stacking chairs.  The next time they come in, their heads are held even higher, and they immediately ask how they can help, offer their services with pride, and feel comfortable.  Each time they come in, their confidence gets higher and higher as they see they are being treated like a human being who has something valuable to give.  Soon enough, they feel like they're an important contributor, and feel a part of a family."

So TGP discussed potential avenues for collaboration, and among others came up with 2 obvious and simple ideas: Produce from TGP's giving gardens could go to their kitchen for use in the cafe, and FoCo volunteers could also volunteer in our gardens. Also, if FoCo Cafe happened to find a location with garden space available, then TGP could set up a UFO garden onsite at the restaurant, allowing volunteers to work right there and for the harvest to go straight into the kitchen!  Since a lot of TGP's produce still goes to the Food Bank, and we are looking for more and more opportunities to "teach people to fish rather than just giving them fish", designating some of our produce to the FoCo cafe would be in line with that goal. Right now, these are all just ideas, but we are hoping that FoCo Cafe is successful and able to quickly realize their dream of openeing their doors, whatever level of collaboration TGP has with them. 

Here is more info from the FoCo Cafe website:

FoCo Cafe Mission:
Building community by providing nutritious and delicious meals to the people of Fort Collins regardless of their ability to pay while using local, organic, and sustainably grown ingredients.

FoCo Cafe Vision:
We strive to build a healthy community by providing delicious and nutritious food in a respectful and dignified manner to anyone who walks through the door and wants to contribute to our community. We envision that the quality of the food and the comfortable atmosphere will draw people from all walks of life and entice them to become involved. Volunteers will feel satisfied by their experience on many levels, because the cafe is a vehicle that positively impacts our community environmentally, economically, and socially.

FoCo Cafe Values:

• Every human innately has dignity and should be treated as such.
• Every duty, volunteer or otherwise, has value.
• Participating in a community nourishes the soul.
• Everyone deserves to eat nutritional food.
• All people need a hand up at some point(s) in their lives.

                                                            A la comida compartida!