Community Food Security

Organic farming can help address many issues outside the direct realm of agriculture. Farms that produce and sell locally, supporting local economies and local access to food, can improve food security in many communities.

Choosing to purchase organic, locally-produced foods, supporting farmers markets, and advocating for increased availability of healthy, organic foods in underserved regions can all be a part of a larger movement to address food security issues.

This page provides information on food security issues related to organic agriculture.

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The following articles appeared in our Magazine.

Building Food Security in California Communities - At the same time that America is one of the most productive agricultural nations in the world, adequate amounts of safe, nutritious, and affordable food are hardly a reality for all citizens. Despite the agricultural abundance of the state, the issue of “food security” is particularly pressing in California, where 10.8% of all households were food insecure from 1997–99. Read more...
Not By Bread Alone - Bread can go a long way to alleviate hunger. Whether in the form of an actual loaf, in reference to food in general, or as cash (its slang usage), “bread” undeniably helps. Hungry people need food. To buy food, we need cash. Read more...
Healthy Children, Healthy Farms, Healthy Future - The Food Systems Project started out of concern for our children’s health — the concern that every child in the Berkeley Unified School District has access to healthy food at an affordable cost. The project has many components, including classroom education, hands-on gardening, fresh organic salad bars in the cafeteria, after-school snack programs, and field trips to local organic farms. Read more...
Common Values for the Sustainable Food and Farm Movement - Solving the problems of today's food system is a big job. Many organizations have worked for decades to address environmental, social and economic issues in the food system from a number of angles. There have been some successes, but the trends that measure progress toward sustainability are not hopeful. If we are to turn dominant trends around, we need to rethink the sustainable agriculture/food systems movement in a way that reaches a greater public and assists us in building stronger partnerships and coalitions. Read more...
Community Power - Chances are that you probably know someone who has high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or diabetes. Diet is a major contributing factor in these and many other diseases. Low-income communities, especially Latino, African-American, and Native American, suffer disproportionately from high rates of diet-related diseases. Read more...

The following sites provide further information on food security.

Berkeley Food Policy Council - Programs to promote food security and health in Berkeley.
California Food Policy Advocates - Statewide public policy and advocacy organization dedicated to improving the health and well being of low-income Californians by increasing their access to nutritious and affordable food.
Center for Weight and Health - U.C. Berkeley. Promotes solutions to weight, health and hunger-related resources.
Community Food Security Coalition - Dedicated to building strong, sustainable, local and regional food systems.
Development Gateway - Links to Food Security section of site. Site also provides extensive information and connections to other global development information.
Ecology Center - Works with farm-to-school programs and support of farmers markets, among other activities.
Economic Research Service - U.S. Department of Agriculture. Links to Briefing Room on Food Security in the United States.
ELDIS - Gateway to information on development issues. Links to food security page, and many other resources available within the site.
Food First - Progressive think-tank dedicated to addressing issues of hunger and poverty. Numerous articles available through the online Resource Library.
Special Programme for Food Security - Food and Agriculture Organization. Global issues related to food security.

For more general information visit our Resources and Organic Links pages.