The U.S. is a powerful nation but before you get all star spangled about that you have to ask yourself… How is it that our nation can also be home to more than half a million children who suffer from persistent hunger and inadequate nutrition? According to the USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) 2008 annual report on Household Food Security, 49 million Americans- that is one out of every six struggled to put enough food on the kitchen table.

Beyond our borders it gets even uglier. We are experiencing recurring cycles of food crises from the neighborhood to the globalhood and there are no longer any excuses for gardeners to bury their heads in the compost and ignore the fact that our industrialized food system is broken and inequitable. At a time when the gap widens even greater between the affluent and the one billion people worldwide now living in poverty, the food crisis is creating a mass of wealth for multinational corporations that hold the monopoly on the food system.

Before you get the impression that Fair Share simply wants to pick a food fight with the big boys, remember that we as consumers share a large part of the blame for the problem. The food industry should not take full blame for merely delivering the kind of food that we as Americans have been voting for with our food dollars for decades- “fast, convenient and cheap.” We as consumers share in the blame, so let’s swallow our self-righteousness, put on our boots and dig in working on sustainable solutions. Let’s raise our voices for change while we are raising local food; doing our fair share to bring sustainable solutions to our neighborhoods.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida just released a 2010 hunger study for the six counties they serve, including Volusia County where Fair Share is located in Daytona Beach. The demand for emergency food assistance continues to rise sharply and the study shows that approximately 732,000 people received assistance in 2009; a total increase of 152% since 2006. Over the course of the year, that is the equivalent of over 14 million meals served here in Central Florida. Since 2006, the demand for emergency food assistance has increased 100% for soup kitchens and 400% for shelters that belong to Second Harvest’s network.

Year after year after year food banks struggle heroically to meet the increased demand for emergency food assistance as well as the rising costs of operation through appeals for increased charitable contributions. I wonder just how long that effort can be maintained. In a Washington Post article published back in 2007, Mark Winne wrote, “The risk is that the multi-billion dollar food banking system has become such a pervasive force in the anti-hunger world, and so tied to its donors and its volunteers, that it cannot step back and ask if this is the best way to end hunger, food insecurity and their root cause, poverty.”

Fair Share supports the critical relief efforts of local food banks. We desperately need them because they rescue people who have immediate needs; many having to choose between paying the utility bills and buying groceries. I don’t know about you, but- “been there- done that.” Despite their best efforts, every food bank director obviously knows the long-term solution to this crisis is not ever increasing charity. The solution is addressed at the root cause and we must move the working poor beyond charity toward increased self-reliance.

Here in Daytona Beach, despite public perceptions associated with tourists visiting “The World’s Most Famous Beach” and Spring Break, NASCAR racing, and Bike Week, most all visitors to the area and unfortunately way too many residents are completely unaware of the vulnerability of our city’s disadvantaged citizens. About 30% of the population lives in poverty. For families with children the poverty level is over 40%.

Fair Share’s stated mission is “to organize an active community that promotes social, economic, and environmental justice; moving people beyond charity towards self-reliance in order to achieve community food security through sustainable urban agriculture.” Whether in a backyard garden, a community garden, or on a rooftop, when people adjust their lifestyles and begin growing their own fresh food they can stretch their food budget several hundred dollars a year; a significant benefit for households earning below the poverty level. Fair Share encourages people to utilize growing methods that result in higher yields with less space and no need for expensive equipment.

Sustainable urban agriculture is a proven, time-tested and cost-effective tool that can serve as a powerful catalyst for other community revitalization efforts. It is in wide practice in cities large and small around the world. Even the U.S.D.A. recognized and stated the potential impact back in a 2000 resource guide…

“One solution to meeting future food security demands, while protecting and conserving natural resources, is the conversion of unused parcels of land in the urban environment to sustainable food production areas. The transformation of urban areas is occurring worldwide at an ever increasing rate… Urban agriculture promotes food security, improving each participant’s health and quality of life, while creating dynamic, aesthetically pleasing cityscapes. Expanding on urban agriculture’s conceptual framework has great potential to contribute to the facilitation of sustainable food systems in predominately urban areas. Considering the international scope of urban agriculture and an increased desire to establish sustainable food systems for the future, we may all look forward to an improvement in the lives of urban and rural dwellers alike.”

We are digging in and doing our fair share and looking forward to the opportunity of another year- “sowing hope and growing community.”