California Black Agriculture Celebrates Ag Day 2009

California Ag Day 2009, Prayer Breakfast and Community Health Symposium will focus upon creating a sustainable methodology to address essential research and development that positively impacts the #1 killer of Black Americans.

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), particularly heart disease and stroke, is the nation’s #1 killer for both men and women among all racial and ethnic groups. Reducing epidemic levels of diet related disease in Black America is our central focus.

More than 945,000 Americans die of CVD each year, an average of 1 death every 34 seconds. According to the American Heart Association, the cost of heart disease and stroke in the United States was projected to exceed $394 billion in 2005 -- $242 billion for health care expenditures and $152 billion for lost productivity from death and disability.

Black Americans are disproportionately affected by CVD. Diseases of the heart and cardiovascular system are responsible for one-third of deaths among all socio-economic levels of Black Americans.

Many Black Americans are not well informed about cardiovascular disease. This lack of substantial knowledge among those at greatest risk predisposes them to a compromised quality of life and even unnecessary death unless education and awareness take place.

This education, awareness and solutions should include knowledge of the diet related contributors to risk factors. The major modifiable risk factors for CVD are: diabetes, high cholesterol levels, hypertension, smoking, obesity, physical inactivity and unmanaged stress is prevalent among Black Americans.

California Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association is developing a broader Food and Agriculture Network to focus upon specialty crop production and a research methodology that produces specific fresh fruits and vegetables toward positive diet related alternatives that reduce death among Black Americans, inclusive of African, Caribbean and Latin American communities where genetic markers impact health.

United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary A.G. Kawamura are uniquely qualified to address the unique challenges facing closing the disparity gap impacting Black Americans and other socially disadvantaged Americans facing diet related disease in the #1 Agriculture industry in the United States.

California Ag Day 2009 will feature essential workshops of both Federal and State programs that begin to target resources to address past systemic institutional discrimination and provide support for a new foundation toward achieving equal opportunity.