2007 U.S. Farm Policy: What is the aggregate economic impact of a hungry American Child?

Sacramento, CA
By Khubaka Michael Harris, California BFAA

Congressional allocation of American tax dollars may meet a new paradigm when existing the current farm bill expires in 2007. During the future years 2008 - 2013, epidemic levels of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and hunger in America could be addressed by measuring the aggregate economic impact, over time, of a hungry American Child.

The U.S. Senate Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry and U.S. House Committee on Agriculture will return after the exciting November elections. Congress will make recommendations to the Executive Branch and President Bush will sign a Farm Bill to allocate American Tax Dollars that can feed and strengthen our nation.

Many people acknowledge that current farm policy is rife with problems. A beginning effort to address systemic inequity was introduced as the Healthy Farms, Food and Fuels Act of 2006, introduced by U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) with 26 bi-partisan cosponsors,
however in the economic formulation of our U.S. Farm Bill there is minimal measurement of the lost utility of a hungry American child.

The proposed stratification of ‘green payments,’ ‘welfare payments’ and ‘food stamps’ favor multinational corporations and organized special interest groups. The 30 million food insecure Americans, especially hungry children have little hope of healthy food.

It remains a moral and ethical issue when institutions and organizations who siphon money from the Food Stamp Act to run “community based organizations” propose a further 10% cut to the most food insecure Americans, change is in order.

It remains a moral and ethical issue when institutions and organizations propose U.S. Farm policy that mandates effective food insecurity around the world, change is in order.

The unmet needs of U.S. Agriculture Policy is best view from Arlington Plantation/Cemetery where the sacred cow of systemic institutional racism within USDA was born. There is no possible way to move forward continuing a systemic methodology of a 1862 paradigm of Agriculture, a slow restructuring of the USDA is taking place under current U.S. Agriculture Secretary Johanns.

President Lincoln began to envision an America without the uncompensated labor of chattel slavery and today we continue to measure farm labor outside the scope of a honorable profession with equality in the marketplace of careers. President Bush can make a multi-generational impact on the future of U.S. Agriculture with clear direction of who will eat, consumers or corporations.

The very foundation of our U.S. Agriculture policy continues to celebrate and benefit from a “separate but equal” Land-Grant University System 1862, 1892, 1994 etc… providing innovation and a global competitive advantage with little regard for rural poor, inner city access, native tribal isolation, new immigrants fear and all high risk populations to consider for a mutually beneficial food secure America.

New Market opportunity for U.S. Agriculture producers are within our borders if the effective productive utility of a hungry American child is measured against the lifetime yield of a productive, law abiding U.S. consumer sharing “our daily bread, everyday.”

Within our U.S. urban-service boundary, where the vast majority of ‘food insecure’ reside, is a “gold rush of opportunity” to expand our U.S. Agricultural tax allocation to maximize an opportunity to teach underserved communities, “how to grow spinach, instead of serving them spinach.”

Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association will celebrate our 10th year anniversary and welcome a final resolution of the Pigford Class Action Case against the United States Department of Agriculture. We have begun a USDA/CBO partnership relationship that honors the collective of centuries of U.S. Black Farmers and Agriculturalists.

Prior to the first cargo of enslaved human beings to America, we embraced Agriculture in our Ancient African Civilizations, today we feel a deep sense of responsibility to help provide deep, basic change to U.S. farm policy, reflective our desire to reestablish “Agriculture the foundation of our Culture.”