Linking sustainable agriculture and public health: Opportunities for realizing multiple goals

The realms of public health and sustainable agriculture are fundamentally disconnected from one another. A simple investigation of farm policy and dietary guidelines quickly illustrates this reality with domestic agricultural production currently incapable of providing a diet to all Americans that is in line with current dietary guidelines. Agricultural production is becoming increasingly consolidated with a loss of mid-scale agriculture just as consumers are seeking locally grown foods in the marketplace. This talk explores both the difficulties and the opportunity in linking diet-related public health guidelines with agricultural production nationally as well as in communities across the country. Building on current discordance in this arena presents a strategy for using a food system rather than food supply strategy for approaching public health goals. This strategy brings other sectors of interest into the discussion- especially environmental, economic and community development – and allows for richer partnerships. Brief case studies will be utilized to illustrate the opportunities.