230910 When communities collide: Corporate concentration of agriculture, associated health threats and opportunities for positive transformation

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 : 10:50 AM - 11:05 AM

Brother David Andrews, CSC, JD , Food and Water Watch, Washington, DC
This presentation will focus on communities around industrial farms, including some of the farmers themselves. Rural communities around industrial farm operations, especially industrial food animal production facilities, face health threats including air and water pollution, exposure to pesticides, pathogens (especially antibiotic resistant bacteria), and malodor, as well as mental and social health threats. Too often family farmers suffer a loss of autonomy when contracting with or selling to large corporations. Mid-sized farms struggle to compete with large industrial operations that are increasingly consolidating. Minority farmers are only recently receiving attention from the United States Department of Agriculture and have suffered disproportionately from farm consolidation. Despite this, communities and farmers are rising up to challenge these injustices, and the impacts of their efforts, and the implications for the health of our nation.

Learning Areas:
Environmental health sciences
Occupational health and safety
Public health or related education

Learning Objectives:
Describe ways communities are rising up to challenge food system injustices. Discuss what farmers are doing to overcome these injustices. Explain the impact these challenges could have on the health of our nation.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a senior representative for Food & Water Watch with over 30 years of work experience on sustainable development, food and water issues, and public policy, both nationally and internationally.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.