Building the Community that Ensures Healthy Food

Ensuring that communities have healthier food supplies through farmers markets, community supported agriculture, and farm to school programs was a strong focus of the 2007 farm bill. Under the current Administration these and other local food system issues have experienced a heightened level of interest as a means to both stimulate local economies and curb the obesity epidemic by increasing access to healthy, affordable food. As we enter the 2012 Farm Bill cycle, it is important to explore what, if any, improvements can be made to these programs that will further strengthen local food infrastructure and improve healthy food access for all. This will be the focus of one of the leaders in the Community Food Security movement.