This month Research and Policy focuses on the relationship between nutrition and early childhood brain development. This is a painful issue in Memphis, which was recently singled out as the most food insecure city in America.
Today, more than half of American families raising young children are low-income. These are the families most likely to be unable to afford enough food to meet their basic needs. Children in food insecure families can suffer even if they themselves get enough to eat. Parental food insecurity leads to stress, deprivation, and lethargy, which translate into poor outcomes for children.
As these figures suggest, food insecurity is a significant issue in the United States, where half of all pregnant women and half of all infants depend on the WIC program, and half of all children will rely on SNAP (food stamps) at some point during their childhoods.
Maintaining the public infrastructure supporting the nutritional well-being of our youngest children is a vital part of the American commitment to equal opportunity and a stronger future.
Community gardens ARE food security.
The plowman is broad as the back of the land he is sowing,
As he dances the circular track of the plow ever knowing
That the work of his day measures more than the planting and growing.
Let it grow, let it grow, greatly yield.
Community gardens are too small to sustain a family, but, they don’t hurt a bit, in fact, they help to foster a spirit of community into a neighborhood. This seem counter to our federal governments right wing fear mongering, everyone should be scared of each other/insularity is good mentality.
I hope no one seriously buys into that crap.
Garden, be neighbors, buck the system!
Brian, I’m not talking about little feel good boxes here and there, I’m talking about multi acre urban farms. We have 3 in town already that regularly supply markets. What’s most insecure is putting all of our hunger in one basket of GMOs and global imports.