For many communities, hunger has never been a more pressing issue. Over 20 million Americans are unemployed because of COVID-19 and food banks across the U.S. and Canada have seen demand surge—in some cases shattering previous records and exacerbating longstanding disparities.1 A recent U.S. survey showed the highest level of food insecurity compared to data from previous years, including an unprecedented rise in food insecurity among young children, increasing by 460% since 2018.2

Being alarmed by statistics isn’t enough. We need to understand how industrial food systems make this problem worse and how independent, sustainable farming can help solve it. Need convincing? Here are five reasons to care:

Reason #1: Farms feed people! You probably already knew this. But did you know that more independent farms are donating to their local food banks to help give food to those who need it most?

Reason #2: The pandemic has disrupted supply chains and has caused some industrial meat plants to shut down, showing the frailty of an industrial food system. Cultivating a truly resilient food system that will not buckle under the weight of a pandemic means supporting independent farms that are more nimble and can meet the needs of their local community quicker with shorter supply chains.

Keep reading other reasons why caring about issues of hunger and food insecurity mean caring about independent, sustainable farms.

With best wishes and thanks for all of the ways you’re helping in this time,

Emily Moose
Director of Communications and Outreach
A Greener World

Sources

1. Bottemiller Evich, Helena. “How Covid-19 is exacerbating racial disparities in food security.” Politico, 7 July 2020, https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-agriculture/2020/07/07/how-covid-19-is-exacerbating-racial-disparities-in-food-security-788995
2. Bauer, Lauren. “The COVID-19 crisis has already left too many children hungry in America.” Up Front, The Brookings Institution, 6 May 2020, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/05/06/the-covid-19-crisis-has-already-left-too-many-children-hungry-in-america/