Web Letters: Farm Aid Raises a Vision

If you asked the average American to imagine the furthest place from a farm they could think of, New York City would rank near the top of most lists. Times Square is hardly farm country. New York is bustling with commerce and cultural centers, and there isn't much space here for farmland. As a result, too many New Yorkers are completely disconnected from the source of their food, viewing items like meat or produce as though they simply appeared in supermarkets rather than being products of the earth.

That perception is starting to change.

This month, Farm Aid came to New York City for the first time to emphasize the relationship that must exist between local, family farms and the dietary health of our urban population. I was privileged to lead a panel discussion on the topic before the concert, and if the participants of that discussion were any indication (New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews, along with farm and healthy food advocates from across the country) we now have the political and cultural muscle to bring the message of this movement to the forefront.

With obesity rates climbing in every city in America, it's clear that we need to change the way we think about food if we're going to improve the physical health of our nation. We can start by rethinking the places from which we get our food.

The New York City Council has increased the number of Green Markets around the city, bringing them to neighborhoods that are under served by many of the chain grocery stores. These are neighborhoods that simply don't have access to fresh produce. They are also areas where obesity is one of the leading causes of health problems.

We also funded a "Youth Markets" program, where kids buy fresh fruits and vegetables from a local farm and sell them at markets in low-income neighborhoods. This program creates a win-win situation where the participants get to learn the basics of running a business while the communities get another venue for purchasing healthy and nutritious foods.

While effective food policy should begin on a local and state level, it cannot end there. We need the support of the federal government if we're going to have a lasting positive effect on people's lives. Congress is currently reviewing the federal Farm Bill for reauthorization, a sprawling piece of legislation that affects farmers and food consumers alike. And while it may be called a "farm bill," it includes major federal food and nutrition programs, making it critically important to cities throughout the country.

We need to break down the illusion of separation between rural farmland and the crowded streets of our major cities because our mutual success depends entirely upon one another. Bringing Farm Aid to New York City was a profound acknowledgment of this fact, but the concert only lasted for one day. The kind of change we need must be a day in and day out commitment. Only then will we be able to tackle obesity in New York City and across America.

Even if most Americans don't think of New York City as farm country, I always will.

Christine C. Quinn
Speaker, New York City Council

New York, NY

I too attended Farm Aid, and thought Fraser's article described the issues, and event, well. Typically at these large concerts the amount of trash that accumulates could warrant its own landfill. But at Farm Aid I was struck by the separate bins for compostables (which, in this case, was not only food but utensils and plates) and general recycling. The bins were actually being staffed by two volunteers to help you get things in the right place. I know the zero-waste idea isn't new, but implementing it in large venues on a large scale is always niiice.

On the downside: the beer. At the main beer outlets all I saw was Heineken, Heineken Light, Amstel Light, and Peak Organic. Take a wild guess as to which one was the only local, organic beer... It seems that one of the co-promoters of Farm Aid is Live Nation. My understanding is that Live Nation has a contract with Heineken and Amstel, so that any event they promote, those two generic beers must be present.

So yes, the event is great, but as always, there's more to ask for. Like, for instance, a delicious blackberry wheat that's complex and hoppy, not to mention local and organic... Or is the cake not for eating?

Michael Neal

Brooklyn, NY