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Release No. 0170.10
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Contact:
USDA Office of Communications
(202) 720-4623
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Agriculture Deputy Secretary Merrigan Brings USDA’s ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ College Tour to Hawaii
HONOLULU, Hawaii, April 6, 2010 - Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan today provided highlights of how Hawaii can tap into USDA's 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' initiative, which promotes local and regional food systems by stimulating community economic development and ensuring equitable access to affordable fresh and local food. Merrigan discussed the initiative and food systems policy with students, faculty and community leaders at the University of Hawaii in Manoa.
"The Obama Administration believes this is an historic opportunity to lay a new foundation for economic growth, create jobs and build and revitalize critical infrastructure here in Hawaii and in rural communities across America by supporting and establishing local and regional food systems as an economic development strategy to keep wealth in local communities," Merrigan said. "Part of our 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' initiative is to link the agricultural community to urban markets to bring new understanding of the importance of healthy eating and provide enhanced access to fresh foods. We expect consumer demand for locally grown food in the U.S. to rise from an estimated $4 billion in 2002 to as much as $7 billion by 2012."
USDA's 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' initiative emphasizes the need for a fundamental and critical reconnection between producers and consumers. The effort builds on the 2008 Farm Bill, which provides for increases and flexibility for USDA programs in an effort to revitalize rural economies by supporting local and regional food systems. ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ is helping to break down barriers that keep local food systems from thriving, create new opportunities for farmers, ranchers, consumers and rural communities, and expand access to healthy food throughout the country.
One example of how farmers can get involved, Merrigan said, is to participate in local farm to school programs that enable schools to feature healthy, locally-sourced products in their cafeterias. USDA currently is sending teams out to select school districts to work on farm to school issues. Some of these programs also incorporate nutrition-based studies, as well as food-learning opportunities such as farm visits, gardening, cooking, and composting activities.
Providing greater access to fresh, healthy food is a priority of the Obama Administration. In February, First Lady Michelle Obama launched the Let's Move! campaign to end childhood obesity within a generation so that children born today will reach adulthood at a healthy weight. The campaign has four primary tenets: helping parents make healthy food choices, serving healthier food in schools; improving access to healthy, affordable food; and increasing physical activity. The Administration has introduced its plans to improve school meals, introduced a financing initiative to reduce food deserts, implemented new research tools that detail local food environments and health outcomes, including grocery store access and disease and obesity prevalence, and announced a broad range of public/private commitments to solve America's childhood obesity epidemic. Learn more by visiting www.LetsMove.gov.
The 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' website, at www.usda.gov/knowyourfarmer, features social media tools to help focus the public conversation about farming and food, while engaging American agriculture and linking producers to customers.
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