New focus on food security needed

New focus on food security needed

New focus on food security needed in shadow of COVID-19 pandemic

  • Original Article: https://www.redding.com/story/opinion/2020/04/12/new-focus-food-security-needed-shadow-covid-19-pandemic/5127564002/

Local food, clean water, and energy security safeguards our health and appreciably reduces the risk of pathogens and pandemics.  

Food security is having our own local supply chain to assure less contamination exposure. Local certified organic food with verifiable best care practices in the future to our safety, a benefit to our local small farmers, job creation and the health and well-being of our citizens.

The current globalized system has caused great dependence and vulnerability. There is now much more awareness and support for stronger public services and for preventative health care best practices.

It is essential to have a secure, safe and verifiable local supply of healthy local food for our community.

It is time for a review by our policymakers regarding our local supply chain food security plan if we are to safeguard our citizens with sustainable local essential products and services independent of the large corporate national and international dependencies.

Public planning and policies must be established to support and protect small producers to strengthen the local economy and assure the health, supply, and safety free from external control and flow.

Local fresh produce subscriptions, consumer cooperatives, and certified fruit stands with our own county inspector certification and monitoring can reduce contamination risk, transport costs and preclude large numbers of people gathering in large closed spaces.

The best security is verifiable local organically grown food in support of our own local small and medium-sized food producers for our own local markets.

The best strategic move we can take from the COVID crisis is to declare independence from anything, any entity and any country to secure our future and maintain our national security.

Redding’s Robert Lincoln Hancock is a UCD graduate Master of Science in Agriculture, Developer of Providence Farm of the Future and Riverland Agritourism site and CEO of Providence International.