MEDIA
RELEASE EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE:
12:01 am, Tuesday May 4, 2004
Globalization
of Food and Agriculture Takes its Toll on California
Report by the International Society for Ecology and Culture
shows the need for a shift toward localized food economies
(Berkeley, CA) — A groundbreaking ISEC report, released today, entitled Ripe for Change: Rethinking California’s Food Economy reveals
how economic globalization and free trade are the driving forces
behind many crises facing California’s farmers, consumers and environment.
California is a dominant player in the global food system, but the
large-scale industrial agriculture and global trade upon which the
system is based, is now proving to be the state’s downfall, according
to the report. The study shows how shifting away from current policies
aimed at forging a single global food economy and toward rebuilding
local food systems would address many problems simultaneously.
“Most people think that California produces ample food for itself
and exports the surplus, but our research shows that despite being
one of the world’s leading agricultural economies, California is
actually a net importer of food, relying on outside sources for
40 percent of its total food needs,” says ISEC Director Helena Norberg-Hodge.
“The majority of Californians are losing out. When global markets
are prioritized over local markets, economic benefits leak out of
the local economy, our food supplies become less secure, hunger
increases and the environment is degraded.”
Ripe for Change shows that much of California’s food trade
is redundant, involving the simultaneous import and export of the
same food products, regardless of the season. For example, while
California is a major strawberry producer and exporter, California’s
ports receive $50 million worth of fresh strawberries a year, with
the majority of imports occurring during strawberry season here.
The report describes the impacts of the state’s large-scale, export-oriented
food system on California’s environment, health, and economy, and
the consequences of a rapidly-consolidating global food industry
for California’s consumers, farmers, and food-related businesses.
“The state is exporting $6.5 billion worth of food each year, yet
over 5 million Californians are food insecure,” says Katy Mamen,
co-author of the report, “which means they must do without such
basic needs as utilities and medical care in order to put food on
the table. For at least 1.25 million of those, it also means going
hungry, and ironically, this problem is worst in the leading food-producing
counties.”
California’s farmers, both large- and small-scale, are also positioned
to take a hit as the agricultural economy is globalized. According
to the report, as other nations adopt a free-trade agenda, California
farmers are forced to compete with food producers in countries where
regulations are weaker and labor costs are lower, ultimately threatening
California’s position at the top of the global food chain. Ultimately,
the increased competition resulting from “free trade” forces farmers
around the world to compromise their bottom line, while a handful
of multinational agribusinesses reap the benefits.
Consolidation in the food sector has resulted in near-monopolistic
conditions. For example, the top three supermarket chains in California
are responsible for 57 percent of all food sales, and many independent
shops have been forced out of business. These trends will only get
worse as global-scale corporations such as Wal-Mart plan major new
expansions into the state.
These trends are not inevitable, claims the report, but rather the
direct outcome of policies that favor economic globalization at
the expense of strong local economies. Californians not only live
with the consequences on their health, food- and economic-security
and environment, they also foot the bill as their tax dollars provide
the largest agribusinesses with significant subsidies and supports.
Shifting that support toward local food economies instead, the study
argues, would benefit farmers and consumers, urban and rural, the
environment and the economy.
Transforming California’s food system will require political will
and concrete action to rebuild local food systems. To that end,
the report points to specific case studies of thriving local food
models and includes action steps and policy recommendations, for
example how to build closer links between farmers and consumers,
and shift subsidies and other supports toward local markets. Ripe
for Change also serves as a resource tool, providing data and
analysis to strengthen educational efforts and policymaking around
the shift toward local food economies.
“There is already a great deal of public support for fresh, healthy,
local food in California, and a wide range of positive initiatives
are underway,” Mamen says. “If we make the shift toward local food
a unifying priority, all Californians can look forward to healthy
food and a secure future.”
The International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC) is a non-profit
organization whose mission is to promote systemic solutions to today’s
social and environmental crises. Its wide-ranging educational work
seeks to reveal the root causes of those crises – from unemployment
to climate change, from ethnic conflict to loss of biodiversity
– while promoting grassroots and policy-level strategies for ecological
and community renewal.
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To obtain a copy of Ripe for Change: Rethinking California’s Food
Economy, or a report summary, contact ISEC at (510) 548-4915 or california@isec.org.uk