June 26, 2024 • 21 mins
In this episode, we delve into the pressing issue of food insecurity in the United States. Join us as we explore what food insecurity looks like across different communities, shedding light on the stark realities many Americans face. We discuss the underlying causes, from economic disparities to systemic challenges, and examine the impacts on health and well-being. Tune in for an insightful conversation that aims to raise awareness and inspire action towards creating a more equitable food system.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
[Music]
(00:08):
Hello and welcome to next Gen PA.
My name is Samuel Pimental and I'm joined today by my co-hosts.
Mohamed Abdou.
And Anish Koka.
As we all know, it's summertime right now.
We got warm sun, heat waves, no school, and it's time for summer internships.
(00:32):
Now, this podcast in particular is affiliated with the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg,
which itself is hosting a summer internship.
And today we are proud to have our interns here to discuss the topic of food insecurity
in the United States.
Now, unfortunately, it's an issue which affects too many people in this country as they can
(00:58):
either not afford to buy food or live in places which do not have access to food.
And those issues, along with others, contributing to food insecurity is what we're here today
to discuss.
Now, I'm very happy to have you both on the podcast today.
And I guess I'm just going to ask a simple, kind of clarifying question of what is food
(01:23):
insecurity and really what do we need to know about it?
The U.S. Department of Agricultural Monitors food Security in the U.S. and while majority
of the U.S. households have access to food security, a minority doesn't.
Something that at some times in the year, household experience lack of access to food and healthy
(01:50):
living due to food resources.
Often causes are income and other resources that may affect access to food during a certain
period in the year.
And talking about minority, it's actually 12.8% of those U.S. households that doesn't have
(02:13):
access to food security throughout the entire year, which would present 17 million of U.S.
households, which for me is a big number and can be considered as very important.
That really, it really is a huge number.
I mean, in a country of, we're about, I'd say, 300 million, 10%.
(02:39):
That's what, 30 million people, I believe?
Yes, 30 million people.
That's 30 million people who don't have access to food and unfortunately there's a lot of
conditions which go around that.
So I actually want to take this question sort of back to where food starts and that's agriculture.
Well, what's really going on with the agricultural side of things that's leading to food insecurity?
(03:04):
Yeah, as you said, agriculture is a big part of food insecurity and while it may not be
the intention of farmers around the U.S.A. to make food less available to the people of
the U.S.A., it does happen a lot.
70% of respondents reported that small land size and low crop yield had a big effect
(03:26):
on food security.
Farmers themselves have a hard time finding land that they can fertilize properly and
grow crop enough crops to sell.
Farmers themselves struggle to grow enough crops and when they struggle, they have to bump
up the prices to make profit.
And sometimes that can lead to people with lower incomes not being able to buy the crops.
(03:50):
And businesses can go bankrupt because they can't buy the crops and people, individual
buyers will be starving because they can't find anywhere with the good price.
Wow.
I mean, and that's the thing too is we have to think about is really what our farmers are
dealing with.
Unfortunately, the land they've been using this sometimes these are farms that have been
(04:12):
passed down to generations.
Oh, a lot of stuff's grown there and the soil just doesn't become as good after a while
which is unfortunate as it leads to less growth and also something interesting I found online
is that about a quarter of our farmers are in debt.
(04:33):
A quarter of farmers are in debt.
Now think about that.
That means one fourth of where food comes from is from people who are fairly affording
to keep that institution which is growing the food sustainable.
Now, I mean, that's a problem and I just I haven't heard anything being done about that specifically.
(04:53):
But I also I just want to ask and open the floor to food insecurity again as a whole and
what is being done either in Pennsylvania or nationally to combat this issue.
So let me go back to this matter of agriculture.
I think to the US Department of Agriculture and looking at the graph, we've noticed a constant
(05:18):
decrease in food insecurity since 2014 and that was in both food insecurity and very low
food security which is another level of food security experienced by 5.1% of population.
And one of the reasons to this increase of food insecurity is related to the end of the
(05:45):
program called Farmers to Consumers in 2021 which leads to a significant increase in food
insecurity and food and low food security in the US since 2022.
Of course one of the reasons is also income which is really common in families below the
(06:12):
poverty line and 36.7% of those family below local poverty line experienced food insecurity.
On the political side of the matter, the federal government in fiscal year 2022 has spent
183 billion adjusted for inflation for food insecurity especially for SNAP which is the largest
(06:40):
program in the US.
And also compared to 2021, we've noticed 1% decrease in those spending from the federal
government which is quite concerning since the rates for food insecurity in 2022 were higher
(07:02):
compared to 2021 but in return the spending will lower which is quite concerning.
That is concerning.
I mean again, we have a lot of problems in this country and I understand there are some
which may be affecting more but to spend less money on something affecting 30 million
(07:23):
people.
About 30 million people is truly, truly awful and I don't think we should be letting that
happen.
Any, do you have anything to say about this?
Yeah, I think this problem should be more prioritized in the government.
I feel like as of today there are so many people that are starving and I feel like this
(07:43):
should be a problem that should be better addressed compared to other problems because it's just
like food is a big deal in the USA.
I mean it really is a big problem unfortunately.
So the thing is what I was reading is we know that in inner cities and places like that
(08:04):
there are food deserts, places where people just can't access food even if they have the
financial means to purchase food, they don't have access to food or I think a problem a
lot of people aren't discussing is the type of food they have access to.
Sure, if let's take downtown Harrisburg for example.
(08:24):
A bunch of great restaurants, absolutely amazing restaurants down there that are about 20 bucks
a plate.
No way you can sustain a family of 20 bucks a plate every day or they have convenience
marks.
Now what type of food is in these convenience marks?
Have you ever been to Turkey Hill or a sheep would be a bad example so I choose Turkey
Hill or 7/11?
(08:46):
It's soda, chips, maybe your frozen food which has less nutrients than what you should
be eating on a daily basis.
So what we're having is people whose entire diets are being based off food which is unhealthy
for them.
It's absolutely terrible.
I'm just curious if you guys have anything else to add about food deserts and places such
(09:11):
that?
Well, the supply for food is definitely being affected a lot and one of the reasons is
this issue of climate change which we heard of a lot because from the farming passes it
turns out climate change is affecting the crops and also really what we're getting at
(09:37):
the end.
And the matter is caused by dry climate, the weather and a lot of issues affecting some
biosis in between natural agents to receive a good agufford supply at the end of the year.
(10:01):
And also one of the reasons affecting food insecurity is state level policies and here
I specify state level policies which is not federal because according to the US Department
of Agriculture that is frequency between states that have managed food insecurity is quite
(10:26):
large and that's first related to the economic conditions of the state and also what is being
done in terms of policies in the state.
Now those rates varies from 6.2% in new hamsterile to 16.6% in Arkansas which is quite a big gap
(10:54):
in between those two states and fortunately for Pennsylvania we'll be low the US average
for food insecurity which is quite good.
That is good but something you just mentioned which I really want to emphasize is you brought
up the states of new hamster in Arkansas which if you know anything about these states
(11:15):
Arkansas is a very agriculturally based state.
Now how is it an agriculture based state they have higher food insecurity.
I mean I know that there's a lot of poverty in Arkansas which is very unfortunate but the
fact of the matter is that they are an agriculture based state and despite fact they are growing
(11:36):
the crops there people cannot get access to them and that is honestly a crime against the
people in the state of Arkansas.
Now Anish I guess back to the agricultural point is what do you think of how we're going
to help farmers be able to combat this.
How are we going to be able to help them to grow food and be able to get it at affordable
(11:58):
prices so that people can stop dying and starving.
I mean how are we going to be able to stop that.
Well I think the main issue here is the amount of money that's going around here.
If you took an economic challenge for businesses and households right it goes in between.
The farmers in this case are businesses and the households are people who buy the food
(12:23):
right.
So the businesses should be getting more money so they can produce more but the thing
about farmers is they don't get a high salary at the same time they don't really have
much to start with so they can't really get a push off from the beginning.
I think what the government should do is they should set aside a certain grant for farmers
(12:46):
in not only Arkansas but like the entire nation going back to Arkansas they should be able
to farmers should be able to get a stable farmland and have a good amount of money to
slake so that the prices can be lowered and they can still get profit.
So the thing about farmers is they feel pressured to make the prices go up a little so they can
(13:06):
make even a tiny profit so they can feed themselves.
So if they got more money and if they like got a grant and if they were more stable then
I think the prices they wouldn't be so pressured to increase the prices and they would like make
the prices a little more fair so they can still have profit but it's still manageable
(13:27):
for people of poverty.
And that's really I think kind of the crime in a way another part of the crime is if there
should be nobody that denies that farming is an incredibly important job.
I mean it's how we eat, it's how we survive and the fact of the matter is that we're letting
these people who are helping to grow our food live in poverty themselves.
(13:52):
I mean they have an incredibly essential job which I don't know how any nation let alone
one with 300 million people can survive.
So I definitely agree with your take on we need to be help subsidizing them making sure
that they can be more competitive and not have to overcharge on prices just so they can
make sure that their family has food on the table.
(14:15):
And I'm curious I guess to ask of how can we make sure that each state is going to be
able to do their part in helping out not just our farmers but the people suffering from this
issue.
What can each state or just the nation impose upon to help people?
Well here's here's some if the farmers themselves aren't supported good enough then they tend
(14:41):
to live this area and the US tend to export more food which when we have competitive advantage
on a certain product and we end up importing this product turns out with a higher cost
then producing the food locally which will also increase the pricing of the food.
(15:08):
And also a big reason like always to food insecurity is really this matter of income and
there's a wide set up we can see unemployment and also depending on the regions our people
willing to go and find a job and provide for themselves and their families.
(15:35):
So there's a whole concept of this system which can provide people food or access to food
throughout the year because we also have to see that food insecurity can happen at a certain
point of the year a specific point of the year.
(15:55):
It doesn't have to be for the whole year but we know unemployment happen and life circumstances
can happen to impact food insecurity.
You mentioned something which I really didn't even think about until now however is you're
right if we can't grow food in our own country we're going to have to import food which in
(16:17):
an emergency case or a case of desperation makes sense but I would much rather I'm pretty
sure most people would agree I'd much rather get food from say Pennsylvania Georgia Virginia
somewhere a bit more local versus halfway across the world as there's a lot of problems
(16:38):
with that one you mentioned cost cost it goes up having to ship import there's tariffs
or anything like that it just raises the price of food and also the quality of that food
I mean you can't tell me that food from a farm 30 minutes away from center city Harrisburg
(16:58):
PA or a farm 12 hour flight from Harrisburg PA you can't tell me the 12 hour flight food
is going to be better.
Now to bring a point to this we talk a lot on this podcast about education and the value
of it and helping people out with it and I'm curious to get your guys's opinion on should
(17:21):
we be incentivizing even more than we already are incentivizing young people to become farmers
to become interested in agriculture I know we have programs such as FFA but what do you guys
think do you think we should be taking that further to make sure that we are raising a great
next generation of farmers curious to hear you guys's opinion on that.
(17:46):
I feel like the advertisement when it comes to farming in local schools districts and
even counties is very limited and I feel like farming should be like seen as a legitimate
career instead of just something like something that gives you food or just something that's
(18:08):
there as an option.
Farmers should be considered as like up there with like something with a agree holder
like a doctor or lawyer that they're just as important if not more.
Farmers should be more incorporated in schools lessons so that students can see as more
of an option.
I definitely agree with that.
Mohamed do you have anything to add to this?
(18:29):
Well I think he has the thing it either you create an incentive for people to go and farm
to provide a good supply for the population or you import food with a higher cost.
So of course there's always this matter of comparative advantage on the food production
(18:56):
but same time there's a lot going on in the farming industry with the US can also take advantage
of which is like creating employment for all those people which will generate income for
themselves and same time providing a good supply for the US population.
(19:23):
So I think there should be more programs to create incentives for more people to go into
the field and yeah the economy and also the food supply.
Again those these are all just amazing points and things we should really be taking into
consideration.
(19:43):
I mean I think it was an issue mentioned lawyers and doctors to very well paying jobs and
to very essential jobs.
But the thing is if there's no farmer you're going to have to go to the doctor because you're
sick right.
I mean we take the doctor as essential which I do definitely believe they are essential workers
(20:05):
and should be honored as such but we need that farmer to make sure that you have the food
and the good quality food so you're not getting sick and I really do think that we need to
teach kids that this is a legitimate career path.
Now this has just been an absolutely amazing discussion and I want to thank you both for
(20:31):
being part of it.
As I think there's just so much to this topic that we need people to start acting on.
We need to start having our legislatures or senators or people in the executive branch
really paying attention to this issue, this issue of agriculture, food insecurity, food
deserts.
It's not going to get better.
(20:53):
There's no future where if you do nothing and just hope and pray it's going to get better.
It's not and what we need to do is we need to be taking action and I hope that more conversations
like this start sprouting up across the country so we can finally take action into helping
the staff, the starvation going on.
(21:14):
Thank you.
Next GenPA is a podcast from the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg.
For more information on the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg visit our website at
www.charersburg.org.
[Music]
(00:08):
Hello and welcome to next Gen PA.
My name is Samuel Pimental and I'm joined today by my co-hosts.
Mohamed Abdou.
And Anish Koka.
As we all know, it's summertime right now.
We got warm sun, heat waves, no school, and it's time for summer internships.
(00:32):
Now, this podcast in particular is affiliated with the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg,
which itself is hosting a summer internship.
And today we are proud to have our interns here to discuss the topic of food insecurity
in the United States.
Now, unfortunately, it's an issue which affects too many people in this country as they can
(00:58):
either not afford to buy food or live in places which do not have access to food.
And those issues, along with others, contributing to food insecurity is what we're here today
to discuss.
Now, I'm very happy to have you both on the podcast today.
And I guess I'm just going to ask a simple, kind of clarifying question of what is food
(01:23):
insecurity and really what do we need to know about it?
The U.S. Department of Agricultural Monitors food Security in the U.S. and while majority
of the U.S. households have access to food security, a minority doesn't.
Something that at some times in the year, household experience lack of access to food and healthy
(01:50):
living due to food resources.
Often causes are income and other resources that may affect access to food during a certain
period in the year.
And talking about minority, it's actually 12.8% of those U.S. households that doesn't have
(02:13):
access to food security throughout the entire year, which would present 17 million of U.S.
households, which for me is a big number and can be considered as very important.
That really, it really is a huge number.
I mean, in a country of, we're about, I'd say, 300 million, 10%.
(02:39):
That's what, 30 million people, I believe?
Yes, 30 million people.
That's 30 million people who don't have access to food and unfortunately there's a lot of
conditions which go around that.
So I actually want to take this question sort of back to where food starts and that's agriculture.
Well, what's really going on with the agricultural side of things that's leading to food insecurity?
(03:04):
Yeah, as you said, agriculture is a big part of food insecurity and while it may not be
the intention of farmers around the U.S.A. to make food less available to the people of
the U.S.A., it does happen a lot.
70% of respondents reported that small land size and low crop yield had a big effect
(03:26):
on food security.
Farmers themselves have a hard time finding land that they can fertilize properly and
grow crop enough crops to sell.
Farmers themselves struggle to grow enough crops and when they struggle, they have to bump
up the prices to make profit.
And sometimes that can lead to people with lower incomes not being able to buy the crops.
(03:50):
And businesses can go bankrupt because they can't buy the crops and people, individual
buyers will be starving because they can't find anywhere with the good price.
Wow.
I mean, and that's the thing too is we have to think about is really what our farmers are
dealing with.
Unfortunately, the land they've been using this sometimes these are farms that have been
(04:12):
passed down to generations.
Oh, a lot of stuff's grown there and the soil just doesn't become as good after a while
which is unfortunate as it leads to less growth and also something interesting I found online
is that about a quarter of our farmers are in debt.
(04:33):
A quarter of farmers are in debt.
Now think about that.
That means one fourth of where food comes from is from people who are fairly affording
to keep that institution which is growing the food sustainable.
Now, I mean, that's a problem and I just I haven't heard anything being done about that specifically.
(04:53):
But I also I just want to ask and open the floor to food insecurity again as a whole and
what is being done either in Pennsylvania or nationally to combat this issue.
So let me go back to this matter of agriculture.
I think to the US Department of Agriculture and looking at the graph, we've noticed a constant
(05:18):
decrease in food insecurity since 2014 and that was in both food insecurity and very low
food security which is another level of food security experienced by 5.1% of population.
And one of the reasons to this increase of food insecurity is related to the end of the
(05:45):
program called Farmers to Consumers in 2021 which leads to a significant increase in food
insecurity and food and low food security in the US since 2022.
Of course one of the reasons is also income which is really common in families below the
(06:12):
poverty line and 36.7% of those family below local poverty line experienced food insecurity.
On the political side of the matter, the federal government in fiscal year 2022 has spent
183 billion adjusted for inflation for food insecurity especially for SNAP which is the largest
(06:40):
program in the US.
And also compared to 2021, we've noticed 1% decrease in those spending from the federal
government which is quite concerning since the rates for food insecurity in 2022 were higher
(07:02):
compared to 2021 but in return the spending will lower which is quite concerning.
That is concerning.
I mean again, we have a lot of problems in this country and I understand there are some
which may be affecting more but to spend less money on something affecting 30 million
(07:23):
people.
About 30 million people is truly, truly awful and I don't think we should be letting that
happen.
Any, do you have anything to say about this?
Yeah, I think this problem should be more prioritized in the government.
I feel like as of today there are so many people that are starving and I feel like this
(07:43):
should be a problem that should be better addressed compared to other problems because it's just
like food is a big deal in the USA.
I mean it really is a big problem unfortunately.
So the thing is what I was reading is we know that in inner cities and places like that
(08:04):
there are food deserts, places where people just can't access food even if they have the
financial means to purchase food, they don't have access to food or I think a problem a
lot of people aren't discussing is the type of food they have access to.
Sure, if let's take downtown Harrisburg for example.
(08:24):
A bunch of great restaurants, absolutely amazing restaurants down there that are about 20 bucks
a plate.
No way you can sustain a family of 20 bucks a plate every day or they have convenience
marks.
Now what type of food is in these convenience marks?
Have you ever been to Turkey Hill or a sheep would be a bad example so I choose Turkey
Hill or 7/11?
(08:46):
It's soda, chips, maybe your frozen food which has less nutrients than what you should
be eating on a daily basis.
So what we're having is people whose entire diets are being based off food which is unhealthy
for them.
It's absolutely terrible.
I'm just curious if you guys have anything else to add about food deserts and places such
(09:11):
that?
Well, the supply for food is definitely being affected a lot and one of the reasons is
this issue of climate change which we heard of a lot because from the farming passes it
turns out climate change is affecting the crops and also really what we're getting at
(09:37):
the end.
And the matter is caused by dry climate, the weather and a lot of issues affecting some
biosis in between natural agents to receive a good agufford supply at the end of the year.
(10:01):
And also one of the reasons affecting food insecurity is state level policies and here
I specify state level policies which is not federal because according to the US Department
of Agriculture that is frequency between states that have managed food insecurity is quite
(10:26):
large and that's first related to the economic conditions of the state and also what is being
done in terms of policies in the state.
Now those rates varies from 6.2% in new hamsterile to 16.6% in Arkansas which is quite a big gap
(10:54):
in between those two states and fortunately for Pennsylvania we'll be low the US average
for food insecurity which is quite good.
That is good but something you just mentioned which I really want to emphasize is you brought
up the states of new hamster in Arkansas which if you know anything about these states
(11:15):
Arkansas is a very agriculturally based state.
Now how is it an agriculture based state they have higher food insecurity.
I mean I know that there's a lot of poverty in Arkansas which is very unfortunate but the
fact of the matter is that they are an agriculture based state and despite fact they are growing
(11:36):
the crops there people cannot get access to them and that is honestly a crime against the
people in the state of Arkansas.
Now Anish I guess back to the agricultural point is what do you think of how we're going
to help farmers be able to combat this.
How are we going to be able to help them to grow food and be able to get it at affordable
(11:58):
prices so that people can stop dying and starving.
I mean how are we going to be able to stop that.
Well I think the main issue here is the amount of money that's going around here.
If you took an economic challenge for businesses and households right it goes in between.
The farmers in this case are businesses and the households are people who buy the food
(12:23):
right.
So the businesses should be getting more money so they can produce more but the thing
about farmers is they don't get a high salary at the same time they don't really have
much to start with so they can't really get a push off from the beginning.
I think what the government should do is they should set aside a certain grant for farmers
(12:46):
in not only Arkansas but like the entire nation going back to Arkansas they should be able
to farmers should be able to get a stable farmland and have a good amount of money to
slake so that the prices can be lowered and they can still get profit.
So the thing about farmers is they feel pressured to make the prices go up a little so they can
(13:06):
make even a tiny profit so they can feed themselves.
So if they got more money and if they like got a grant and if they were more stable then
I think the prices they wouldn't be so pressured to increase the prices and they would like make
the prices a little more fair so they can still have profit but it's still manageable
(13:27):
for people of poverty.
And that's really I think kind of the crime in a way another part of the crime is if there
should be nobody that denies that farming is an incredibly important job.
I mean it's how we eat, it's how we survive and the fact of the matter is that we're letting
these people who are helping to grow our food live in poverty themselves.
(13:52):
I mean they have an incredibly essential job which I don't know how any nation let alone
one with 300 million people can survive.
So I definitely agree with your take on we need to be help subsidizing them making sure
that they can be more competitive and not have to overcharge on prices just so they can
make sure that their family has food on the table.
(14:15):
And I'm curious I guess to ask of how can we make sure that each state is going to be
able to do their part in helping out not just our farmers but the people suffering from this
issue.
What can each state or just the nation impose upon to help people?
Well here's here's some if the farmers themselves aren't supported good enough then they tend
(14:41):
to live this area and the US tend to export more food which when we have competitive advantage
on a certain product and we end up importing this product turns out with a higher cost
then producing the food locally which will also increase the pricing of the food.
(15:08):
And also a big reason like always to food insecurity is really this matter of income and
there's a wide set up we can see unemployment and also depending on the regions our people
willing to go and find a job and provide for themselves and their families.
(15:35):
So there's a whole concept of this system which can provide people food or access to food
throughout the year because we also have to see that food insecurity can happen at a certain
point of the year a specific point of the year.
(15:55):
It doesn't have to be for the whole year but we know unemployment happen and life circumstances
can happen to impact food insecurity.
You mentioned something which I really didn't even think about until now however is you're
right if we can't grow food in our own country we're going to have to import food which in
(16:17):
an emergency case or a case of desperation makes sense but I would much rather I'm pretty
sure most people would agree I'd much rather get food from say Pennsylvania Georgia Virginia
somewhere a bit more local versus halfway across the world as there's a lot of problems
(16:38):
with that one you mentioned cost cost it goes up having to ship import there's tariffs
or anything like that it just raises the price of food and also the quality of that food
I mean you can't tell me that food from a farm 30 minutes away from center city Harrisburg
(16:58):
PA or a farm 12 hour flight from Harrisburg PA you can't tell me the 12 hour flight food
is going to be better.
Now to bring a point to this we talk a lot on this podcast about education and the value
of it and helping people out with it and I'm curious to get your guys's opinion on should
(17:21):
we be incentivizing even more than we already are incentivizing young people to become farmers
to become interested in agriculture I know we have programs such as FFA but what do you guys
think do you think we should be taking that further to make sure that we are raising a great
next generation of farmers curious to hear you guys's opinion on that.
(17:46):
I feel like the advertisement when it comes to farming in local schools districts and
even counties is very limited and I feel like farming should be like seen as a legitimate
career instead of just something like something that gives you food or just something that's
(18:08):
there as an option.
Farmers should be considered as like up there with like something with a agree holder
like a doctor or lawyer that they're just as important if not more.
Farmers should be more incorporated in schools lessons so that students can see as more
of an option.
I definitely agree with that.
Mohamed do you have anything to add to this?
(18:29):
Well I think he has the thing it either you create an incentive for people to go and farm
to provide a good supply for the population or you import food with a higher cost.
So of course there's always this matter of comparative advantage on the food production
(18:56):
but same time there's a lot going on in the farming industry with the US can also take advantage
of which is like creating employment for all those people which will generate income for
themselves and same time providing a good supply for the US population.
(19:23):
So I think there should be more programs to create incentives for more people to go into
the field and yeah the economy and also the food supply.
Again those these are all just amazing points and things we should really be taking into
consideration.
(19:43):
I mean I think it was an issue mentioned lawyers and doctors to very well paying jobs and
to very essential jobs.
But the thing is if there's no farmer you're going to have to go to the doctor because you're
sick right.
I mean we take the doctor as essential which I do definitely believe they are essential workers
(20:05):
and should be honored as such but we need that farmer to make sure that you have the food
and the good quality food so you're not getting sick and I really do think that we need to
teach kids that this is a legitimate career path.
Now this has just been an absolutely amazing discussion and I want to thank you both for
(20:31):
being part of it.
As I think there's just so much to this topic that we need people to start acting on.
We need to start having our legislatures or senators or people in the executive branch
really paying attention to this issue, this issue of agriculture, food insecurity, food
deserts.
It's not going to get better.
(20:53):
There's no future where if you do nothing and just hope and pray it's going to get better.
It's not and what we need to do is we need to be taking action and I hope that more conversations
like this start sprouting up across the country so we can finally take action into helping
the staff, the starvation going on.
(21:14):
Thank you.
Next GenPA is a podcast from the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg.
For more information on the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg visit our website at
www.charersburg.org.
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