Julie Pratt - Land of Plenty

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About This Issue Guide

The purpose of this issue guide is to help us talk productively about a difficult issue that concerns all of us.

Deliberation

Its not a debate. Its not a contest. Its not even about reaching agreement or seeing eye-to-eye. Its about looking for a shared direction, guided by what we most value.

Its about examining the costs and consequences of possible solutions to daunting problems, and finding out what we, as a society, would or would not accept as a solution.

A Framework

This guide outlines several alternative ways of looking at the issue, each rooted in a shared concern. It provides strategic facts associated with each approach, and suggests the benefits and drawbacks of possible solutions. We engage in deliberation by:

getting beyond the initial positions we hold to our deeper motivationsthat is, the things we most care about, such as safety, freedom, or fairness;

carefully weighing the views of others and recognizing the impact various options would have on what others consider valuable;

working through the conflicting emotions that arise when various options pull and tug on what weand othersconsider valuable.

It is important to remember that, as a group, we are dealing with broader underlying concerns that are not defined by party affiliation, and that your work here is to dig down to the basic values that define us as human beings and Americans, rather than as liberals and conservatives.

How the Guide was Developed

Teams of people from a dozen communities across the country helped develop this guide. They talked with local residents about their concerns and ideas related to food, gathered information from experts, and created the framework for the guide. Their organizations are listed on the last page of the guide.

One Effective Way to Hold a Deliberative Forum

Introduce the topic to be deliberated.

Ask people to describe how the issue has affected themORAsk people how the issue has played out in their community.

Consider each option one at a time. Allow equal time for each.

Review the conversation as a group, identifying any areas of common ground as well as issues that must still be worked through. Allow enough time for this.

Forums typically last two hours, more or less. Forums can also be held as a series of several meetings, giving people more time to talk and consider what actions they might take.

Ground Rules for a Forum

Before the deliberation begins, it is important for participants to review guidelines for their discussion:

Focus on the options

All options should be considered fairly

No one or two individuals dominate

Maintain an open and respectful atmosphere

Everyone is encouraged to participate

Listen to each other

CONTENTS

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T he nations food system affects all of us, for better and for worse.

We have much to be grateful for, on the one hand. Our farms, ranches, and fisheries produce more food than we need to feed our entire population. We have what many experts say is the safest food in the world. Most grocery shoppers can find an ample array of produce and other fresh food year-round and within a couple miles of home.

But all is not well in our land of plenty. Our communities still include families who run out of food before the end of the month, children who come to school hungry, and people on fixed incomes who sometimes have to choose between food and other necessities.

Our concerns go beyond people having enough to eat. We also need food that is nutritious. We must have grocery stores that are within our reach with whatever transportation is available to us. We need information, skills, and time for preparing meals. We value food that supports our cultural and family traditions. And finally, we count on a food system that is responsible and sustainable over the long term.

These hopes are echoed in a report by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council, which convened a diverse group of experts to examine the food system and ways to assess its impact. The group proposed that an ideal food system should support human health; be nutritionally adequate and affordable and provide accessible food for all in a manner that provides a decent living for farmers and farm workers; and protect natural resources and animal welfare while minimizing environmental impacts.

By food system, we mean all the various steps required to bring food from producers to our plates. A food system involves four interdependent parts: production, processing, distribution, and consumption. In each step, decisions must be made about methods and efficiencies, including how we reduce, divert, or dispose of the waste produced.

Food systems can be local, regional, national, or global in scale. Together, these systems have profound effects on the economy. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), American consumers, businesses, and government entities spent $1.46 trillion on food and beverages in 2014. One in every seven workers in the United States is employed in food-system jobs (production, processing, distribution, retail, and service) according to No Piece of the Pie, a 2016 report from the Food Chain Workers Alliance.

Adapted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Food Production Chart

There is no one right way to build a food system that works for all of us. Rather, it is an ongoing process of examining issues and considering various actions and their potential consequences. Many of these issues are more than professional or technical matters; they also require the active participation of community members regarding what matters most to us.

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