Reading response: “The scarcity fallacy;” Jenkins, Peterson and Scanlan

Hunger, or food scarcity, is one of the most pressing issues in the world today, but it’s hard to pinpoint its cause and how to remedy it. The world’s farmers are producing more food than ever before, and the amount of food per capita is also at an all-time high. Despite this, the problem of food scarcity is increasing as many people, especially in developing countries, do not have access to a reliable food supply. From a social science perspective, the amount of food isn’t the problem, rather the way the food is distributed and who can access it. Income, gender and class stratification allocate food to those who are deemed most worthy. This can be seen especially in third-world countries where there is little protection for the underprivileged.
The issue of food scarcity can be attributed to other factors as well. A statistic was cited in the article, stating that the amount of corn used to make enough ethanol to fill an SUV’s fuel tank could feed one person for an entire year. While I have my doubts about the actual validity of that figure, it brings about an important point. Much of the corn and other crops produced go into fuel production, not directly to humans, causing conflicts between competing interests. Finally, many countries are nearly entirely dependent on imports for their food supply. There are many reasons for this, including lack of agricultural knowledge and infrastructure. The only way to make these countries self sufficient is to give them the tools and knowledge to help themselves.
Before fingers are pointed and blame is placed, it is important to remember a few key things. Farmers produce for a perfectly competitive market, meaning they are price-takers, not price makers and most often have little control over where their crops are sold and how they are used. They cannot be blamed for world hunger. The long term solution is to strengthen the agricultural economies of developing countries and help them transition from subsistence farming to the large-scale type which will have the ability to feed that nation and generate income. Projects such as these are already underway in places such as Afghanistan where the US military is working to help farmers escape pressure from the Taliban to grow opium poppies and instead grow legal food crops. These types of projects are what may have potential to begin to alleviate the problem of world hunger.

Discussion questions:

At what level should the problem of hunger be addressed? On an individual basis, by country?

Whose responsibility is it to alleviate world hunger?

What does expansion of world agricultural markets do to the US agricultural sector?

Examples of US work to rebuid Afghan ag:
'Guard Farmers' join counterinsurgency fight in Afghanistan
USAID Afghanistan: From Opium to Onions

Reading response: "Sweet Charity" by Janet Poppendeick

This week’s readings addressed the problem of poverty and hunger and the underlying causes of these issues. According to Poppendieck and data compiled by Second Harvest, the majority of people using food banks, soup kitchens and other food assistance programs are female and/or elderly and are often a racial minority. However due to economic cycles and widespread structural unemployment, it is becoming more common to see entire families looking for handouts and eating at soup kitchens. This is especially prevalent in areas that have been hit by the loss of a specific industry, such as the Iron Belt which was crippled by the recent downturn of the auto industry. In nearly all cases, the people assisted fall below the poverty line. This threshold is defined as the ability or inability to spend no more than one-third of your income to purchase nutritionally adequate food. Very few people spend that much of their income on food, so the standard is somewhat out-of-date.
Food banks, soup kitchens and similar assistance programs arose out of need. In previous times, a person or family needing help would turn to their church for assistance. Others would look to their neighbor, as sharing of resources was far more common, especially in rural, agricultural communities. Because such options are not as readily available now, assistance programs have been implemented.
The Social Constructionist view of hunger defines it as a societal problem, not simply a personal one that is caused by laziness, lack of motivation, etc. Hunger is instead seen as a symptom of a larger problem and is also used to project an image of the problem to all of society.
One thing that really caught my attention was the example of the abuse of food stamps. While the system is not perfect and never can be, there should be a way to prevent the misuse of food stamps in order for a person to purchase things such as liquor and cigarettes. In addition, I feel that unhealthy processed foods should be barred from the food stamp and other assistance programs. Instead, only allowing use of food stamps to purchase staples such as flour, pasta, beans, powdered milk, etc would encourage healthier eating habits and reduce health care costs that would likely fall to taxpayers anyway. It is not that difficult to cook healthy (and good) meals with a few basic ingredients, it just takes a little initiative and the desire to help yourself not depend on other people.

Discussion questions:

How could the food assistance program be revamped to prevent abuse of the system?

How has public perception of food assistance programs changed in the past few years, especially in light of the current economic situation?

Reading response: “The McDonaldization of Society” George Ritzer

This article, written by George Ritzer, presents McDonalds and the efficiency associated with fast food production as a component of sociological change. Presented in this context, the fast food giant is a metaphor for the rationalization of society. In other words, we are becoming more concerned about speed, ease and efficiency of food preparation than we are about taste, nutrition and actually sitting down to a meal. Ritzer defines rationalization as a process in which a great deal of emphasis is placed on finding the fastest or most optimum means to an end. He includes a number of examples of rationalization in both history and the modern world. One of these is the example of a camping trip. In the past, camping involved a certain amount of unpredicatability. It could rain, your tent could leak, a bear could raid your campsite, you might need to go in the woods, it was an adventure. Now, you can pull your 40’ RV into a paved campsite, hook up to water and electricity, and essentially remove all the uncertainty from the trip. Ritzer grants that there are still people that pitch their tents in the middle of nowhere with the bears, just as there are still people who cook from scratch, but as a whole, the rationalization or “McDonaldization” of society is a rapidly growing trend.

This trend is not only rapidly overtaking society, but is also causing a number of changes outside of diet. At home, I was always fortunate to sit down to a home-cooked meal nearly every night. And it was a real home-cooked meal, not something simply reheated or rehydrated. This also led to family bonding time, discussions that revolved around various topics, usually controversial, and in general, led us to appreciate the food we were eating and the company we were with. Even more importantly, it led to a strong sense of family and values. While I feel that the McDonaldization of society, at least in terms of fast food, is partially responsible for the unhealthy eating habits of today, I also firmly believe that it has at least some small role in the erosion of family values. Rationalization and efficiency is extremely important, especially in terms of feeding our ever-growing population, however it shouldn’t be consuming our lives.

Questions:
What are some of the benefits of increased rationalization of society?

What affects does this trend have on less-developed societies?