by Meredith Bowen

 

“Essential business,” it’s the hot button phrase of the hour. But what is an essential business? How do we define it? What we deem essential is strongly affected by what position of privilege we come from. Essential needs; food, shelter, safety. But let’s go back to the first word. Food. Nourishment. I think we can all agree food is essential to life. But how many of us are thinking about where our food is grown? Where is it sourced? I am going to go a step further. Locally sourced food is essential to life. 

Just after the shelter-in-place order was issued, I was having a conversation with someone about the idea of an essential business. Almost in passing, they said to me, “an organic produce farm is not an essential business.” Hold your fire, I think they meant in the grand scheme of grocery stores, pharmacies, and other vital services, a small organic farm selling high-quality produce to restaurants and members of the upper and upper middle class was not necessarily “essential”.  But why is it we see our local produce in this way? According to this directory on Farmers Markets Online, there are nearly a hundred open air farmers markets throughout Georgia. Given the amount of produce going directly to Georgians through this channel, and not including the amount sold through CSA, farmboxes or other means, we start to see just how vital local agriculture is in our state.

 Under Section 6 Part F of the executive order made by Mayor Keisha Bottoms in March farms, farmers markets, and produce stands are considered essential businesses permitted to continue running during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a powerful statement the city has made in regard to our local food systems. Of course grocery stores are essential, but if they are essential then the farms supplying them must also be essential.  But here the city is saying not just any farm, but the farms within our very community are essential. Our farmers.

And rightfully so, according to the FDA, 20% of food in this U.S. is imported. Within that 20%, 35% of it is fresh produce (source). But in the state of Georgia, agriculture is one of our main exports. It generates $73.3 billion annually, while agriculture and its related fields employ one in every seven Georgians (source). It is true many Georgia farms supply produce to hip local restaurants, but currently that supply chain is disrupted. And why is it necessary to go to a fancy restaurant to get locally grown food? And why is locally grown, fresh food only available to those of privilege? Essentially how can we make locally grown food more universally accessible?

The City of Atlanta has made one step in the right direction by doubling the value of SNAP/EBT dollars at most farmer’s markets. The city’s efforts towards increasing fresh food access are apparent in Aglanta’s 2020 Fresh Food Access Report. According to the report 52% of the city’s population lived in USDA-defined Low Income Low Access (LILA) areas. In 2020 that number shrank to 30%, due in no small part to the expansion of community farmer’s markets. While there is always more work to be done, we as a city have made a clear statement: Good, fresh food is essential, and we are going to grow it ourselves.  

If you’re interested in adding more local food to your diet, Aglanta provides a list of options for free and reduced-price food access, paid access to food delivery, farmers markets that are open, and other ways you can get locally grown food into your fridge whether we are in a global pandemic or not.  

Meredith is GreenATLiens’ Foodie ATLien writing and reporting on all things sustainable food systems in Atlanta. She is an actor and a low-waster transplant originally from Cincinnati, OH. She will likely talk your ear off about locally grown food, carbon emissions, or animal welfare. But when she is not, she can be found hiking with her dog, kayaking, or riding her horse. Her latest obsession is the connection between growing your own food and the rich fertilizer that is manure. In short, she’s trying to grow tomatoes out of horse poop. She also does stand up comedy.