The Shopping Cart Economist

First off, I have to apologize - I took the summer off from blogging cause my hubby was gone, so it was just me, the kids, a new job, and 9 graduate hours trying to finish my MBA. Toss in cheering at swim meets, remodeling the exterior of my house, and running a website…well, blogging sort of fell off the radar.

But, some things about the world food market have had me on the edge of my seat….enough that it’s time to make time to blog again about things I see that have some ramification for all of us.

One of the things we did with the exterior remodel was develop a chunk of our yard into garden and switch all of our landscaping (except lawn, roses, and big fir trees) into edible landscaping. First off, I’ll say, I’m not a granola monkey. While I believe that local is probably good for the environment, I am more concerned about how local is good for the economy.

We invested a significant chunk of money into the garden spaces and landscaping. When all is said and done, it will probably take several years to make back what we will save in produce for just what our family will eat. However, if I take the yard we’ve cultivated and grow it to it’s fullest potential, I’d be able to grow well over a few thousand pounds of food in the year. The berry bushes alone, at full maturity, could yield as much as 800 pounds. Then factor in (7) 5x5 raised beds, another (7) 2x3 and 2x4 raised beds, a green house, and several fruit trees, vines, and bushes, and we’re talking a lot of food. I don’t live on a farm…far from it! We just redesigned our yard to be very productive. The only reason we have a lawn is that we have young kids. If push ever came to shove, we still have 3000 sqft of lawn that could be converted to additional garden space.

This year, as a first year gardener, we grew a few hundred pounds of produce….more than my family could possibly eat. When I think of what my yard could produce, and what other people’s yards could produce, then it suddenly isn’t about local because of the environment. It becomes sheer economics of producing food for others to keep them from being hungry.

Even if we looked at our most hungry in America, we still cannot complain about our lot in life too much. The Minister of Welfare in India came out last month and proposed that the
people of India should eat rats for protein because they are accessible and poor people have been doing it forever, so the rest of the country should consider it. He’s so enamored of the idea that the country is going to consider it part of its plan for dealing with hunger.

I am thankful the Secretary of Health of the United States has yet to propose such a plan, but there’s not doubt in my mind that the government should be thinking about long term strategies for dealing with hunger and food security in our own country. Last week’s stock market turmoil and announcements of job layoffs across the country mean a lot of people are going to be struggling for a long time. Foodbanks and emergency feeding programs across the country were already tapped going into the end of 2007 for resources. And with donations to charities almost at a standstill, now would be a good time for Congress to consider a plan to rethink how we feed ourselves and put together a solution that would encourage homeowners across the country to “feed thy neighbor".

Here’s why a tax credit for gardening is a good idea….

1. It helps support the cost of undertaking a yard remodel to an edible backyard, and at the same time, financially supports: farmers who grow seed stock; landscape stores and nurseries; landscape contractors; arborists; and several other related businesses.

2. It incentivizes homeowners to make the switch and make a commitment to becoming micro food producers which has a significant positive impact on the environment.

3. As part of the design of the program, the credit can be taken against donations using the USDA’s fall commodity price sheet that’s published in November to set the value of the donations. So the valuation piece is solved by an existing document authorized by the government. Food banks and emergency feeding centers are already trained to weigh food by the pound for donations. Taking in fresh produce and giving back a Goodwill-style donation slip is a no-brainer.

4. Donations of fresh produce to people who need it the most helps do everything from getting people a better nutritional mix in their diets to creating better eating habits for at-risk children.

5. As a matter of domestic security - with all the food scares we’ve had from bacteria-laden foods being trucked from all over hell and gone, having a better idea of where our food is coming from and how it’s grown and handled goes a long way towards peace of mind for how safe our food supply is.

While the government is busy giving bailouts this week, it would be nice if they would also give an RFP to the people of America and empower folks to find ways to be more self-sufficient, reduce their own personal expenditures and help out a neighbor all at the same time.

A federal tax credit for gardening is a positive first step in solving our own food problems and lets us stave off the idea of eating rats as a solution to hunger in the United States.