Social program design and implementation

Social Program

Hunger is a very prominent problem, particularly in the third world, today. Problems such as the lack of ecological responsibility or indeed a lack of knowledge and resources often creates food insecurity. This is an issue that can be dealt with if the correct strategies are implemented. Food insecurity is for example more often a problem of distribution than supply. This means that having to transport food products over long distances to reach communities is a problem not only of cost, but also of making degradable products available to these communities. A solution that is offered by this proposal relates to decentralizing and localizing the production of food as much as possible. In this way, more self-sufficient communities can be created, and food insecurity partially addressed while reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Not only food insecurity is then alleviated, but many of the concomitant ecological and employment problems so often associated with poverty and food scarcity. This is particularly so in the United States, which, despite the many financial and other resources at the country's disposal, is not doing nearly enough to address not only the ecological, but also the social problems it faces.

THE PROBLEM

To the credit of the Federal Government, it is making attempts to address the issue of food insecurity in the country. Indeed, numerous federal programs are currently in place to address the issue (such as the Food Stamp Program and WIC). In addition, other solutions are currently under consideration in Congress. It is therefore not as much a matter of ignoring the problem or being unaware of it; instead, the core of the problem lies in the fact that the programs currently in place, and indeed those that are being considered, do not address one of the major weaknesses in the entire food system of the U.S. The problem is that it is based on an unsustainable model. This is the crux of the matter. To demonstrate, packaged food that is typically available at grocery outlets travel over and average of 1,000 miles from its origin. The problem is a lack of balance between production, delivery, and availability to all the communities in need of food products. As mentioned above, many environmental, social, and political costs are entailed in the oil dependency created by this system. Transport over large distances require a large amount of oil and fuel, leading to an exacerbation of gas emissions and transport-related pollution. Combined with this, the an impending "peak" in production is a recipe for disaster.

DEMOGRAPHICS

The demographics related to the problem are significant in demonstrating the specific poverty levels and racial discrepancies within the country. When food insecurity is therefore effectively addressed, minority communities can be uplifted to become part of the American way of life in a sustainable and viable way. The statistics demonstrate the demographic inequalities: According to the Food Research and Action Center (hereafter referred to as FRAC), as of 2005, 35.1 million people in the U.S. - over 10% of the population - were experiencing "food insecurity." Among African-Americans and Hispanic populations, this percentage is considerably higher, at 22.4% and 17.9% respectively (Adach-Vollinger, 2006). According to FRAC, the ten states where food insecurity is most likely include the West and South: New Mexico, Mississippi, Texas, South Carolina, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Utah, Idaho, North Carolina and Tennessee. Clearly, if the American Government were to be truly concerned with creating prosperity for all its citizens, these communities and their needs should be urgently addressed with sustainable programs.

PROPOSAL