Item B: Sustainability Commission Recommendations

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number of productive organic and conventional farms, but still we are highly dependent on food imported from outside the Valley. Today, we grow only 2-5 percent of our annual food consumption within the Willamette Valley. In contrast in the 1950’s and 1960’s more than 75 percent of the food we ate was grown in the Willamette Valley. Under the current food system, Eugene is also vulnerable to food borne diseases. Outbreaks of E. coli and other bacteria have become common from food imported into the US. There is also an increasing number of food contamination issues and associated food recalls for products made outside the US. Eugene and the lower Willamette Valley have fertile soils and a mild climate suitable for growing a wide variety of foods, ranging from vegetables and orchard fruits to beans and grains. It is estimated that with our current agricultural acreage the Willamette Valley could provide food for all of its residents. Although staples such as vegetables and grains were once grown in quantity in our valley, for the past three decades, due to the economics of industrialized agriculture, valley farmers have specialized in ornamental grass seed production which now accounts for approximately 60% of the acreage farmed. Food crops currently only occupy 18% of the Willamette Valley agricultural lands. In Lane County we are fortunate to have a number of productive organic and conventional farms, but still we are highly dependent on food imported from outside. In Eugene today, only 2-5 percent of our annual food consumption is grown within the Willamette Valley. In contrast to the 1950’s and 1960’s when more than 75 percent of the food we ate was grown in the Willamette Valley. There are currently 40,000 people in Lane County below the poverty line, at risk of hunger and malnutrition. The current economic recession is putting even more families at risk of hunger. A food security plan for Eugene/Lane County would take steps to ensure that the needs of the whole community as well as the most vulnerable families and individuals are more adequately met in the future. If a natural disaster or local catastrophic emergency occurred in Eugene or surrounding Lane County the local food system is not sufficiently prepared to feed our local community for more than a few days. For example, if Interstate Five became unusable due to an emergency the local food supply in supermarkets would be expended within an estimated 3 to 4 days. This highlights an urgency for food security to be addressed now to help avoid lack of preparedness during an emergency. 3. How Would a Food Security Plan Benefit the Community? The local economy would benefit from a more secure food system. The localization of much of our food supply would increase local agricultural viability, enhancing crop diversity and providing local consumers with more of their produce from local sources. An expansion of our local farmer’s market system could create local jobs as well as encouraging many local farmers to grow more food crops for the community reaping the benefits of direct sales of their product to the consumer. Rather than sending 95% or more of the 48 million dollars a month spent on food in Lane County out of the region, it would be a boost to our local economy to keep as many of those dollars circulating locally as possible. In a soon-to-be-released book titled, “Community Food Enterprise: Local success in a global market place”, it’s noted that, “A growing body of literature highlights the importance of local ownership for lasting economic development in the U.S. and abroad. Compared to non-local businesses, locally-owned enterprises produce more community wealth by spending more money at home, build stability by staying put for the long term, contribute to rising labor and environmental standards by adapting to new expectations more readily, and foster greater community resilience by reinforcing political participation and entrepreneurship.” Both the Federal government and Oregon Department of Energy have stated that in the next few years petroleum prices are highly likely to increase. These fuel price rises will probably continue to increase the cost of food while decreasing its availability to some people within the community. The recent trend of rising food prices has Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090209\S090209B.doc