Community Cohesion Through Food Security

When American psychologist Abraham Maslow introduced the Hierarchy of Needs in his seminal work A Theory of Human Motivation, he presented a pyramid that listed the most important, fundamental needs of humans toward the bottom. Food, Water, Breathing, and Sleep were among the needs supporting the base of the pyramid. Only one level up was "Safety" including security of body, health, resources and family. If one's safety is threatened by war, disaster or family violence - a peaceful life is not possible. Anxiety, PTSD and trauma passed down through generations can follow. There are communities around the world that don't have their basic physiological and safety needs adequately met. Nearly a billion people on the planet are undernourished according to 2010 figures- roughly 14% of the worlds population. And some of these communities in deficit are here in the U.S., in places you normally wouldn't think of as being at risk, neighborhoods in or near large urban centers where access to nutritious affordable food has disappeared and in some cases. What has followed is an over-arching blight - communities with gang problems, mistrust and fear among residents. Some social scientists see a link between food insecurity and a lack of peace in these neighborhoods, so experimental programs have been launched in some places with, so far, encouraging results. We'll hear about a couple of them on this edition of Peace Talks Radio - one in Albuquerque, New Mexico and one in West Oakland, CA - where Nikki Henderson directs the work of The People's Grocery. She talked with our Carol Boss, as did Jacqueline Thomas. She's been a West Oakland resident for many years who now works for People's Grocery too. Meantime, in Santa Barbara/Martineztown near downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico an NIH grant has funded a program called Fiestas that will bring together women in the community over food and interview them to help understand food access problems. Then a board of the women will brainstorm some solutions. It's a kind of peacemaking in that it brings people together who normally wouldn't come together to identify community problems and propose solutions. While this brainstorming begins, some gardening programs already underway seem to be having a noticeable impact in the neighborhood according to Veronica Apodaca, who lives in Martineztown and visits with Carol Boss. Also we talk to Amy Annexter Scott who is helping to coordinate the Fiestas program.