Essays from West of 98: Accessing Food and Health
When my wife and I were in Walla Walla, Washington two Saturdays ago, we discovered there was a Saturday farmers market. Given my recent essays, there was no way we *weren’t* going to check it out. That market is hosted by the Downtown Walla Walla Foundation in an open-air space along a main downtown street. When we arrived, we had to park over a block away, which is always a good sign! Downtown Walla Walla was busy that day and this was the hub from which so much energy emanated. The crowd was teeming and filled with visitors of all ages, with young couples, families, older folks, and everyone in between.
Don’t worry, I’m not here to start a tedious series called “James visits random farmers markets.” But I noticed some things that warrant mentioning for our ongoing conversation about food and local economies.
For starters, the roster of business resembled the ideals in my recent essay, “Incubating Business.” Vendors were selling the usual summer produce—tomatoes, squash, melons, and such—plus items like apples that were unique to the local agriculture economy. Ranchers sold individual cuts and larger packages of beef. Small bakers sold tasty coffee and baked goods (I speak from firsthand experience on the “tasty” adjective). Southeastern Washington is wine country and a craftsman sold gorgeous furniture and home décor made from wine barrels. A lavender farmer sold every conceivable good that could be produced from her crop. A small cheesemaker had a variety of cheeses and I would have purchased one of each if I lived in the area. We limited ourselves to a basket of cherry tomatoes and some peaches and pluot and polished them all off before our flight two days later.
Then there was something else that has weighed heavy on me in this series of essays. We know that America has an epidemic of health issues like heart disease and diabetes. These issues have cascading effects through our lives and our healthcare system. I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on tv, but I am passionate about making smart food choices in my own life and preventing issues to which I may be naturally susceptible. You may not know this, but as someone who often consumed upwards of two Dr Peppers a day for years, I now drink only one or two a month at most. Among other things, this life change over the last two years has resulted in me dropping about 15 pounds of Dr Pepper weight. I still love Dr Pepper, but I do not regret this life choice at all.
These health issues tend to afflict lower-income Americans at even higher rates. Those who depend on supplemental nutrition assistance programs (SNAP) can only use those benefits at retailers that accept them. Simply put, too many Americans are shut out of purchasing fresh foods at farmers markets because they cannot afford to pay for it themselves and because the markets are not set up to accept these programs. So what did I see in Walla Walla? A host of farmers market vendors advertising that they accepted SNAP. I enjoyed many aspects of the Walla Walla Farmers Market, but I enjoyed this aspect most of all.
Much of rural America is classified as a food desert. We need to dive into that topic more in a future essay, but I encourage you to look it up. We cannot take care of our communities, improve the health and wellness of our people, and restore local economies if our people do not have access to affordable, healthy, fresh food. It might be challenging for an individual farmer to accept SNAP benefits, but local organizers of farmers markets and leaders of food economies—chambers of commerce, downtown associations, and more—can help facilitate those programs.
I guess what I’m saying is that many of my ideas are only crazy and idealistic until they come to life. When they become reality, they have serious impacts on a community. Dream big, friends. You know I will.
James Decker is the Mayor of Stamford, Texas and the creator of the West of 98 website and podcast. Contact James and subscribe to these essays at westof98.substack.com and subscribe to West of 98 wherever podcasts are found.