The first assessment by the City of Flagstaff’s Office of Sustainability shows that farmers and farmland are being lost in northern Arizona, even as many rural residents struggle to access healthy food. was shown. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny spoke to Natalie Pearson, the city’s food systems coordinator, about the findings from a survey and interviews conducted in five counties.

The bad news is that we are losing a lot of farmland. Please tell me about it.

This isn’t just a problem in northern Arizona…agricultural land is shrinking as really powerful monopoly farmers take over and expand small farms. It’s kind of a world of growing up and going out…and that’s part of it. But it can also be really difficult to even get started. The cost of land, the cost of water, access to water, all of these are huge barriers. There is a lot of knowledge that is not being passed on today. Our generation of farmers is getting older and newer generations are having a hard time coming in and keeping things going.

On the consumer side, we also found that they encountered many barriers when trying to obtain local fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods. Can you talk about some of those barriers?

Yeah. A big part of that is that in rural areas there is very limited availability of fresh fruits and vegetables. Many residents of rural northern Arizona lack large grocery stores with lots of healthy options and rely on convenience stores and gas stations… Finding fresh fruits and vegetables in these areas is… It’s really difficult. Many people have to grow their own or travel all the way to Flagstaff, Kingman, Page, or Prescott to find a grocery store with more options.

Let’s talk a little bit about food insecurity. This is basically a term used to refer to people who aren’t quite sure where their next meal will come from. What do you feel about the current state of food insecurity in northern Arizona?

Not only does Northern Arizona have higher food insecurity rates than the state average, but most of Northern Arizona’s counties do not meet recommended intakes of fruits and vegetables. Approximately 21 percent of Community Food Systems Assessment survey respondents reported that they could not afford the healthy foods they wanted. There are many barriers to this, one of which is the high cost of housing, transportation, education, and other living costs.

So we talk about this inherent disconnect between where food is grown, how it gets to people, and whether it’s affordable when it gets there. I’ve been doing it. What are some solutions to the problem? What can we do together to improve people’s access to food?

That’s a great, great question, and one we’re still learning about ourselves. That’s why we did this assessment and why we’re doing so much community engagement right now…We’re hosting a community stakeholder meeting in Coconino on October 23rd and 24th. I will. Art center… There are several other opportunities to participate in this research and actually discuss solutions. What will it take to get from where we are now to a place where people can eat healthy, affordable meals? Part of those solutions is getting more fresh food to food banks. It’s a way to get it and distribute it to people through food boxes. Is there a way for food banks to have gardens, or to build or establish more places to grow food locally, or for people to have access to healthy food at grocery stores and farmers markets? Is there a place that can offer more coupons and discounts?…These are just a few and may not be the golden solution. There is no one solution that fits all. Building a better food system requires a myriad of different things working together.

Natalie Pearson, thank you for speaking with us today.

thank you.

Read the reviews here: https://www.flagstaff.az.gov/4900/Assessing-Growing-a-Community-Food-Syste