83% of Houstonians feel it is important to be able to buy locally grown food

Houston Area Survey results

Jay Blazek Crossley, Apr 26, 10.

An overwhelming majority of Houstonians feel that it is important to be able to buy locally grown food, with 42% responding that it is “very important” and 41% that it is “somewhat important.” Only 16% of Houstonians report that access to locally grown food is not important to them. Rice University sociologist Dr. Stephen Klineberg released the new Houston Area Survey today, revealing these results for a question that he asked this year for the first time.

The local food movement in the 13-county Houston region has been gaining strength following the Food & Sustainable Prosperity conference hosted by Houston Tomorrow in 2008. A broad coalition of nonprofits, government agencies, growers, and engaged citizens meets monthly as the Houston Food Policy Workgroup, hosted by Houston Tomorrow. The mission of the workgroup is to nurture the growth of a sustainable local food system, accessible to all, through education, collaboration, communication, and creation of a food policy council for the Houston region. Interested parties from across the region are welcome to participate.

The Houston Food Policy Workgroup serves as the hub of various food-related efforts to break down barriers between community efforts that could be mutually beneficial, be a forum for big picture issues, and collaborate on strategies to create beneficial policies. It will facilitate policy changes and collaborations to benefit Houston’s 6 million residents and at the same time, the farmers and urban growers in the 13-county region. The long-term vision of the workgroup is to build regional support and a framework for a regional Food Policy Council supported by local governments with representation from rural economic development professionals, urban food activists, local governments, large food operations, small farmers and growers, and citizens.

From the Houston Tomorrow Press Release on the Houston Food Policy Workgroup:

The Houston Food Policy Workgroup is working immediately to solve several problems best addressed at the regional scale: Helping every farmers’ market in the Houston region accept Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards for programs like Food Stamps, Lone Star Cards, and WIC, collaborating with the Harris County Appraisal District to develop fair valuations for urban agricultural operations that do not fit into the current state agricultural valuations approach, and building a collaboration with the City of Houston Health Department, other local governments, nonprofits, and academics to pursue a 13-County regional food assessment at a scale that has not been done anywhere in the country to the best of our knowledge.

Facilitating Farmers’ Markets’ ability to accept food stamps (SNAP, WIC, EBT)
We are working to affect city, county, and state governments so that those who receive food stamps can purchase fresh produce at area Farmer’s Markets, hopefully leading to more local fresh produce available in vulnerable neighborhoods. The USDA already sponsors the WIC Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program, but local efforts to pursue these goals have met substantial bureaucratic and financial barriers that we do not believe are necessary. We also hope to encourage an incentive program such as Boston’s Bounty Bucks that doubles the value of food stamps at markets, and improves low-income access to fresh produce while at the same time supporting local growers’ in the Houston region.

Fair Valuations for Urban Agriculture
As the local food movement gains momentum, many Houstonians are pursuing their own meaningful contributions to the Houston region’s food supply, providing fresh, healthy produce and humanely raised meats and dairy products for themselves and others. The State of Texas has long held the principle that agricultural land should not be taxed the same as other land uses, but newer smaller operations are cropping up that do not fit neatly within existing law. The Harris County Appraisal District has an interest in fairly valuing agricultural land and is willing to work to determine the proper treatment of agricultural land that does not fit within the current state mandates on valuation. Dr. Gary Underwood, with HCAD, met with the Houston Food Policy Workgroup on February 10, 2010, and we are working in cooperation with him to develop a white paper on how urban growers can fairly assess their property taxes as legitimate agricultural use.

A Regional Food Assessment of the 13 Counties of Houston
We are working to produce a local Food Guide by the end of 2010, identifying farms, growers, food resources, and services for the Houston region to educate the public, support local growers, and reduce barriers to collaboration, mutual benefit, and expanding local food infrastructure. The Food Assessment - a longer-term project that will require substantial regional collaboration - will determine where strengths and weaknesses exist in the local food system. The Assessment would help guide the HFPW and eventual Council in its initiatives, and serve as a guide for local food nonprofits, health and human services agencies, and governments trying to eradicate food problems.

2010 Houston Area Survey Results
2010 Survey Highlights