Poverty and Food Insecurity Issue and the SNAP Program - Essay Example

Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 5 Positives 5 Improvingnutrition among low income Americans 5 Saving millions of Americans from food insecurity 6 Issues with the SNAP program 6 Social issues 6 Fraud 7 Wrong focus 7 Increasing costs and burden to economy 8 Food Banking in Canada 8 Achievement of Food Banking in Canada 9 Problems with the Food Banking in Canada 9 Social issues 9 Shrouds other government welfare programs 10 Policy proposal 10 Target audience of the policy 11 Rationale 12 Possible Objections 13 Concluding remarks 13 Works Cited 16 Abstract United States is facing increasing rates of food insecurity. Although there have been positive changes in some states within the United States, the general trend is the fact that more and more people are faced with food insecurity as time passes. The issue of food insecurity in America is also closely tied to the problem of housing. High costs of housing have left many American families unable to afford healthy and enough food. In response of food insecurity, the government has created numerous programs, chief among them the SNAP program. However, these programs, while solving the issue of food insecurity partially and only for some time, have been unable to settle the issue of food insecurity once and for all. This has been cause by the ft that these programs are designed to act as government welfare as opposed to helping the beneficiaries to be independent. The government should create a program which will support the settlement of American sin rural areas in order to solve the issue of housing and at the same time increase per capita food production. Introduction Poverty and food insecurity are related in a very close manner. This has become a major global issue which has affected not only poor countries but also some of the most developed countries in the world. As a result, it is an issue which needs to be considered in a more serious manner because the already existing solutions have not been useful to the people who have been affected by the problem of hunger and food insecurity. In the United States, food insecurity has been an issue that has remained adamant. Although food insecurity is a global problem, it affects the United States in a very critical manner. According to the World Hunger Education Service (para 2), in the aftermath of the 2008 economic crisis which lasted in the year 2010, over seventeen million households in the united states were left with food insecurity, not being able to provide enough food, of sufficient nutrition for their families. This was an increase from the figure in the pre-recession days. For instance, the number of households with extreme food insecurity rose from 4.1% in 2007 to 5.4% in 2010. This leaves a total of over 6.7 million households in severe food insecurities in the U. S. In such cases, children are the most affected and in 2010, the number of children affected by severe food insecurity increased by at least five percent. As Edin and Kefalas (89) say, children from single mothers are many times as likely to be affected by severe insecurity. Yet three out of four children are from the poor and not the affluent thus increasing the risk of children from the poor families to suffer higher levels of food insecurity. It is estimated that for food insecurity to be fought completely, food production should have doubled by the year 2030. This is a big challenge for most nations around the world and United States of America has not been spared from this challenge. There is therefore a need to look at the ways in which America can increase its food production. So far, most policies in America which address food security are not geared towards increasing food production. Instead, these programs have been geared towards making food affordable to the people who face the challenge of food insecurity. With this trend, it has become harder for many Americans to be able to access food. Subsidized food, as provided by the SNAP Program cannot be the solution in the long run due to the fact that it only crates more depend people who end up being a burden to the economy. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program The SNAP Program has a very long history and has undergone a number of modifications since it was first implemented in May 16, 1939 under the title Food Stamps. Originally, the idea was to create a bridge between the surplus unmarketable agricultural products and the million of city dwellers who were under-nourished. Later in 1943, the program was dropped as it reached a point where the food stamps were not necessary as many Americans were now employed and also the surplus unmarketable agricultural products were no longer available. However, the program was to come back in 1961 after the same conditions which had led to the need for the program returned and the program this time stayed until 1964. It was then revisited in the 1980s and has been there since then. Positives The SNAP program has been quoted as one of the best ideas and has been praised a number of times due to its creativity and its ability to solve a problem that stared in the face if the governments. This was especially so with regard to the first SNAP program which was intended to solve two problems at the same time by helping low income earners to access healthy diet ad at the same time help the farmers in rural areas to access market for their surplus agricultural products. Some of the good aspects of the SNAP program include the following; Improving nutrition among low income Americans The SNAP program has been able to improve nutrition for millions of Americans by making it possible for those with no or low income to be able to access high quality food. The SNAP program and its predecessors (such as the Food Stamp program) have always been designed in such a way that it promotes the use of healthy foods. The SNAP benefits cannot be used to buy fast foods which are usually of poor quality and less nutritional value compared to vegetables and fruits (Oliveira, 2011). Beneficiaries of the SNAP program are only allowed to use the SNAP program to access the healthy diets. By subsidizing the cost of fruits and vegetables, it becomes easier for people with low income to be able to access the fruits thus promoting better eating habits which has a fundamental positive impact on the general health of the American firms. Saving millions of Americans from food insecurity Millions of American households don’t have the amount of money that is required for a family to eat enough, let alone afford healthy food (Wilkinson and Pickett, 59). Through SNAP program, it is possible for these millions to have enough food on their table. Every year, the government spends billions of dollars to help these people to have enough and healthy food. Without this program, millions of people in American would be going hungry and this would have a fundamental impact on the beneficiaries. Issues with the SNAP program Social issues One of the main challenges which the SNAP program faces is the fact that most people shy away from using it because it is an indication of poverty. Many households fail to use the program even in cases where they would benefit from the program because of the stigma associated with using the program. The SNAP program was geared towards helping poor people, such as those with insufficient or no income at all and as a result, many families still go undernourished even in cases where they would have solved that problem by just by using the SNAP program. Fraud In the SNAP program, fraud can occur in a number of ways. The first way and which is very common is the exchange of benefits for cash (United States Department of Agriculture, food and Nutrition Service). People can apply for the benefits and sell the coupons for cash and this amounts to fraud because the program was meant to help people to access healthy food and not money. Fraud can also happen when and where a beneficiary lies in his or her application so as to increase the amount of benefits he can get from the SNAP program. Retailers also involved themselves in SNAP program fraud in such ways as lying in application so that they can qualify even in cases where they are not qualified to participate in the SNAP program. Due to the nature of the program, the program has been faced with many cases of fraud leading to millions of losses to fraudsters. Fraud regarding the SNAP program has been a challenge because apart from the loss that is incurred by the government, it also means that the benefits don’t reach the intended people. Although the USDA has been able to reduce the amount of money lost through fraud in the SNAP program, this has only come with another cost because it requires high levels of vigilance which needs more personal to conduct oversight. Wrong focus The other issue wit the SNAP program is the fact that it is geared towards increasing food access to poor people rather than making them independent. In this regard, the SNAP program is not effective in the long run because it only creates a situation where millions of people end up being dependent on the government as opposed to creating a situation where the people are helped to be less dependent on government aid. This means that the SNAP program should not be implemented along but should be implemented along with other programs which are supposed to help these people to be independent in the long scheme of things. This overdependence in government aid by so many people has a negative impact in the economic and also never solves the issue in a holistic manner (Kettunen and Petersen 84). Increasing costs and burden to economy The cost of implementing the SNAP program has continued to increase as time goes on. This, combined with other costs used to implement other social programs such as Veteran's benefits, has been a challenge for the American economy which s already facing other issues. In fact, compared to the other social programs, the cost of SNAP program has grown the most because it has grown by over a hundred percent in the lat thirty years (Colby, 45). This places a huge burden on the economy and economists have argued that in the future, the economy will not be able to handle the cost incurred on it by SNAP program. The cost of sustaining the SNAP program is increasing every year and it is not easy to know where the costs will be in the nest ten or twenty years. Yet, this money is contributed by hardworking taxpayers (Covino, 76). While the American people are happy to help each other out, sooner than later, welfare programs such as the snap programs will bear such a big burden on working Americans that they will not be able to handle it any more. This can already be seen in the recently implemented healthcare bill which is geared towards helping low income earners to be able to access healthcare insurance. As the public becomes weary of the burden placed on them by these government welfare programs, this may lead to a situation where these people will no longer be willing to sustain the programs and this may cause social and civil revolt. Food Banking in Canada In Canada, there are many programs which have been put in place and are geared towards addressing the issue of food insecurity. However, most of these are designed to address the issue of food insecurity not only in Canada but also in the world, especially in developing world. However, Food Banking is used in Canada as a way to help low income Canadians to be able to access high quality food. The first food bank in Canada was started in 1981 in Edmonton, Alberta. Although the Food Banking program was implemented as a temporary, measure, it was eventually adopted for the long run and this has been expanded to include other support programs to help low income earners to access other basic needs such as clothing. People who have difficulties buying high quality food or accessing other basic needs can be able to use this as a way to access high quality food. Achievement of Food Banking in Canada One of the main achievements of the Food Banking in Canada is the fact that reduced food insecurity by making sure that food is well stored and easily accessible by those who need it (Riches, 49). With the concept of food banking, it became easier to save millions of tonnes of food which in the past was going to waste due to poor storage. The Food Banking in Canada has also helped millions of Canadians who would otherwise be having difficulties placing enough food on the table. The fact that the Food Banking in Canada concentrated on food production and storage rather than only increasing access to food made it more successful in its intension to minimize the food insecurity. This was unlike the American model as presented by the SNAP program which fails to concentrate in increasing food production but rather deals subsidizing food access for low income earners. Problems with the Food Banking in Canada Social issues As with the SNAP program in the USA, there is an issue of stigmatisation that goes with the fact that this is intended for poor people and therefore most people who could benefit from the program end up ignoring it. They choose to stay with their problems rather than taking charity (Patterson, 78). Because of this, the Food Banking in Canada does not solve the issue of hunger in Canada and in most cases only leads to other bigger problems. Shrouds other government welfare programs The other issue with the Food Banking in Canada is the fact that it creates a sense of relief for the government by creating the impression that the issue of hunger has been dealt with, thus creating no need for the government to insure employment and income for individuals. Even in cases where the issue of hunger is solved, those who need food assistance also need other help to access other social basic needs. Yet, the Food Banking in Canada does not efficiently provide for these needs. The fact that Food Banking in Canada has created an impression that there is no food insecurity in the Canada and thus leaving no pressure for the government to create employment has led to many people becoming even poorer. The other issue is the fact that the food provided by Food Banking in Canada is not usually sufficient and those who depend on this program. The other issue with Food Banking in Canada is the fact that the program was not originally designed to be a long term solution to hunger and food security issues. Due to this, the program has never been able to solve the issue of hunger in a holistic manner. This has been revealed even more in during and after the global economic recession which increased the number of individuals needing food and other social assistance in Canada. Most critics who have been in Food Banking in Canada indicate that the program does not help the poor but only serves the interests of food corporations. This has been seen to be true through a study which indicated that only one out of four people who are eligible for food assistance actually use the benefits of Food Banks in Canada. Policy proposal There are several factors which come up when looking at the issues concerning food security programs in the United States. These factors include the fact that they don’t address increasing the per capita food production. The other factor is the fact that food security is directly related to housing issues. In fact, as seen in the above discussion, those who don’t own their own home are the ones who are at the highest risk to suffering food insecurity. This is because house rents in the cities are very high and some many households with low incomes spend a bigger part of their income on house rent (Boyle, 59). According to United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (78), the high rents in the urban centres such as cities, towns and municipalities are caused by the fact that many Americans live in the cities as opposed in the countryside. As a result, all these people have to depend on the food produced by just a few farmers who live in the countryside. The other issue which must be looked at in a serious way is the fact that most food security programs come with stigma because they come with a label of poverty on them. This prevents many people who are afraid of losing their status or self esteem from benefiting from these programs. A good example is the SNAP program which many people who are food insecure ignore because they don’t want to be seen taking charity. Considering the above issues, it becomes clear that it is necessary to have a food security that addresses all the above issues. In this regard, the new food security solution should be geared towards increasing the per capita food production and solving the issue of housing. It should also be stigma-free so that those it targets will not shy away from using it. The only way to do this is by increasing the number of people in USA who are involved in agricultural activity. Target audience of the policy Just like the other solutions which have been developed in the USA, this will also target those who are food insecure. However, instead of trying to subsidise food for these people, the new program will be geared towards making sure that more Americans are involved in food production. This will also solve the issue of housing. The government will achieve this by coming up with ways to increase the number of people living in the countryside. The government should come up with projects to which will make countryside living more attractive to many Americans. This will be done by making sure that all the amenities which are accessible in the cities. Countryside residential areas should be developed, with high access for services such as electricity, good roads, schools and hospitals and other amenities. Every household will be assigned to a land that is big enough for them to involve themselves in food production. Rationale Most food-insecure people are also home-insecure (not able to afford good housing in the cities) which means that they can’t afford good housing. Providing alternative housing for most of these people will be a welcome idea since this will help them in accessing much more decent housing at affordable prices. This will also create employment for most of them who could then engage in agribusiness. It would also mean that there would be less congestion in cities thus solving the issues of increasing rent rates and house prices in the cities (Wilson 78). Unlike other solutions which have been designed to deal with the issue of food insecurity, this will be better in that it will be helping the people to take care of themselves. As a result of this, the issue of stigma will not be there because the program will not be designed around charity. The other issue is the fact that although America has millions of acres of arable land, most of this land remains idle because most Americans live in cities and don’t do any farming activity. This policy will help in making sure that this land will be put to good economic use by providing good residential land as well as agricultural land. In fact, the policy is nothing new and has been use din other countries, including third world countries such as Mauritius in Africa and in Asia to successfully eradicate food insecurity. Possible Objections This is a very ambitious project which will require a lot of initial spending as well as implementation due to the fact that it will require a restructuring of the society. It will also affect many businesses such as the real estate, large-scale farmers, big retailers etc. As a result, it will receive a lot of opposition from many quarters. The first opposition will come from policy makers and politicians who may feel that it is not a feasible program. However, just like many other ambitious programs in the past, its feasibility will be tested in a pilot project which will be implemented within a region of one state. States will be asked to apply for them to be given the opportunity to have the pilot project. Once the state qualifies it will also choose one county where the pilot will be implemented. The other objection will come from large scale farmers who may feel that their business is at risk. As a result, policy makers must be aware of these selfish interests which may derail the program. Retailers who have been benefiting from being participants of the other programs such as the SNAP program would also feel that they would stand to lose. More importantly, the main challenge will be to convince people to change their social structures and move to live in a new setting which they are not used to. However, this will also be solved using piloting. Once there are a few people who will be willing to participate in the pilot project, the significant and usefulness of the project will be apparent to the other eligible people and it will be easier to convince the rest to join. Concluding remarks The issue of food insecurity is one that has been proves that it is very adamant. Like a malignant tissue growing in the body of a person making the person sick and unhealthy, food insecurity continues to resurface over and over every time the policy makers think they have solved it. All over the world, close to trillions of people suffer food insecurity. United States of America, despite being the super power of the world has not been spared from this humiliation and in fact, it ma be worse in the greatest nation on the earth. While USA does not suffer food insecurity as severe as some of the poorest nations in the world, the embarrassing thing is that these nations seems to be making positive steps towards food security while united states is making retrogressive steps. This decline has been caused by the previous economic recession, of which America was the greatest victim. The issue of food insecurity in the united states has been there for a long time, even though the government has been able to eradicate this issue in the past using government welfare programs, it has been seen clearly that there is no one welfare program will ever eradicate the issue of food insecurity forever, unless it is centred towards creating independent people. There has been many issues associated with government welfare and many economists today believe that government welfare only creates more problems. The evidence for this is abundant not only in the United States of America but also in around the word where many economies which have thrived through government welfare end up collapsing. With specific consideration to food insecurity, it is necessary to note that this is a problem whose solution only lies in the hands of the people and not the government. The most that the government can do is to provide for way for this people to solve their own problems. Feeding millions of people is not an easy task for any government, even a mighty government for like the United States of America. As a result the government must come up with a once-for-all solution for this problems and this will require a restructuring of the society. Yet, the main issue with regard to the American food insecurity is the fact that most American live in cities and farming activities are left to a few large-scale corporations which then overcharge their food. The United States can learn from some of the poorest nations in the world where government shave been able to solve the issue of food insecurity through promoting increased per capita production of food. As a result, this policy holds the ultimate solution for the Americans and must be embraced with enthusiasm and passion with every individual who will be involved in implementing it. Politicians, policy implementers, government departments and the general public must understand the need to implement this program. After all, this might be the nest big thing for the American people and which will restore the confidence of Americans as the world leaders. Works Cited Covino, Joseph. Yet Another Way the Federal Government Loots Its Citizens. Berkeley, CA: Epic Press, 2010.Print Boyle, Marie. Community Nutrition in Action: An Entrepreneurial Approach, 6th ed. London, UK: Cengage Learning , 2012. Print. Colby, I.C. et al. Social Work and Social Policy: Advancing the Principles of Economic and Social Justice. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons,, 2012. Print. Edin, Kathryn and Kefalas, Maria. Promises I Can Keep: Why Poor Women Put Motherhood Before Marriage. Berkeley, CA.: University of California Press, 2005. Print. Kettunen, Pauli, and Petersen, Klaus. Beyond Welfare State Models: Transnational Historical Perspectives on Social Policy. Camberley, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2011. Print. Meyer, Daniel R, and Geoffrey L. Wallace. Poverty Levels and Trends in Comparative Perspective. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Institute for Research on Poverty, 2008. Print. Oliveira, Victor. Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program Final Report: Fiscal 2010 Activities. New York, NY: DIANE Publishing, 2011. Print. Patterson, James. America's Struggle against Poverty in the Twentieth Century, Enlarged edition. Boston, MA: Harvard University Press, 2009. Print. Riches, Graham. 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