---
title: Farmer In Chief
date: 2008-10-15T15:00:40Z
modified: 2008-10-15T15:00:40Z
permalink: "https://elizabethyarnell.com/farmer-in-chief/"
type: post
status: publish
excerpt: ""
wpid: 389
categories:
  - Nutrition in the News
tags:
  - michael pollan
  - us food policy
author: Elizabeth
---

What do the health care crisis, energy independence, and climate change have in common?

Believe it or not, these things are all related to the food policies of our government.

[Michael Pollan](http://elizabethyarnell.com/effortlesseating/2008/06/who-is-in-really-in-charge-here/ "michael pollan"), one of my favorite writers about food, where it comes from, and the systems that produce it, published an excellent [open letter about food policies](http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/magazine/12policy-t.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss "food policy") in the New York Times to the next president, whoever that may be.

Pollan thinks that the era of cheap and abundant food is about to end, and we need to think wisely about how we step forward to feed our country. Whatever your politics, this affects us all. As Pollan points out, “in the past several months more than 30 nations have experienced food riots, and so far one government has fallen.” We need to act effectively to make sure we don’t follow down the same path.