"Farmer-in-Chief"

This paper seeks to establish information on the article Farmer- In- Chief by Michael Pollan. It is an open letter from the author to the next president concerning the food state. Pollan warns about the health of United States food systems. In his letter, Michael Pollan talks of how to transform the way Americans grow, prepare, transport, buy, and sell food. In his opinion, this is an era of cheap and abundant food and he further states that the era is ending. In addressing, the next president of America Pollan intends the president to be aware that his or her food policies will have great influence on several matters. Some of the issues that the food policies will influence are national security, energy independence, climate change, and health care. Therefore, the author considers a farmer who has the responsibility of providing of food to American citizens as an important person in the current era.

I agree with the authors sentiments that America needs to change the way in which we deal with food. Change in food means changing the way in which we grow, prepare, transport, sell, and buy food. All these processes have been too commercialized to an extent the final product of food that people consume is affecting their health. The main aim of this open letter is for the next president to set up policies that will enable a change in the procedures food of America undergoes. The procedures should not be very commercial and the author recommends policies that will make use of natural methods to prepare food. Michael Pollan’s main concern is that the current methods of food procession are detrimental to the health of Americans. In addition, some other sectors like the energy sector are under pressure to deliver food for Americans and yet the natural ways would not have this pressure and will be less costly. The author’ s intended audience is the next president and the people who have the power and authority to make and implement food policies in America.

The subject of food being the main issue the author addresses in the letter there are several concerns he addresses detail. The current way in which food is grown in America makes use of lots of energy and this leads to health matters arising among the population. The current food policies have the obligation of supplying the American population with food and this is exactly what they do. The policies care less about the processes in which the food comes to be and the influence the methods used will have on the health of people and other sectors. The product of the processes is food with lots of calories and this is not healthy to the people. In his view, Michael has three propositions in which the elect president can use to put to an end the era of cheap and abundant foods in America. The first proposition is for America to go back to the natural ways of growing food instead of making use of pesticides. The current policies lead to the growing of one kind of crop, which in turn offer the people only one choice of food. The government can introduce the growing of more than one crop and allowing animals to graze in the fields. This will in turn lead to the presence of a wide range of foods and reduce or eliminate the use of chemicals (Pollan 87).

The second recommendation is to reregionalize the food system by the use of farmers’ market, creating a grain reserve, and giving a definition of the foods stamps can buy. For all the above recommendations to work there needs to be awareness in all institutions starting with elementary school of what food entails. The view of food needs change from all the Americans perspective, which currently is of unhealthy food. This is by providing information on how the foods grows and comes to the market. All the above recommendations will be essential in transforming the American population from an unhealthy nation to a healthy one. The evidence of the unhealthy food is present in the current health status of many American citizens. Statistics indicate an annual increase in diseases like obesity, high blood pressure, and many more, which result from consumption of unhealthy food. There are no varieties of foods and it becomes difficult for the people to maintain a healthy diet. All this is because of the set policies whose main aim is to provide food for Americans at a cheaper price. Other supporting article includes No impact Man that recommends the use of methods that will have no influence to the environment and people’s health and lives.

Food production can take place and not make use of energy in several other ways. These methods ensure that food production and procession is through natural means that will not have any effect on the health of people. Natural ways as growing food on farms without making use of chemicals will make America a healthy nation because the foods will be have a variety of healthy foods. In addition to providing healthy foods, natural ways will lead to a change in the climate, as there will be no emissions of dangerous gases in to the air in the name of growing and preparing food. The author’s recommendations will work in the end even though it may be a difficult task to implement at the start. The ideas presented by Michael Pollan are practical and just need supporting food policies in the food sector.