ABSTRACT
This paper examines the relationship between fossil fuels and food security and makes recommendations for community organizers. During the 20th century, North America's food system grew critically dependent on oil and natural gas for production, processing, and transportation. The authors argue that numerous petroleum-related factors including supply problems, increasing global demand, and geopolitical tensions may now threaten food security. Various approaches to reducing fossil-fuel dependency and increasing local food production are explored. The authors conclude that community organizers can make important contributions to local food security, and they provide specific recommendations and resources for doing this.
The authors offer special thanks to Richard Heinberg, Cheryl Brown, and R. Douglas Hurt for their help with this research.