April 1st, 2009 By Aaron French
“Now that we have planted a White House garden, we want to pay all American’s to do the same,” announced President Obama in one of the boldest policy shifts of his administration so far.
“This is not strictly a food issue,” he continued, “but it is a security issue and an energy issue that affects American’s from all backgrounds and races, in all fifty states. Access to clean, healthy, sustainable food has to be one of our top priorities going forward.”
Obama continued by outlining the new Food Security and Sustainability Stimulus (FSASS) with the revolutionary goal of paying the population to get involved with their food. A variety of specific initiatives include an increase in funding for urban farming initiatives, a joint USDA – Homeland Security program on “farm-worker health, safety, and well being,” and progressive tax credits for turning your backyard lawn (or apartment rooftop) into a source of food for your family.
Obama said he expected the FSASS to pass through both the House and Senate with little opposition.
Photo: marcn
Chef / Ecologist Aaron French is the Environment Editor at Civil Eats. He is the chef of The Sunny Side Cafe and is writing his first book "The Bay Area Homegrown Cookbook" (Voyageur Press, 2011). He has a Masters in Ecology and is currently working toward his MBA at UC Berkeley, with a focus on sustainable business practices.
Tags: April Fool's
by Adrien-Alice
On April 1, 2009 at 10:29 am
oh how it breaks my heart that this is a 4/1 moment…
by Kim Kanney
On April 1, 2009 at 10:52 am
DAMN YOU AARON FRENCH! You first made me cry with joy and now I’m crying with misery! I’m such a fool!
by Susan Rubin
On April 1, 2009 at 4:20 pm
No joke, we should all be ripping up our yards. No more mowing and blowing, it’s time to grow some food….tax credit or no tax credit!