Michael W. Hamm

Local autonomy and sustainable development: Testing import substitution in more localized food systems

Community initiatives to create more localized food systems ofteninclude the strategy of import substitution, i.e., increasing local foodproduction for local consumption. The purpose of this policy iseffectively to supplant some level of imported food into the region. Weargue that such action can carry social and environmental risks as wellas benefits and we have developed research parameters to measure theimpact of such strategies. Harriet Friedmanns seminal work (1991) onthe employment of import substitution by transnational corporationsprovides a framework to identify possible advantages and disadvantagesof the same approach locally. We propose local autonomy and sustainabledevelopment as positive indicators of a more localized food system.Three units of analysis are proposed to measure changes in localautonomy and sustainable development as a result of import substitutionschemes: fair labor trade, equity and democracy, and environmentalstewardship. We propose that this flexible framework of analysisincreases our ability to describe the shifting and integrated balancebetween more local and more global food systems.

The City as an "Agricultural Powerhouse"? Perspectives on Expanding Urban Agriculture from Detroit, Michigan

In recent years urban agriculture has received increasing support as a strategy for food security and urban sustainability. Scholars have explored motivations for and experiences of individual community gardens, but there is little understanding of how more extensive urban agriculture activities might be perceived among residents or might integrate with the cityscape. This research explores ways in which urban agriculture might be perceived in relation to the urban eco-system and sociopolitical context through semi-structured interviews and focus groups in Detroit, Michigan. Results reveal widespread support for expanding urban agriculture and highlight the lines along which such expansion may be contested, including the extent to which it should occur, the purpose it would serve, and the people it would involve.

Dietary cholesterol and the activity of stearoyl CoA desaturase in rats: evidence for an indirect regulatory effect

The effect of cholesterol on stearoyl CoA desaturase (SCD) was investigated. Previous work had shown that the addition of cholesterol to the diet of rats produced higher liver SCD activity compared to non-cholesterol-fed controls. We have confirmed this result and investigated the mechanism responsible for this cholesterol-induced higher SCD activity. Rats were fed either a 10% corn oil (CO) or a 10% corn oil/1% cholesterol (CO/CH) diet for 1, 3, or 7 days. SCD mRNA abundance was 3.3, 1.9, and 2.4 times greater in livers from CO/CH-fed animals after 1, 3, and 7 days, respectively. Northern hybridization of RNA from kidney, intestinal mucosa, heart, adipose, and liver demonstrated that cholesterol feeding specifically altered liver SCD mRNA. Liver esterified cholesterol content increased 27-fold with cholesterol feeding. This esterified cholesterol increase was accompanied by a proportionately greater increase in oleic acid compared to other fatty acids. These studies indicate that cholesterol does influence the expression of SCD specifically in the liver and suggest that the product, oleic acid, is preferentially esterified to cholesterol in the liver. Preliminary liver nuclear run-on assays from rats fed CO or CO/CH diets for 1 and 3 days indicate that transcription regulation is not a factor.

Consumer demand for local produce at extended season farmers' markets: guiding farmer marketing strategies

Locally grown food is gaining popularity and increasing its prevalence holds potential for broad social, economic and environmental benefits. Season extension technologies such as hoop houses offer a solution to limited growing seasons, a major constraint in many areas, enhancing efforts to supply locally grown food. This paper discusses research conducted at three Michigan farmers’ markets, locations where Michigan farmers utilizing hoop houses currently sell their produce. The research measures consumers’ willingness to buy local produce at extended season markets using a set of four complementary methods: dot poster surveys, written surveys, focus groups and experimental auctions. Building upon prior research on attributes that create value for local foods (spatial proximity, food quality and relationships between farmers and consumers), our results inform farmers’ choice of marketing mix. We find consumers willing to pay a premium for large quantities of locally grown produce, with many placing highest value on products grown in Michigan. We conclude that extended season farmers’ markets supplied by hoop house grown produce create an opportunity for farm viability and further development of the market for locally grown food.

Improved survival of heterotopic cardiac allografts in rats with dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids

A heterotopic cardiac transplant model, with male Fischer 344 rats as donors and Long Evans rats as recipients, was utilized to investigate the effect of dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on acute rejection. Both donor and recipient rats were fed purified diets high in either n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (from concentrated n-3 ethyl esters [EE] or fish oil [FO]) or n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (from corn oil [CO]) for either 2-3 or 3-4 weeks before transplant. The recipient rats continued on their diets until rejection. The AIN-76A-based diets (with 30% of calories as fat) had adequate essential fatty acids and were balanced for sterols and antioxidants. Allograft survival was significantly increased by 45% when recipient rats were fed EE as compared to the control (CO diet fed to both donor and recipient), regardless of the diet fed to the donor. There was a slight but significant increase in allograft survival when only donor rats were fed the EE diet 2-3 weeks before transplant. With the FO diet (containing one third of the n-3 fatty acids in the EE diet), only the group fed FO to both donor and recipient (starting 2-3 weeks before transplant) showed a significant increase in allograft survival over the control. However, if the FO diets were fed for 3-4 weeks before transplant, increased survival was seen in groups fed FO to either the donor or recipient alone. In this case, allograft survival with FO feeding to both donor and recipient was not different from recipient treatment alone. In all the studies there was a significant and direct correlation between allograft survival and the donor heart phospholipid n-3/n-6 fatty acid ratio and the n-3 fatty acid content (at rejection). There was an indirect relationship with the n-6 fatty acid content. There was no detectable 20:3 (n-9) in the cardiac phospholipids, indicating the absence of essential fatty acid deficiency. Recipient diets were the strongest determinant of the fatty acid composition in the transplanted donor heart. The data indicate that providing dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids before and after cardiac transplant to recipient animals provides a significant protection against acute rejection.

Food Systems and Public Health: Linkages to Achieve Healthier Diets and Healthier Communities

The Airlie Conference on “Food Systems and Public Health: Linkages to Achieve Healthier Diets and Healthier Communities” was convened to discuss how we as a nation can shift toward promoting healthy, sustainably produced foods that are aligned with national dietary and health priorities; the most strategic changes in policy, governance and practices that can help this shift occur; and identify knowledge gaps and policy-relevant research needs. This special theme issue presents papers emanating from the conference, and policy-relevant research and action recommendations from the small group breakout sessions.

The Food System as an Economic Driver: Strategies and Applications for Michigan

ABSTRACT Transition to a more local, sustainable food system has the potential to help address many chronic problems facing communities across the country. We present results of an input-output analysis for Michigan measuring income and job impacts of a scenario in which residents meet USDA fruit and vegetable consumption guidelines by eating more seasonally available Michigan grown fresh produce. Our study finds that almost 2000 jobs and 

U.S.-Based Community Food Security: Influences, Practice, Debate

200 million in new income would be created. We relate this to initiatives on the state, regional, and community level engaging broad stakeholder groups and creating opportunity for increased access to locally grown foods.

Alignment of Healthy Dietary Patterns and Environmental Sustainability: A Systematic Review

The practice, policies, and debate associated with U.S.-based community food security (CFS) reflect the historical development of food rights and food security at the International and US national, state, and local community scales. First, CFS in the U.S. has multiple and conflicting definitions that are locally defined within a context of entitlement rights and global trade. Second, the political economy that generates conditions of local food Insecurity is increasingly countered within a framework of international economic and political rights. Third, the capability to claim economic rights may require the cross-sectoral efforts of activists, public officials, entrepreneurs, and academics. In this paper, we provide a short history of international food rights and food security and a background on the diversity of CFS perspectives and practice in the United States. We identify some of the many entry points for CFS activities to portray the need for a system-wide strategy to address food security.

The binding of palmitoyl-CoA to bovine serum albumin.

To support food security for current and future generations, there is a need to understand the relation between sustainable diets and the health of a population. In recent years, a number of studies have investigated and compared different dietary patterns to better understand which foods and eating patterns have less of an environmental impact while meeting nutritional needs and promoting health. This systematic review (SR) of population-level dietary patterns and food sustainability extends and updates the SR that was conducted by the 2015 US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, an expert committee commissioned by the federal government to inform dietary guidance as it relates to the committees original conclusions. In the original SR, 15 studies met the criteria for inclusion; since then, an additional 8 studies have been identified and included. The relations between dietary intake patterns and both health and environmental outcomes were compared across studies, with methodologies that included modeling, life cycle assessment, and land use analysis. Across studies, consistent evidence indicated that a dietary pattern higher in plant-based foods (e.g., vegetables, fruits, legumes, seeds, nuts, whole grains) and lower in animal-based foods (especially red meat), as well as lower in total energy, is both healthier and associated with a lesser impact on the environment. This dietary pattern differs from current average consumption patterns in the United States. Our updated SR confirms and strengthens the conclusions of the original US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee SR, which found that adherence to several well-characterized dietary patterns, including vegetarian (with variations) diets, dietary guidelines-related diets, Mediterranean-style diets, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, and other sustainable diet scenarios, promotes greater health and has a less negative impact on the environment than current average dietary intakes.