America has always been a farming nation — even today, 1 out of 7 jobs in Ohio are connected to agriculture. However, there has been a dangerous change in the last few years, and many people aren’t aware.

America is now importing more food than we export. Even more troubling is our increasing dependence on other nations for fruits and vegetables — the kind of healthy food that is so vital is supporting children growing up strong and helping adults avoid illness. We are now importing twice as much fresh produce as we were just a dozen years ago.

We’ve become dependent on other countries for some of our most important health food.

The situation in Gaza is close to my heart. In 2006, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and members of Congress asked me to work in Palestine and Israel to try to heal some of the divisions. I traveled to the Holy Land 11 times in 22 months, working in Hebron, Ramallah, Gaza, and Jerusalem, meeting with religious leaders of the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish religions. In the Middle East, it’s impossible to achieve peace without the involvement of top religious leaders. Too many elected officials and diplomats overlook this reality.

For this week's newsletter, I want to highlight the voice of one female leader, Lupe Gonzalo, and her work with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW). Lupe is a tireless and inspirational food system activist who travels the country speaking and training new farmworkers in the field. Early on in my advocacy career, CIW inspired me to advocate for a more just and sustainable food system. Although CIW’s work largely focuses on labor, it speaks to the complex intersectionality of social, environmental, and economic justice in our food system today.

As an undergraduate student studying Sustainability, I have the privilege of taking a diverse set of classes. One such course discussed food insecurity, how it has historically impacted the Dayton area, and how food insecurity manifested itself in current turmoil. We received a guest lecture from Access to Excess founder Jen Burns, who discussed her creative solution to attacking the roots of food insecurity and food waste. In short, Jen collects unsold food from local farmers and grocery stores and offers collected items for free. She holds produce stands or soup stands throughout the Greater Dayton Area. In other words, Jen travels to you, bridging the gap between access to excess food items. Her partnerships with local organizations help Jen reflect a vision of food security for all.

As a Puerto Rican woman and farmer, I have a passion for food sovereignty and Puerto Rico’s independence. It may be naive, but I believe a food sovereign Puerto Rico can be an independent Puerto Rico. In honor of Women’s History Month, I want to highlight a woman who is doing the work to strengthen the local food system on the island. Her name is Crystal Díaz, and she created an app that connects local farmers to restaurants and other consumers.

Tony Hall does not have the gloss or ego of a typical former senator.

Instead, he has the demeanor of a public servant: quiet, determined, and sometimes even shy. Hall, now 82 years old, served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1979 to 2002. After he left Congress, he was appointed by President George W. Bush as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture until 2006. Ambassador Hall was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998, 1999, and 2001 for his humanitarian efforts.