, has been trying for years to get zoning laws passed to allow backyard hen farming for residents in Holyoke, Massachusetts, only to be faced with what Durán describes as growing barriers—including special permits and inspection fees—against it. Circumstances like these show how zoning laws can keep people from achievingMorrill Acts
To adequately and sufficiently address these issues in policy and in federal and local laws, we first need to address the inherent racism that’s influencing them. Voter turnout is crucial in doing so, because even smaller elections can help areas work for change. But the impact of voting policy, especially as it relates to voters of color, cannot be overlooked.
“We can’t keep paying people less and less and then scrambling to find food for them to avoid hunger,” Ichikawa says. “It’s a disempowering and ultimately counterproductive strategy.” Experts say now more than ever is the time for lawmakers to raise the federal minimum wage. “Being able to put money in the hands of people who need it to be able to get food is the most efficient way for families to be able to get out of food insecurity,” Nguyen says. What’s more, if people made more money at one job, they’d also have more time to