ZERO-SUM GAME noun
Definition of zero-sum game
: a situation in which one person or group can win something only by causing another person or group to lose it
“Prior to capitalism, the way people amassed great wealth was by looting, plundering and enslaving their fellow man. Capitalism made it possible to become wealthy by serving your fellow man.”
- Walter E. Williams
Before the advent of modern western capitalist societies like the United States and the European Union, human civilization operated by playing the zero-sum game of feudalism. The rise and adoption of capitalism completely transformed the way humans manage and operate society. Today, we are playing in a non-zero sum game. Meaning, no one person or group has to loose in order for another person or group to win. Another way we can think about this concept is if you can imagine the economy as a giant pie. We can help each other infinitely grow the proverbial economic pie together, as opposed to dividing up a finite pie into infinitely smaller pieces.
This excerpt is from the USDA's Know Your Farmer Know Your Food (KYF) Initiative. Below this post is a link to the KYF Compass in the form of an easily digestible .pdf document:
"A lack of access to fresh, healthy foods can contribute to poor diets and higher levels of obesity and other diet-related diseases. A growing number of children in the United States—one in three between the ages of 2 and 19, according to peer-reviewed studies collected by the White House’s Task Force on Childhood Obesity—are overweight or obese. Overweight children may experience higher rates of heart disease, diabetes and other chronic conditions as adults and must bear the costs of treating them.
Food access is about more than just whether there are grocery stores in a community. It also has to do with whether households can afford to purchase food—and affordability is closely related to rates of employment and job quality. Increasing food access nationwide can help address the problems of unemployment and lack of access to healthy food simultaneously.
When underserved communities connect with regional producers and food businesses, the connection expands marketing opportunities, drives the growth of new local businesses."
By supporting local farmers you are serving your community by being apart of building a more robust and resilient food and economic system. This post is a call to action to keep the American Dream prospering for generations to come.
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