SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — Imagine you’re stranded in the desert and a water bottle is just out of reach, but you can’t get it. Although the situation is not so dire, Sullivan County faces a similar issue. With all of the farms producing vegetables, fruit, dairy, meat and more, we have an abundance of fresh, local, organic and most of all healthy foods. But certain areas of the county are “food deserts,” where residents lack access to all that healthy food.

A food desert is defined by the USDA as an urban area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food. Towns such as Monticello and Liberty are food deserts, even though places rich in farms like the towns of Delaware, Bethel and Cochecton lie just miles away. This creates a situation in which residents do not purchase local and healthy foods, and suffer the health consequences.

In the health rankings of Sullivan County, adult obesity (30 BMI or more) is at 31%, compared to 24% statewide, among the highest rates in the state. The food environment index (factors that contribute to a healthy food environment) is 7.5 out of 10, compared to a statewide average of 7.9. It’s interesting to note that surrounding counties actually have above-average index numbers, such as Orange County at 8.4 and Delaware County at 8.3.

Organizations and citizens are working to improve those numbers, and to create a healthier Sullivan County by increasing access to healthy food. Here are some of the key players.

Sullivan Renaissance

Sullivan Renaissance is now offering the Healthy Community Initiatives Grant, which supports efforts to enhance and promote the physical and environmental health of communities. The types of projects that will be considered for funding include:

• Development of walking, bicycling, hiking and nature trails

• Support of healthy food or agricultural initiatives

• Creation and care of community gardens

• Tree-planting initiatives

• Protection, restoration or creation of plant and wildlife habitats

• Design and implementation of site-specific parks, trails and conservation master plans

• Other initiatives related to the social, physical and environmental health of a community in consultation with Sullivan Renaissance staff

Applications are available at www.sullivanrenaissance.org. The deadline is October 1.

Cornell Cooperative Extension

Cornell Cooperative Extension received a five-year Creating Healthy Schools and Communities grant from the state. Jaycee DeGroat, Healthy Schools & Communities Team Leader, said, “The whole idea is to make a healthier environment through access to healthy food and exercise.”

One initiative they are using to obtain this goal is a “corner store makeover,” where bodegas or markets in places like Liberty and Monticello will see the shelves rearranged to place more fruits and vegetables toward the front. It will also include more pre-made meals using those ingredients, and increased signage pointing to healthier drinks than, say, soda. Other projects include a CSA program to boost access from farm to kitchen, an edible garden in the Fallsburg School District, and exercise initiatives like hanging new signs for the Parksville Rail Trail in Liberty.

The team also wants to work with companies to change the culture and environment of workplace wellness. DeGroat says the optimal amount of exercise is 60 minutes per day. “Just doing something active, anything we can do during the work day, is working toward that goal,” he said. They will update workplace wellness policy to recommend certain changes like taking 15-minute walks and giving out pedometers. “Do a little of each thing and it becomes habitual, and you will have a healthier Sullivan County; that’s the goal,” DeGroat said.

Catskill Mountainkeeper

One of the projects Catskill Mountainkeeper has initiated is the Catskill Edible Garden Project, in partnership with Sullivan Renaissance. They work with schools and community organizations to design edible gardens as living spaces to teach about food and nutrition. These projects offer access to healthy local food, hands-on youth development experience and exposure to food and agriculture as important aspects of our community, culture and potential careers. There are edible gardens in eight area schools in the county, as well as at other locations, like the Federation for the Homeless.

Catskill Mountainkeeper also runs the farmers’ markets in Liberty and Monticello. According to its website, the markets “aim to promote local, sustainable agriculture, increased consumer awareness and access to healthy foods, while enhancing the value of our communities and economic opportunities for farmers, small businesses and artisans.” The Liberty Farmers’ Market is located in Creekside Park, 119 N. Main St., behind the Parks and Recreation building; enter via School Street. It’s open on Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m., through October 28. The Monticello Farmers’ Market is located outside the Ted Stroebele Recreation Center, 10 Jefferson St., and is open Mondays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. from June 27 to October 10.

The two markets are approved for the Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP), the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP), the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Vegetables and Fruit Program and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)benefits. (To find out if you’re eligible and to apply for these programs, visit https://www.mybenefits.ny.gov/mybenefits/begin).

Increasing access, changing behaviors

According to local food activist Wendee Greene, we need to increase access to healthy, local foods and also to change our behavior in terms of what we buy and what we eat. “Access is part of the equation,” Greene said. “The second part of the equation is changing behaviors. Our ranking makes it obvious all of us need help with reorienting around food.”

By eating local food, we are not consuming over-processed foods found in boxes on the shelves in grocery stores. “We are subjected to the industrialized food system,” Greene said. “We are told to eat it, and that it’s affordable. When in fact, we shouldn’t be eating it, and it is the least healthy.”

Greene says it is paramount that everyone supports access to local food, and by doing so, supports local agriculture and food production. “The fact is, agriculture is our business,” she said. That means emerging agricultural business as well as existing ones. For instance, there used to be 300 dairy farms in the county in the not-so-distant past, and now there are fewer than 30. She and the Upper Delaware Roundtable are working on a project to promote and increase dairy farm production. It’s still in the works, but we will report on it when it is finalized.

All these initiatives are working toward building a healthier Sullivan County by increasing access to and awareness about healthy foods. It won’t change in a day, but over time, these organizations hope to create long-term, sustainable change. Greene said, “We need to create community around food and encourage each other to use the bounty.”

[This is the second installment of the series Our County, Our Health. The third installment will appear in our July 7 newspaper. Read the first installment here.]