Instead, I like to think of it as the prototype for what will inevitable rise as the replacement of industrial agriculture and the solution to the many problems associated with the state of the industry.

It's not just a farm, it's the battle cry future urban farmers will rely on as they start their own operations in cities all across the land.

Another form of subsidy for the industrial foods are food stamps which are provided to help those who need assistance but in such limited amounts that it's hard to afford any but the cheapest foods. Society also funnels those with aid to corporate super stores through strong judgement.

Then there are the school lunch programs which are subsidized with purchases of over production by industrial sources and then given to cash-strapped schools. This food displaces better foods which cause them to rise in price too.

Some more externalized costs of industrial food? Exhausted soil, desertification, rural collapse, quality of life lost, superpests, antibiotic resistance... and still more. This includes sending our tax payer funded crops (and meats) to other countries to undercut their food systems which knocks their farmers off their land feeding immigration.

Another subsidy Big Food is involved in is enriching politicians. We are causing hunger and yes death all over the world by our thoughtless choices.

All eaters should spend some time immersed in a program such as Will Allen's. There are many similar (though perhaps not as big or successful) across the country and if there isn't one in a particular area then start one. Becoming part of the food system helps us understand just how much goes into getting seeds to plates... and just how much education and knowledge is required. We really need to be more connected with the very thing that sustains our life.