Politics can be overwhelming. Amidst the media storm of conspiracy theories and finger pointing, I find it grounding to focus on issues of basic human rights: those inalienable rights to which a person is entitled simply because she or he is a human being. In a country that calls itself a democracy, access to healthy food should be considered a human right, a basic necessity reflected in government policy making.

The concept of the human right to food is not new. Type the phrase into your internet browser and you’ll find blog posts, newspaper articles, government websites and links to international declarations. Food as a human right is relevant here because VIGA and the Vashon Maury Community Food Bank put the concept into practice in tangible ways.

In 1948, representatives from all regions of the world drafted The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) with the intent of setting a standard to prevent the atrocities committed during World War II. Article 25 of the UDHR states that “everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services.”

Later, The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recognized the “right to an adequate standard of living, including adequate food,” as well as the “fundamental right to be free from hunger.” This means people have the right not only to enough calories to avoid starvation and malnutrition, but to food with certain qualities, including safety, variety and cultural appropriateness in order for everyone to live an active, healthy and civically engaged life. In these documents, upholding the right to food does not mean that a government is directly responsible for providing free food to every citizen, but that it creates programs and services that guarantee citizens the means to feed themselves.

The right to food is all the more important in a country that calls itself a democracy and asks that its citizens participate in the political process. A recent New York Times article about a newly unearthed body of text by Walt Whitman quotes a Whitman scholar who said, “One of Whitman’s core beliefs was that the body was the basis of democracy. The series is a hymn to the male body, as well as a guide to taking care of what he saw as the most vital unit of democratic living.” In other words, a person’s, health, which depends largely on diet, is what allows him or her to fully participate in democracy.

Martin Luther King said, “I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits.” Without access to adequate food to ensure a balance among body, mind and spirit. a person is disenfranchised from his or her civil and democratic rights.

The ways that the right to food is reflected in U.S. government policy, and then actually realized on the ground, are far too complicated for this column. However, local organizations like the Vashon food bank and VIGA put the concept to work in tangible ways every day. The food bank is a humanitarian organization that offers free groceries to anyone in need, without income qualification. The food provided by the food bank can prevent starvation or malnutrition, but more likely eases the pressure on families to choose between buying healthy food and paying utility bills.

VIGA, on the other hand, provides direct access to food through the Vashon Farmers Market and its Food Access Partnership, providing SNAP recipients and social service agencies, like VCC and the Senior Center, greater access to locally grown foods. VIGA provides education for growers to improve methods of production and works to expand agricultural markets to ensure farmers a living wage.

Food that is financially, culturally and physically accessible should be considered a human right and reflected in government policy-making at all levels. The challenge of changing government policies is daunting, especially in this political climate, but supporting the local organizations that already put this principle to practice is not.

— Vashon Island Grower’s Association (VIGA) represents local farmers and those who eat and use their products. This column is part of a series by VIGA members.