The United States federal government spends over $20 billion annually on subsidies for farms. A large portion of these subsidies go to producing cash crops. The cash crops that are currently being subsidized in the United States are corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beer, milk, beef, peanut butter, and sunflower oil. These foods do not contribute to healthy, nutritious meals and instead have been linked to higher rates of obesity and heart disease. 

By funding unhealthy foods, the government is making healthy food more expensive by comparison. For low income individuals and those experiencing homelessness, it is likely that they will resort to buying the cheaper and unhealthy fast foods made from these subsidized crops. This leads to detrimental health consequences such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity which lowers life expectancy. 

In Alameda County, a large portion of residents are food insecure, meaning that they have trouble accessing nutritious foods either due to lack of transportation and access to locations with this type of food, or they are unable to afford the food itself. If our government switches to subsidizing more nutritious foods, it would make them more affordable and therefore more accessible. We as high school students are focusing on getting the attention of more local government agencies, such as the mayor of Oakland, and eventually the governor of California.