From Tony . . .

Hi, Friends

I hope all is well and the weather doesn’t pull another “Winter is coming” joke on us….

I am still in shock that we have only five weeks of undergrad left. That’s quite a big deal and somewhat nerve wrecking, right? We all have been lucky enough to be in school for SIXTEEN years! And it’s finally our turn to be fully in charge of ourselves and make things happen out in the “adult world”.

So how are you? Tell me about yourself and what you’ve learned in the past four years?

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Thanks! I feel awesome. My name is Tony. I’m a senior student at Kalamazoo College, graduating with a chemistry and environmental studies degree in June. I’m currently unemployed and have about ten years’ worth of student loan to pay next. I might seem like a hot mess, I know, but let me explain what I’ve gained from the last four years and why college was worth investing.

            To put it shortly, I would say that I find myself very helpless, frustrated, and confused the majority of times I leave my classes. Whether it is issues dealing with environmentalism or social justice, there are so many messed up things out there in the “adult world” that are way out of my control. I am fed up with the awkward silence from discussion groups, and I want to DO something productive rather than just talking about these dreadful topics. That being said, I think college has challenged me to change my attitude and outlook on several things in life. My perspective on the concept of “waste” had completely changed since my involvement through the composting program. If it weren’t for the actual DOING part of composting, I never would have encountered the valuable lessons and healthy community that it cultivates. Now that I’m leaving college soon, I see so many potentials and work that need to be done about all of the frustrating challenges that we’ve been discussing in class.

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I want to invite you all today to join me on a tour around campus, learning about the physical process of composting and its application. I would like this class session to be self-reflective on our individual experiences at K, and think about how we will expand our journey beyond K.

Before coming to class, please answer these questions and watch the following video in the links below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8miLevRI_o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eXRfynD-M8

1. What is one topic that resonates with you the most? (ex. food waste, food insecurity, etc)
2. What skills have you learned at K? And what is one thing you learned about yourself?

Sustainable Agriculture from a Global Perspective

It is easy to get bogged down by the fragile and unsustainable nature of our modern food systems. Large chemical and seed companies are seen dominating the decision-making ability of farmers, the globalizing economy demands predictable output at diminishing prices, and large-scale agricultural strategies such as monocultures destroy our soils and land while contributing to the epidemic of global climate change. In the search for a stable food supply, some people argue that industrial agricultural practices are needed in order to “feed the world.” However, such a narrow stance fails to recognize the need for radical change likewise missing the potential for alternative solutions. In reconceptualizing the goals of agriculture from a global perspective, I have decided to focus on some of the work being done internationally by the UN.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is working with 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) to end hunger and promote sustainable agricultural practices. Rather than taking these goals as a panacea for the world’s complex agricultural and economic problems, I would like to use them as a discussion topic for our class.

Here is a link to the site (http://www.fao.org/sustainable-development-goals/goals/goal-1/ro/) where they are listed as follows: 

1. No Poverty 2. Zero Hunger 3. Good Health and Well Being 4. Quality Education 5. Gender Equality 6. Clean Water and Sanitation 7. Affordable and Clean Energy 8. Decent Work and Economic Growth 9. Industry Innovation and Infrastructure 10. Reduced Inequalities 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities 12. Responsible Consumption and Production 13. Climate Action 14. Life Below Water 15. Life on Land 16. Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions 17. Partnerships for the Goals

In achieving these goals, the UN aims to put food and agriculture development at the center of their agenda. Here is a quick video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=65&v=PbrYpZ_bXuo. (Bonus: for economists, notice the stark difference between this strategy and the policy prescriptions of the Lewis two-sector model!)  

The following article also provides a few actions that have been taken to implement sustainable food and agriculture practices according to the SDG’s (http://www.fao.org/fao-stories/article/en/c/1184363/).

In browsing through the website, there are a number of stories displaying the work that is being done. I would like to ask everyone to read through at least one of these stories, paying attention to the methods used: are they policy decisions, education initiatives, market driven, or the result of implementing technology? What are the outcomes achieved? And what are your thoughts/ feelings? 

So in sum, here are the response questions.

1.) What is your initial reaction to the sustainable development goals put forth by the FAO? Do you think these goals are achievable, sufficient, or is there anything you feel is missing?

2.) How do the goals and principles set forth by the FAO challenge or confirm your own views about sustainability and agriculture? Are you left with any questions, anxieties, or hopes?

3.) What did you find in the article you read? What were the methods and outcomes? How do you feel about the work being done in this context? 

Week 5 on the Farm: Apples

Weather Forecast: highs in the mid-50s, 50% chance of rain.

I've been keeping an eye on the weather this week while deciding what we might be able to help you learn on the farm with us! If the weather holds and it stays dry for your farm times, I think we'll spend some time in the orchard this week so that you can learn about tree fruit.

We've talked about a couple of different methods of partnering with plant reproduction thus far, through seed stewardship of annual and biennial plants and through the vegetative reproduction of potatoes through their tubers. Fruit trees give us a chance to look at a different way of working with plants through grafting. Again, the same questions arise around responsible and respectful stewardship: how do we honor and protect the inherent possibilities within natural biodiversity as we partner with these plants to select for varieties that best meet the needs of our human communities? This film gives a quick overview of how we ended up with the apple varieties that are currently common and traces their history back to the wild apples of Kazakhstan:

https://vimeo.com/114449609

When you are out on the farm this week, we'll talk a bit about the apple varieties we are growing and give you a grafting demonstration to show you how you can propagate your own fruit trees. Some folks are even using grafting techniques to bring fruit into city food deserts:

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/04/07/150142001/guerrilla-grafters-bring-forbidden-fruit-back-to-city-trees

Growing tree fruit commercially is highly labor intensive. The season begins with planting and pruning, then spring fungicide and insecticide applications begin. In late spring and early summer, blossoms and young fruits must be thinned. In mid-summer harvest begins and carries through late fall. Much of this labor is provided by migrant workers. The work is physically demanding in itself and the exposure to orchard chemicals adds another layer of health effects.

This report is an overview of issues facing farm workers in Michigan. Please read the abstract and table of contents, skim the whole report, and then choose one section to read more carefully and thoughtfully.

https://jsri.msu.edu/upload/publications/research-reports/RR59%20final.pdf

I hope that perhaps one or two of you might choose to center one of our Wednesday classes around farm worker issues so that we have a chance to explore this situation in more depth.

Before coming to the farm this week, please answer the following questions in the comments section:

1) What did you know about apples prior to watching the "Wild Apples" documentary? 

2)  What was the most interesting thing you learned about apples from the documentary?

3) What questions do you have after watching the documentary?

4) What did you know about Kazakhstan prior to watching the documentary? 

5) What did you know about migrant labor in Michigan prior to reviewing the linked report? Where did you learn this?

6) What section of the report did you choose to focus on in your reading? Why?

7) What questions do you have after reading the report?

Exploration of Food Waste

Hello everyone! We decided to present together this week in order to fully explore the huge problem of food waste. We have worked together to address this issue in our time at K through the starting of our own chapter of Food Recovery Network (https://www.foodrecoverynetwork.org). Each quarter we recover anywhere from 750 to 2000 pounds of cafeteria food that would have otherwise been thrown away. We partner with multiple shelters in town and three times a week deliver our leftover food to them. This is only a small glimpse of work being done to combat the epidemic of food waste that we have in this country (40%!!). Food waste happens in many stages of production, distribution, and consumption--on farms, in manufacturing, in grocery stores and food service places, and in households. This waste goes on to contribute to a whole host of other issues such as greenhouse gas emission and food insecurity. Below we have gone on to describe a few:

But first watch this video for a quick overview of the Food Waste footprint! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoCVrkcaH6Q

1)The first level of food waste is on the farm. Even though 50% of land is used for agriculture, much of the food grown will be wasted due to lack of market conditions, labor shortages, mechanical harvesting, food safety rules, weather and disease. Additionally, farmers have to respond to a very competitive market in which consumers standards are the picture-perfect  unblemished peach. Forget foods that are simply damaged- farmers are being compelled to not even waste their time picking up berries that are “too small,” but perfectly edible, for example. The imperfect produce movement was started on the West Coast in attempt to combat this issue- the service offers “ugly,” fruits and vegetables that have been collected from small farms delivered straight to people’s front doors at a discounted rate. Additionally, the House and Senate recently (2018) passed a bill allocating nearly 500 billion dollars to programs related to reducing the harmful impacts of food waste. Included in the Food Waste programs supported by this initiative are local compost and waste reduction plans and liability protections for food donations.

2)Grocery Stores and Food Distribution:
    Around 13% of our annual food waste is caused by grocery stores and food distribution places. Factors contributing to this waste are “out of date” food, imperfect produce, and consumer actions. Sell-by dates lead to the disposal of perfectly good food. There is a huge difference between sell-by and consume-by dates, something grocers fail to understand. Check out a cool grocery store in Massachusetts working to fight this problem (https://dailytable.org)!! Imperfect produce is often thrown away. Additionally, the same aesthetic standards mentioned above apply to grocery stores. On top of this, the ways in which grocery stock is managed leads to food waste. Stores want shelves that are full and stock always on hand, often leading them to purchase more than necessary. There is a desire to display abundance when what is really needed is careful decision making about how much we should have. France was able to pass legislation that banned grocery store waste entirely!
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/02/24/586579455/french-food-waste-law-changing-how-grocery-stores-approach-excess-food

3)Household Consumers- Many of us are not truly aware of how much food we are single-handedly wasting, and even more of us lack the information/skill set required to properly store or “use up,” the food we buy. Consider the ways poor storage, poor visibility in your refrigerators, misjudged food needs, and poor meal planning has affected your food choices. Personally, for my family, one of the hardest things to get used to as a student is moving from living with a family to needing to prepare food for myself, while still feeling inclined to buy the bulk promotions from Costco. Perhaps the most popular issue that has surfaced in the last few years is confusion over date labels causing premature discarding. Check out https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/2947 to see about a bill that was passed to standardize the date indicator system.

Also, challenge yourself with this worksheet to log your own food waste! What’s great about this movement is that anyone can take part in it!
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-02/documents/get_smart_ftgtw_2_1_2016_pubnumberadded_508.pdf

In class this week we will explore the causes/sources of food waste, the consequences that we face because of it, and the potential solutions that we have to address it. Before then, please, answer the following questions:

As we created this weeks blog post together, please take a little extra time and thought to respond to this.

1. What do you know about food waste? Where did you learn it from?
2. Find two examples of actions (from community organizing to legislation) that are being taken to combat food waste. Discuss what you do or do not like about these strategies.
3. What are changes that you would like your community (wherever that may be) to make to address food waste?

-Hannah and Maria

Week 4 on the Farm: Potatoes

Forecast: Tuesday, 60% chance of morning thunderstorms; highs in the mid-60s. Friday, sunny, highs in the low 60s.

Spring is a-springing this week on the farm--the rain and warm temperatures are greening up the fields and the buds on the trees are starting to break into leaves. We are scrambling to finish up pruning in the orchard, planting new trees, and getting the gardens ready for planting. We'll have you help us with these things this week, as well as planting potatoes.

Potatoes are one of those crops whose history is so intimately connected with human history that it's difficult to say which one of us (the potato or the human) has been more changed by our interactions. For a quick (30 min) summary of this history, watch the potato segment of Michael Pollan's "The Botany of Desire." It starts around 1:23:30: http://naturedocumentaries.org/126/the-botany-of-desire/.

Then, for a more in-depth look at how climate change is affecting Peruvian potato farmers and how they are using their traditional farming methods to adapt, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLI2KySC9-U.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service defines Traditional Ecological Knowledge as: "Traditional Ecological Knowledge, also called by other names including Indigenous Knowledge or Native Science, (hereafter, TEK) refers to the evolving knowledge acquired by indigenous and local peoples over hundreds or thousands of years through direct contact with the environment." (https://www.fws.gov/nativeamerican/pdf/tek-fact-sheet.pdf). You can see that the Peruvians are using this type of intimate knowledge of their ecosystem to adapt to the changes occurring in that ecosystem due to climate change. In contrast, the potato industry featured in "The Botany of Desire" is responding to ecological changes by using the tools of Western science. 

 In your comments, please respond to the following: 

As you look at these two different farming systems, what do you notice? What do you expect the short and long-term effects of each farming system on their local ecosystem and community might be? What do you imagine the short and long-term global effects of each farming system might be?

Prior to taking this class, what did you know about systems of traditional ecological knowledge? Where have you encountered this type of knowledge in your life and what have you learned about it?

Food and Kommunity

In my personal experience when I think I food I tend to think of food
on a personal level, food as it relates to me. This week I would like
to flip the script and think about food as it relates to others, the
relationship between food and the community. Below are some
topic related  quotes from featured on Nourish.org…

Bryant Terry: “Food and community are inseparable. I rarely
eat alone, and I don’t like eating alone, because I think food
should be shared with other people.”

Anna Lappé: “Food plays an essential role in building community.
One of the things that has changed so much in just my lifetime is
our relationship to food and community. Many of us no longer have
the experience of having meals together with our families, friends,
and classmates .It’s exciting to see that there’s a renaissance of
people realizing how important it is to use food as a way to
connect with each other. People are doing this in all kinds of
creative, inspired, and fun ways.”

Nadine Burke: “When I was a kid, dinnertime was family time.
That was sacred time. I could hang out with my friends all I
wanted before or after, but dinnertime was the time that we
connected as a family. Recently, our eating habits have really
changed. About 50 percent of meals are eaten outside of the
home, and 20 percent in cars.We’re eating more of our meals
out, where we don’t have control over what goes into them.
We don’t have time to make nutritious meals so we eat a lot
of processed food or prepackaged food or fast food. There are
a whole lot of factors that have gone into what is now the
obesity epidemic.”

Michael Pollan: “The whole social institution of eating together
is fracturing and breaking down. The drift in the last 50 years or
so has been to eat individually. It benefits food companies when
you eat individually, because you tend to eat more. Each
individual will have different food choices, which segments the
market. Food marketers would rather have us eat lots of stuff
by ourselves in isolation than eating together. They love getting us
to eat in front of the television set, on our own, on the run, and in
the car.”

When I think of food and community (somewhat embarrassingly)
the first thing that comes to mind is an old Stouffer’s ad campaign.
I remember watching TV as a kid and seeing a commercial
for Stouffer’s pop up on the television. There would be a
family surrounding a table smiling, talking, and eating Stouffer’s
while a narrator peppered in facts about the benefits of
family dinners. The brand was trying to commoditize an relationship
as old as time: that of food and community.

Historically: As an essential aspect of survival food has heavily shaped
human history, and society.As  Ones relationship to food could be seen as
an indicator of class in the greater community.For example, “early agrarian
societies formed around the production of food; they developed social
structures that allowed some people to focus on farming and others to
work outside of agriculture and which eventually led to stratification of
classes and the concentration of power around those who controlled access to
food”. There are infinite other examples of how food has shaped humanity, and
while I won’t give anyone a history lesson I thought it was interesting to mention.

My Personal Experience at K: When I was a first year large chunks of my
time were spent socializing in the caf. I remember having two hour long lunches
(when I meant for it to be a quick 30) because the conversation between friends
was too interesting to leave. At a school with a tendency towards stress
culture, where there are days when spending time on anything deemed ‘unproductive’
is seen as wasteful, meals were a necessary task that could also be a pleasant one.
It was a time to destress, to commiserate, to laugh, and yes to eat. There were
Saturday morning brunches where a clear majority of students were hungover,
and exam week breakfasts where the amount of books on the table
outweighed the amount of food. The caf provided a commonality in the narratives
of  K students.As an upperclassmen I have felt a disconnect from the campus
community and I believe not eating atthe cafeteria was a large part of that.

Questions

1. What’s the relationship between food and community?

2. What are some examples of building community through food?

3. How can we nourish our community through food?

I want to talk with you all about how food has helped shape our community
at K. So please brainstorm some stories you would like to share before
class on Wednesday!