Hello Everyone!
So for my presentation this week, I was playing around with ideas surrounding technology/innovation in farming.
In one of the earlier weeks (1st Week? 3rd week?) we talked a bit about technology and its good and bad sides. I decided it would be interesting to pursue this further and get some further thoughts/discussion about this.
(Note: I use “old” and “new” as ways of thinking about Indigenous technology/farming practices vs. Modern technology/farming practices in loose terms, emphasizing the way that “old” ways of doing things are still technology/innovation.)
“Old” Technology
I especially wondered how people grew things in areas that don’t have an environment that is typically thought of as “farmland” (ie deserts, mountainous regions etc.) However, in the midst of newer technology and innovation, I was reminded by Amy that people did farm and survive in many of these areas without these “new” ways of farming.
In looking up articles and material, I thought about the time a friend of mine spent in Australia and how she talked about the food and the bush. Additionally, Australia was also colonized, so much of the traditional knowledge was lost when huge amounts of people died (I’m no expert on Australia or Australian history, but in many ways the way people discussed Aboriginal farming practices reminded me of similar discussions surrounding Native Americans in the United States.
Here are a few videos with articles talking about Aboriginal farming practices in Australia. I found them to bring up interesting points. Feel free to look up more information about this, because this is a pretty general overview.
https://www.csiro.au/en/Research/Environment/Biodiversity/Biodiversity-book/Chapter-6
https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/land/aboriginal-land-care
“New” Technology
In thinking about innovations in farming, I immediately thought about Hydroponics and other methods that don’t use soil.
Here are a few definitions to clarify differences in some of these systems and how they work.
“Hydroponics – The plants roots are ‘submerged’ in a continuous flow of nutrient based water.
Aeroponics – The plants roots hang in the air & a sprinkler system sprays them with nutrient based water rather than it being submerged.
Aquaponics – The plants roots are exactly the same as the hydroponics example. Only difference with aquaponics is how the plant nutrients are created.
With hydroponics you manually provide the nutrients into the system. With aquaponics you have a fish tank connected to the plants & the fish wastes are the nutrient source.” (https://originhydroponics.com/hydroponics-vs-aquaponics-vs-aeroponics/)
In thinking about these, it is easy to see how these could be beneficial for areas where the ground is toxic or unable to easily grow things.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/aquaponic-farming-saves-water-can-feed-country https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J9f59usLfI
One of the major “innovators” in farming is the Netherlands. They use many of these technologies to boost their production and allow them to be one of the largest exporters of food. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNCpEn2csGk
A video about the Netherlands and how it became an agricultural powerhouse. (Also talks about other places in the EU) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUmP8Tli-Mc
A short video praising greenhouses in the Netherlands. (Disregards traditional agricultural knowledge…) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CMfPLEtQMQ
Yet, like most things, there is controversy surrounding using these methods. Specifically, in the organic community, because of the emphasis on taking care of the soil and striving to improve soil quality, because all of the –ponics don’t use soil, many in the organic community are pushing back against certifying –ponics as organic.
Here is an explanation of some of the controversy.
https://www.igrow.news/news/a-growing-battle-in-the-47-billion-organic-food-industry-could-fundamentally-change-the-program-and-some-farmers-are-worried
Another article about how some farmers are pushing for a separate certification. https://www.winsightgrocerybusiness.com/fresh-food/real-organic-project-creates-new-food-label
Questions:
In thinking about new technologies in agriculture, there are obviously both benefits and drawbacks. I encourage you to get really specific about what potential pitfalls farms may experience when using technologies like these.
1.I used “old” and “new” as words to classify ideas surrounding technology and innovation in farming. What did you think about “old” and “new” farming practices before this class? (This hearkens back to our discussions surrounding indigenous knowledge) Which do you feel is more sustainable? Would a combination of both be possible? If so, what would it look like?
2. What do you think about not using soil in farming? What are the benefits? Drawbacks?
3. I’m thinking a bit about what Karina shared in class about how she couldn’t find who were working on the farms/in the greenhouses in the Netherlands. What types of systems of oppression could these technologies perpetuate? Would it be different from the way many farms currently work?
4. Would you use one of these systems to grow food?
5. What are some ways that these technologies could be implemented on smaller scales, perhaps in a community near your hometown or Kalamazoo? Do you think it would be beneficial? What are the limitations of this technology?
6. Anything else that the videos/information brought to mind!
Before Wednesday I encourage you to do three things to help bring more knowledge/ideas/perspectives to bring to the discussion:
1. Look up how people traditionally grew food in deserts (Was it the seeds? Was it specific tools? How did they survive?)
2. Look up a specific farming tool/technology and see where it originated (For example, I think the wheelbarrow was originally invented in China. This may relate to the previous research about “old” technology!)
3. Spend a little time learning a little more about –ponics systems. Which one do you think would be the most feasible for you to personally implement (if you wanted)? (You can also answer this in your comment if you like!)
Thanks! See you all Wednesday.
(It’s tenth week and it’s crazy…but it also means we are almost done! :D)
Genevieve
ReplyDelete1.
I think a combination of both could be possible especially after watching the video with Dr. Fiona Walsh who studied with aboriginal people in Australia. She talk about recognizing and honoring similarities rather than the two completely rejecting eachother.
2.
After learning about soil, I think it is incredibly important for farming to take place on the land instead of in those huge industrial warehouses in the Netherlands. Then again, farming like that saves time, money, labor and can feed people for much cheaper?
3. I’m thinking a bit about what Karina shared in class about how she couldn’t find who were working on the farms/in the greenhouses in the Netherlands. What types of systems of oppression could these technologies perpetuate? Would it be different from the way many farms currently work?
I think these technologies could perpetuate the lack of emphasis that is but on understanding, honoring and exploring “old” farming techniques.
4.
I probably would not, unless it was on a very small scale.
5.
I do like that it is space efficient, but what about all bees, bugs, worms and other species that have a relationship to the foods we humans also eat?
6. Anything else that the videos/information brought to mind!
First of all, wow, I had no idea there were between 600-800 languages spoken in Australia! Also, the term Kanyirninpa is really helpful, and the to hold and be held by makes sense. Almost reminds me of the honorable harvest as it is a relationship with land that is reciprocal. I also thought it was amazing that one species of tree could be used for so many things. I am always in awe of how people learn all this and how much trial and error this took. A richer array of sources is a richer array of solutions.
1.
I know they used water irrigation systems and water reuse to keep the ground supple enough to plant crops on. However, I could not find any specific systems.
2.
In 8000 BC pigs were domesticated in Japan after hunters realized what a quality food source the pigs were.
3.
My friend’s aunt made a hydroponic thing last year. It was super small scale and only grew tomatoes. Regardless, the fish, water, plants and soil were all happy, healthy and thriving! Plus the tomatoes were so much better than store bought. I could manage that. :)
1.
ReplyDeleteI think in order to live good and full lives we have to combine our traditional knowledges with new knowledges that we collect throughout time. No culture is ever stagnant or static, we all must move in a direction in order to survive. Of course there can be drawbacks with new knowledges, so we must think about what we decide to integrate together and why.
2.
Benefits could be most felt in urban environments where you're not exactly sure what kind of soil you are working with or what it has absorbed over time. The ponics could help people's access to food in areas where they are lacking.
Cons could be that we still need to take care of our soil and know how to grow from it. Also water is just as much of a finite source, so I could see that being an issue. AND then with that mind, industrial -ponic farming could contribute more to people not having access to clean water etc.
3.
Issues of access to clean water, taking up space on lands that could be farmed, unfavorable labor conditions/creation of the faceless migrant... there are so many things that *could* happen depending on who was in charge and creating policies around the bodies and labor that go into these places.
4.
I'm not sure if I would personally use these systems to grow food, it would have to depend on where I was and what I was doing. I want to say that I would rather farm on the land, not only because of what I have learned in this class, but also because that is what my family has always done here.
5.
These systems could very easily be replicated in Kzoo or adjacent areas. You just need a bit of space and the ability to pay a big water bill! I think it could be helpful to a lot of food insecure people in the area, but I wonder about its sustainability.
6.
Thanks for all the cool info!!!
1.
I read a wonderful book over winter break called Gardens In the Dunes by Leslie Marmon Silko that talked a lot about this. I think to a degree it is the types of plants that grow in those areas, but it is also the knowledge of the people that make those bountiful harvests happen through an understanding of the seasons, creating irrigation systems, organizing their crops in ways that they all mutually benefit each other and share water.
2.
I'm not sure why I chose this particular tool, but I wanted to learn more about the Scythe. Apparently its origins are somewhat unknown, but it came to be used in the Roman Empire, and then diffused throughout Europe as the need for cultivating hay for livestock became necessary. I thought that was an interesting historical tidbit!
3.
Honestly, I think many of these would be difficult for me to implement myself, but I am the most intrigued by the aquaponics system. It seems more like an integrated approach that we have been trying to understand this quarter.
1) Prior to taking this class I had given some thought to indigenous knowledges and the things they teach us about living in this world that we seem to have rejected and/or forgotten in the west. I have been struggling a bit with the language used to think about it however. "New" and "old" seem to imply that the "old" farming practices are not currently being used, which is not necessarily true. I also don't want to homogenize all indigenous practices because they are not all the same. I wonder if anyone has any other suggestions for language use when thinking of farming knowledges and technology?
ReplyDelete2) I have never heard of not using soil in farming! In my mind it seems so counterintuitive, like most (if not all) of our crops have adapted and evolved to grow in soil, and it just seems to me like that is an essential part of their life force. I guess I can't argue with the results of the hydroponic farming methods though; it looks like it really does produce lots of high-quality vegetables. I just wonder what the fungal-root systems look like. would lack of soil prevent these from flourishing? Does that have any impact on the nutrients in the produce? Also, I wonder what might be some long-term problems that haven't reared their heads quite yet but will be issues down the line? Will this technology enable us to keep ignoring the state of our soil, and will that even matter? What about the fish in the hydroponic system? Their living tanks do not look like they provide the fish with a comfortable life. How might they be integrated into the system in a way that does not overcrowd them in tiny barrel tanks and gives them the shelter and enrichment needed for living long and happy lives? This all seems too easy to be true, but maybe I'm just behind the times of change.
3) I was interested to see in the promotional videos only a few hip-looking young white people tending, in the least laborious-looking manner, to the plants growing in the greenhouses. I wonder if that is what the scene actually looks like? What happened to all the small family farms when the greenhouses were set up, were they run out of business and forced to leave their land, or are they still able to provide for themselves? Are working conditions really that nice, or are they just as difficult as any other farming job, and who has those jobs? I know I'm asking a bunch of questions, but I honestly don't know enough to speculate without speculating in question form.
4) I might consider trying hydroponics in a small-scale way so that I can care for the fish and not make their lives stressful and short. I would consider growing plants that float on the water like watercress and lotus.
Research:
1) The first thing that comes to mind for me is the farming practices in the Nile River Valley. They used the river's natural flooding cycles and worked that into their practices. Outside of the places with natural irrigation, I'm not too sure. I can imagine growing crops suited harsh desert climates (like agave) is paramount.
2) Terraced farming was used by the Wari people in the Andes Mountains to increase the amount of farmland in sloped lands, as well as preventing erosion and aiding irrigation.
3) I think a hydroponic system would be easiest for me to implement. I would like to try growing edible plants in an aquatic habitat for the fish. I have to do more research into specifics, but that is my vision!
1.
ReplyDeleteI think I have definitely thought more about this issue since this class has started.. I find it interesting that some of the "new" techniques such as organic farming or permaculture methods that have become popular are things that people have been doing for hundreds or thousands of years. I think back to the seed documentary and the potato farmers and how 'old' methods were being studied for contemporary improvements. Although, there are also some recent innovations in food production that are pretty groundbreaking as well. I think there is a fine line that we could imagine where we use all of the knowledge we have available in order to farm in the most sustainable/ reliable way. I am skeptical of making food production artificial through the use of climate control/ hydroponics but these techniques can be very powerful when used in tandem with traditional methods.
2. Again, I guess it just seems artificial to be farming indoors in controlled environments and without soil. The soil dimension is one of the coolest parts about growing food, too! But also aquaponics and hydroponic methods seem to be very efficient in terms of resource use, which is really an awesome thing.
I guess I just don't want people to become too reliant on these techniques and lose the valuable relationship that farming can facilitate with soil and the earth.
3. It seems like these greenhouses have the potential to value science/technology/control over earth/nature/spontaneity. This is troublesome because it may cloud up the integral and intimate relationship that can be fostered between people, plants, and the earth.
4. Would you use one of these systems to grow food?
I think I would prefer to plant food outdoors.. But it could be fun to try hydroponics for the winter season sometime.
5.
Well I guess this is not necessarily small scale but there is a huge aquaponics farm that just started operations in Grand Rapids this past year. I hear that it is the second largest aquaponics farm in the country! (they are called revolution farms if ya wanna check em out) They grow lettuces all year round and it seems pretty cool to me-- One of there goals is to reduce the traveling distance of lettuces/food so they plan to sell most of their stuff in Michigan.
6.
I became very curious about the Ag research university in the Netherlands. I wonder about the focus points of their curriculum, the overall environment of campus, and if they have reallly good food?
1. When I think of old farming practices, I imagine animals plowing the land and sweaty farmers working restlessly every day in the field. On the other hand, new farming practices remind me of heavy machineries that are supposed to make things more efficient and all of these fancy equipment set up to automatically monitor the plants. I definitely think that the “old” way of farming would be more sustainable, since it’s a much more intimate process and relationship with the land. There is just something about the reciprocity physically working and getting your hands dirty. Even though the old practices feel much more natural, I do believe that integration between the old and new approach would make the world possibly better than it is now. I imagine that children would learn about their connection with nature through traditional farming in their early education, whereas, industrially, these technological approach of farming practices would be involved to supply the commercial needs.
ReplyDelete2. I cringed when I think of farming without soil. The benefits would be that it preserves lots of water and uncertainty in the monitoring of plants. Perhaps, this would provide a higher crop yield and less disease exposure. However, this also raises the drawbacks on the constant monitoring and dependency on technology. If one thing part of the system fails, the operation would be paused. This is a very expensive project to start up and sustain for many farmers, so I imagine that the accessibility of such system is very limited.
3. I find it ironic that although these technology provides greater crop yield with higher quality, farmers are still struggling with their day-to-day. I think that the applicability part of this advancement creates a big gap, where the power falls into the hands of selective elites. I’m skeptical about the Eurocentric focus and the source of money that is funding this project.
4. Maybe. I would use one of these systems as a side project to experiment.
5. I think these technologies can be implemented on smaller scales around the community. Perhaps, if there is some sort of communal center established where local farmers could gather together and just to experiment with the new system. The resulting yield could be something that has many potentials in the upcoming generation.
6. Why drones?
1. I suppose I saw "new" and "old" sustainable methods as often interconnected in how they approach issues. Within science and technology, there are constantly new "discoveries" being claimed, which often seem to repeat ancestral knowledge, perhaps just in another form. For this reason, I think a combination of both is often inevitable.
ReplyDelete2. I just was amazed honestly that you can even do that. I thought it was interesting that they were able to lessen water usage too. I am sure there's drawbacks too, though, when you're not interacting directly with soil. I'd like to learn some more about this.
3. Even in the video, they directly said how wealthier economies are able to use this technology. So that in itself makes it rather exclusive. But I also was curious about how using technology would affect farmers themselves. Would it take away their jobs? Or open up different economic opportunities? It seems like fewer people could produce more work. Again, I'd just like to think some more through this.
4. I suppose so! It would be interesting to try it out and see how it works.
5. I wonder if, because many of these spaces were indoors, they could be utilized within Kzoo, for example, to help combat food insecurity and food deserts.
6. I liked when the video talked about preventing problems ahead of time by investing in solutions, instead of simply throwing on bandaid "solutions" when problems arise - wouldn't that be nice?
1. Before this class when I thought of “old” farming practices I often imagined farming techniques using horses and plows never of indigenous farming practices, mostly the imagines you’d see in history books picturing white settlers. While after taking this class, I now have a better understanding of indigenous farming practices from previous readings and videos we have seen over the past ten weeks. I definitely believe that “old” farming practices are more sustainable than current farming practices involving chemicals and a lack of care of the land used. I believe that if we were able to incorporate indigenous farming practices into our current farming system we would be able to reduce the food waste, use of herbicides, pesticides, and reduce the water use.
ReplyDelete2. I think with the current farming practices we may be forced to use no soil farming practices in order to sustain our current food demands. A few of the benefits as described in the article on aquaponic farming were less water usage and a faster growing process. I definitely think that these “new” farming practices could be a real alternative to current farming systems which lack sustainable practices.
3. I think that in terms of the “new” farming systems involving hydroponics and aquaponics would reduce the demand for farm labor which would cause a loss of many jobs for individuals dependent on seasonal farming to feed their families, while it would hopefully provide a safer and healthier environment for those who are needed to pick the produce.
4. I definitely would be interested in using aquaponics to grow food.
5. I think the first step in our local community would be implementing organic farming practices/ indigenous techniques to grow food sustainably in our community. It definitely would benefit many members of our community as long as the foods are also affordable. A possible limitation would be making sure that access to the foods grown are available to everyone in our community rather than just those who can afford to attend the local farmers market for example.
6. I hope we can go more in depth on the controversy of why aquaponics are considered not organic to those who are apart of the organic food community.
Thanks for a really thoughtful framing of this topic! These videos bring up so many strong feelings for me that there were several moments while I was watching that I found myself yelling at my computer.
ReplyDeleteI’m going to try to answer a few of these questions at once. One of the fundamental differences that strikes me between the “old” or indigenous technologies (“old” in quotation marks because even though some of these practices are ancient, they are still being practiced today) and the “new” technologies featured in the videos is that the indigenous farming ways are embedded in ecosystems even as they influence those ecosystems—and so there is lots of biological diversity present even though humans are influencing the species that are present. Modern greenhouse and hydroponic culture, at least as it is practiced on an industrial scale, seeks to remove food production from the ecological web (as if it could) and so it may be “efficient” when solely measured by output, but it is very inefficient when measured in ecological terms. The soil question is a part of this—and seems especially relevant if we consider that healthy soil is important for all kinds of planetary elemental cycles, including the carbon cycle. Healthy soil (which can be cultivated through ecologically-based farming techniques) sequesters carbon, prevents run-off and erosion, etc.
I’m running out of time but just want to say that I do think that hydroponics/aquaponics and other such techniques can be and have been implemented on smaller scales in ecological ways, so again, it is as much about the technology itself, but how and why it is used.
1. One of the major takeaways that I had from my Anti-Capitalist Theory class is to always be skeptical of technology. While new technologies are developed to solve a specific problem, they often come at the expense of the worker. In the case of agriculture, we definitely see this happening. New, “more efficient,” technology can increase yields while harming workers and their health, the soil, plant genetic variety, communities, etc. I don’t want to dispel all new technology, however, because I think that we have reached a point where we have moved so far away from sustainable “old” technology that innovation is necessary.
ReplyDelete2. I am not super familiar with the arguments made by organic farmers against the use of non-soil growing methods. Yet, in my mind we could have both. In fact, I could imagine a situation in which we are able to tend to our depleted soils by removing the agricultural pressure we put on them through a movement to one of the -ponics. I think it has to be a “yes and” type scenario. One of the worst things we could do would be to move away from soil completely and then do nothing to replenish and restore all of the damage that has been caused.
3. The moment one of the videos said that they are using drones to monitor their crops I thought to myself “we should never do that here.” My main concern is the displacement of workers through technological innovation. This may not be a problem for the Netherlands. As they said in the video, it is less than 1% of the size of the US. Yet, I cannot imagine a situation in which new technologies, such as the ones utilized in the Netherlands would not severely impact the agricultural work that is being done.
Another point that really hit me in the videos is the emphasis that is put on the university in the Netherlands. They are understood to be the holders of all of the agricultural knowledge. This is exactly what happens with technological innovation, other ways of knowing agriculture are rendered obsolete. To me, that is a huge problem.
4. I would! It would be so cool to have a -ponics system in my home. I would still want to maintain an outdoor garden, but, especially in the winter, it would be lovely to have fresh produce.
5. Similar to how I feel about my own use of a -ponics system, I think community gardens could exist in two parts. This would be especially beneficial to a community like Kalamazoo, as we face long winters without fresh food. The limitations involved would be labor and capital.
I think that older, more indigenous methods would end up being more sustainable for the land. One pattern I observe regarding technological advancement is that it forgets about the concept of balance. For instance, modern technology might allow a field to be worked continuously, forcing a productive yield every year; or it might make it so easy to reach that productivity that we, the farmers, don't need to know and remember how to steward our fields. The result is over-stress, or laziness; the land or the farmer becomes either overworked to breaking point, or over-softened. Relating this to hydroponics, I can imagine hydroponic crops adapting to a constant supply of water and nutrients, to the point that they're "spoiled": they won't be able to grow in the soil anymore, to tolerate drought, to do the 'work' necessary to extract as much nutrition and water as possible from the earth.
ReplyDelete1. Prior to this class I took this terms at face value, with their category referring to how long this practice has been around or when it was first purposed. I am tempted to say that old ways are more sustainable as they have been able to withstand the test of time, however, I am not sure I can say for certain because some new technologies could provide a sustainable practice as well. I do think a combination of both practices are possible, although I am not sure how it would look exactly because I am not well versed in all the possibilities. I imagine it being in ways Amy and John have shown us, their farm conducted in way that do honor old ways but they are also utilizing hormones in their fruit trees and synthesized microbes when planting.
ReplyDelete2. I think the idea is very cool and interesting! Especially aquaponics. The benefits would clearly be to serves areas with no soil or poor soil. I think one of the drawbacks is that it further separates us from wanting to have an honorable relationship with soil. When these options are present, we may not be as worried with long-term sustainability because there is a plan B already.
3. Two things that come to mind are taking away jobs from people when new technologies are more “efficient.” Introducing another expense on farmers who may feel compelled (or may be legally required) to adopt these new “sustainable” technologies.
4. I think I would use old practices if I was to adopt farming on a small scale, such as to feed myself or myself and a partner.
5. In downtown Kalamazoo and other concrete jungle areas, no soil farming practices could be used to grow food and other plants.
1. I couldn’t find a lot of resources that laid out traditional ways of growing food in the dessert. From what I can imagine, seed selection would have to be toward those that can thrive in sandy, poor nutrient soil. The biggest issue I can imagine is water use which would need to be done by conserving, recollecting, and preventing high evaporation.
1. If I’ve learned anything in this class it’s that the words “old” and “new” don’t really carry much meaning since many indegenous peoples were using these “new” farming techniques many years ago, it just looked different. That being said, though, there’s something about the indoor farming video that is seriously off-putting. We’ve learned, now, that plants are smarter than most of us so wouldn’t you think they could tell when they’re getting all their nutrients and light from artificial sources? It may still work but it isn’t the real thing. Plus, the question of sustainability is almost laughable because growing plants indoor (as a way to avoid planting them outdoors in the ground and soil that we were given to work with) is inherently suggesting that the outdoors won’t always be useable- an idea that is completye; unsustainable in itself!
ReplyDelete2. I think organic integrity is a really interesting concept- how people should not only be taking care of their crops ina natural way but the soil that will continue to produce them for generations as well. Because soil is one of the main drivers of diversity (if you picked up any hand-full of it, it would 1)not be the same as any other handful and 2)not be the same as it exists when it is connected with the rest of its ecosystem), I truly don’t think growing indoors can be reproduced in a meaningful way. Of course some soil has been polluted these days but we need to keep in mind that we are doing the polluting! Instead of coming up with new alternatives we need to start coming up with ways to fix what we have.
3. So it seemed to me from the videos that most of the people working in the Netherlands greenhouses are white- which could be problematic in a world where most land is already owned by white people with a history of using people of color for labor. What's interesting though is in the second video when they start talking about famine and how growing more food could help the problem of displacement of peoples, there seems to be a big white savior complex going on. Something that I think could definitely perpetuate oppression is simply the knowledge gap that will seemingly result from these “new” systems- making yet another sub sector of farming run and powered by white folks.
4. This is a really interesting question- my short answer is yes, if I had to, of course. Like if there was actually a food shortage issue and not enough land to plant on then I think this would be a great way to supplement that. But we truly don’t have a food shortage issue in the world, we have a food displacement issue. So to me, it really doesn’t make sense to farm this way.
5. This makes me think of small farms and how they can be used in urban settings for those who want to stay connected to the land. But then, I sort of feel like because people have been so far removed from the soil and the earth that nourishes us every day, removing plants from this environment as well to indoor environments is taking us too far from what we were meant to do.
1. I think that a combination of both is not only possible but necessary if we are to talk about sustainability. I think there is a lot to say about how traditional processes tend to be more respectful to the earth BUT we live in a time with new, and challenging problems related to food. In this instance, I think innovation can not only be helpful but necessary.
ReplyDelete2. I think it is beneficial to people who do not have access to land and/ or healthy soil. It is not ideal because it messes with the cycle of nature, for example, carbon fixing, which could make the process difficult on a large scale.
3.
It seems like these technologies take a lot of pressure off of the labor force. So there would be less agricultural labor… which one could argue is negative because of the loss of the job market. However, this labor tends to be physically demanding and also often exploitative. So transitioning away from that could lead to positive change in the long run.
4.
Sure! I think that personal growth using these food systems would be fun and interesting. Unless we are talking about large scale and/ or systematic change using these practices it doesn’t seem very disruptive.
5.
I think these technologies have a lot of potential in urban places like Kalamazoo. They are most beneficial in these areas because they do not need much land resource. In that way, we can turn urban spaces into productive green spaces.
1. The words old and new scare me a lot becuase the addition of time and temporality to innovation tends to hierarchichize efforts. I worry about old and new becuase new tends to overpower old and phase out old when in reality new just builds up on old. Old is like an elder, an ancestor that teaches up so much and whose efforts have merit and matter. I think that many times we fix what isnt broke and it hurts me that we think that old means done. that it means its no longer useful or mattering which is not true. Combinations are possible and I think it is the only way of interacting with the world.
ReplyDelete2. Bro, all I can say is soil-less farming freaks me out and I DONT UNDERSTAND. seems plain wrong. sorry if that is ignorant.
3. I think that not knowing who works greenhouses and the land opens them up to be more abused and to let their conditions be swept under a rug if not good. It reminds me of Ayla's presenation when she asks if we see community differently when we have to take into account those who pick our food. When we dont know who do this then we cannot care about them in the same way.
4 &5. I dont know if I would. I think that these systems are beneficial in that they can hep as we stedily lose green space. I believe in trying to fix things rather than constantly creating solutions that have more of a band-aid effect. They definitely can be implemented on smaller scales and they woud be transformative and helpful. I worry abut this becoming normalized simply becuase we cna get complacent and forget that soil is life.
1. Before this class, I thought of hydroculture as new technology when that's not the case whatsoever at all. I think all of these can be sustainable, especially after analyzing your area to see which technology is best. I think I also thought of some techniques as “new” because of the ways in which knowledge has become exclusive even to the communities that practiced these and then lost that knowledge through violence.
ReplyDelete2. I think that soil is important and necessary; however, if the climate does not allow for that to happen, communities need to find alternatives. This also calls into question as to whether these knowledges were preserved for communities to know how to do it and if they have access to these.
3.Personally, I would like to learn about them and how to use them, but I don’t think I would actually prefer this over soil.
4.I think implementing these little by little would be a way in which knowledge on these technologies gets disseminated particularly as we have talked about these being so exclusive or keeping knowledge from particular communities. So I think that incorporating them in small amounts, can restore knowledges that were erased which is tricky because it takes more, but it is a start.