Author Archives: hibaaqa

Closing The Gap Between Consumers and Their Food Source

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Taking on the action project has been one of the most interesting experiences I’ve had this quarter. Before starting the project, I had already envisioned some of the work we may be assigned to do with the Salish Center. However, about a week in I came to realize that the nonprofit was not as far along in their journey as I had previously assumed they were. This gave our group the unique opportunity to work with our NGO to build a solid base for the organization. At first this task seemed quite daunting and I wasn’t sure if I had the proper skill set to help my team and the NGO accomplish such a large task. Nonetheless, as the weeks led on our group worked hard to set goals and achieve them. It started with us doing some research and coming to the consensus that it would be in the organizations best interest to establish a PDO (protected designation of origin) rather than an AOC (Appellation d’Origine Protegee). From there, we brainstormed and came up with a number of ways we could achieve this goal for the organization. Then, we split up the tasks and each of us put our efforts towards getting our individual responsibilities completed. My role in the group was to email other NGOs in Washington, to notify them of the Salish Centers mission and to also ask for their support in our endeavors.

Salish Center Medallion (another goal was to place this medallion on all sea-food caught from Salish Sea)

Unfortunately, I had not received as many replies as I was expecting, but I suspect it may be due to the current pandemic. The lack of responses to all our emails did pose as a massive obstacle, and at times made me question if we were going to make a tangible impact in our community. Towards the end of the quarter, I realized that even if I was not able to make as large a contribution as I was hoping to, I can still utilize the knowledge, communication and tech skills I gained through this experience and apply it to any opportunity I am presented with in the future. Initially, when reflecting on the connections that existed between the work we’ve done with the Salish Center and the topics we’ve discussed in class, it was difficult for me to make any clear connections. This was until professor Litfin mentioned how beneficial it can be for local businesses and consumers to be aware of where their food comes from. In a society where we often can barely pronounce the ingredients in our food, it is clear that there has been a massive strain put on the relationship between consumers and the food that fuels them. The Salish Center is one the many organizations that are actively working to narrow the gap that exists between consumers and their food source. The Salish Centers strategy for tackling this issue is to educate the public about sustainable fishing practices, and the health of the Salish Sea, while simultaneously show-casing the quality of the seafood that hails from the Salish Sea. Ultimately, they are working to rekindle the

This map is a great visual depiction of the “12 centers of diversity” (aka the regions, or hotspots, that harbor a disproportionately high percentage of all plant, livestock, and cultural diversity.)

connection between consumers and their food source by first strengthening the relationship that consumers have with the environment that harbors the food source. Thus, further incentivizing individuals to protect and cherish the habitats that shelter the very wildlife that fuels their bodies.  

 

Link to Salish Center Website: https://salishcenter.org/#chefs

 

Link to SeedMap: http://seedmap.org/where-does-our-food-come-from/   The site provides information on how virtually all of the foods we eat today– our major crops and most livestock species – have their origins in the tropics and subtropics of Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania. The way to safeguard our food supply is by protecting these centres of diversity, as well as using and continuing to adapt the plant and genetic diversity carefully bred and nurtured by farmers.

 

 

Why Consumerism Won’t Solve Climate Change

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Cameron McElmurry’s well written blog post (https://sites.uw.edu/pols385/2020/04/13/a-plague-overlooked-the-locust-crisis-lurking-in-the-shadow-of-covid-19/) discussing the locust crisis occurring in the Horn of Africa gives the reader a look into the world of climate change and how it has increasingly played a role in causing global catastrophes.

A Samburu boy uses a wooden stick to try to swat a swarm of desert locusts filling the air, as he herds his camel near the village of Sissia, in Samburu county, Kenya.

In this photo taken Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020, a Samburu boy uses a wooden stick to try to swat a swarm of desert locusts filling the air, as he herds his camel near the village of Sissia, in Samburu county, Kenya.  (AP Photo/Patrick Ngugi)

What Cameron and many others neglect to mention is that climate change itself is the by-product of a much larger issue. Although the word ‘neoliberalism’ gets thrown around quite often, the concept still manages to lurk in the shadows of climate change discussions, even though it plays a pivotal role in driving the rising temperature of the planet.

Neoliberalism is often thought of as a neutral force, one that is victim to the ebbs and flow of consumerism, when in reality it is the very force driving these patterns. One of the main tropes we in society are expected to believe is that our consumer choices are a part of our independent thought process, completely driven by our own free will and untainted by the environment which surrounds us. This illusion of choice that neoliberalism has spoon fed Americans in particular, is one of the main reasons why the issue of climate change is often blamed on the consumer. After all, our choices are what drives the demand and if we simply lived more sustainable lives (had gardens in our backyards, shopped at farmers markets, supported small business and overall made more environmentally conscious decisions, etc.), then this whole “global warming” fiasco wouldn’t be happening in the first place, right? This narrative is the blindfold that mass-corporations and governments alike tie neatly around the heads of citizens. Neoliberalism is such an effective deflective force that G20 countries are getting away with spending $88 billion per year subsidizing exploration for new fossil fuels without much more than a slap on the wrist from their citizens (article mentioned in class: https://grist.org/climate-energy/rich-countries-are-still-wasting-billions-on-subsidies-for-fossil-fuels/).

This image is an example of the illusion of choice in consumer brands, particularly in the food system.

This image is an example of the illusion of choice in consumer brands, particularly in the food system.

Even more alarming is that $88 billion is just what has been invested in finding new fossil fuels. Globally, a whopping $775 billion has been spent in subsidies for the production and use of fossil fuels. As mentioned in the article, these subsidies come in “three basic forms: investment by state-owned enterprises, direct national subsidies and tax breaks, and public finance.” It almost seems as though locusts are not the only pests threatening the livelihoods of people. At the end of the day, if we want to truly work towards a safer future for all inhabitants of the planet, we must un–tie the blindfold neoliberalism has wrapped intricately around the eyes of citizens and expose people to the fuel that truly drives climate change. 

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4Y3OEDdpJA this YouTube video highlights some of the overlooked effects of climate change (warning: discusses suicide).  

 

 

The Real Cost of Chocolate

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As I sat at my dining room table, with the fluorescent blue-light of my laptop staring back at me, I felt consumed by guilt. The video I had just watched completely transformed my perspective on America’s favorite candy forever. Although I was instructed to place the chocolate on my tongue, I found myself hesitating; I suddenly saw the delicious morsel in my hand through a completely different lens. Before this film, when I thought of chocolate, I would think of the small joys it had brought me as a child; all of the Valentine’s days, Halloweens and movie nights where the main appeal to me was the chocolate involved. It’s decadent texture, rich flavor and comforting aroma were no longer the main qualities I associated with this treat. Rather, I thought of how I purchased the product of another sleepless night for a small farmer, wondering how he would make ends meet. I would bite

A young boy uses a machete to break cocoa pods at a farm near Abengourou in eastern Ivory Coast in December. PHOTOGRAPHS BY BENJAMIN LOWY

A young boy uses a machete to break cocoa pods at a farm near Abengourou in eastern Ivory Coast in December. PHOTOGRAPHS BY BENJAMIN LOWY

into the calloused hands of a child who instead of sitting in a classroom was in the fields, having to slash open cocoa pods with a machete. I would have to unpackage the systematic exploitation of Africa’s people and resource rich land. Ultimately, I would have to come to terms with the fact that by purchasing the chocolate, my money went towards the exploitation of human beings.

Globalization has greatly altered our relationship with food in many ways. We are now able to be completely disconnected with the source of our food, and in turn disconnected with the many horrors and injustices that take place in the world food system. Dismantling these systems will not be an easy feat, especially since multi-billion-dollar corporations are at the heart of the issue. However, we can work towards a better future for small farmers and children by purchasing from companies that value the health and wellness of their employees before their bank accounts. For example, Theo is a chocolate company based in Seattle that prioritizes purchasing from smallholder farms, and produces ethically sourced, fair-trade and organic chocolates. In 2019, all of the 1,225 metric tons of cocoa they purchased came from the community of Watalinga in the Eastern Democratic

A woman holds up one of Theos chocolate packaging

A woman holds up one of Theos chocolate packaging

Republic of Congo. You can explore their 2019 Theo Impact Report for more information on the impact of their business practices.

How COVID-19 Has Exacerbated Food Insecurity

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The article I chose was titled “Food waste–and food insecurity–rising amid coronavirus panic” and was written by Elizabeth Royte who is a Contributing Editor to the Food & Environment Reporting Network. My initial thought process when reading the article was “why don’t farmers donate their product rather than let it rot or destroy it?”. The solution however is not as simple, the food supply chain contains many moving elements that are all interconnected. To begin with much of the agricultural sector of the US is propped up and dependent upon immigrant labor, but U.S. immigration policy has constrained visas for workers, subsequently preventing the arrival of 200,000 seasonal migrants from Mexico. Not only will this impact the grocery store shelves in the US, many of the migrants depend upon agricultural work to feed their families as well. Farms are also struggling with how to most efficiently distribute the produce, dairy products, eggs and more to food banks. As Janet Poppendieck, an expert on poverty and food assistance explains “To purchase from a whole new set of farmers and suppliers — it takes time, it takes knowledge, you have to find the people, develop the contracts.” Another issue is the lack of volunteers available to distribute the food at food banks, as the older volunteers who are at higher risk for COVID-19, aren’t showing up to work (rightfully so). On top of this congregating in crowds, whether in soup kitchens, senior centers, or food pantries, is now forbidden in many states, leaving agencies scrambling to find ways to deliver meals to clients sheltering in place. However, it must also be acknowledged that to many of these billion-dollar corporations such as Sanderson Farms, the costs of donating their products may not have as much of an impact on their overall profit as it would on smaller family farms. Thus, making donating their product a much more feasible option. Throughout my research it was fascinating to see how ill-prepared these multi-billion-dollar corporations were for a decrease in profit. It appears that in the US we have paid more attention to and policed the financial security of low wage workers in a way unlike billionaire corporations have been. Unfortunately, the burden of these companies’ financial instability has fallen on the backs of Americans who are already experiencing hardship.