Author Archives: reilys

The People United Can Never Be Divided

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I know that this is not directly related to the content of this class, but what I write about speaks louder to me than the food system in this moment. So, I wanted to share my thoughts on the Black Lives Matter movement with you all. Thank you for reading. 

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Distress, aguish, disappointment with US institutions, grief, sadness. These are all emotions I have been overwhelmed with lately, with everything that is going on. The institutional racism, injustices, and many deaths that we have been battling with the Black Lives Matter movement brings up feelings of sadness yet hope. Over the past few days, I have felt a sense of unity among protestors and social media that I have been participating in. As we march through the streets of Seattle, chanting “black lives matter,” “no justice, no peace,” “don’t shoot,” the names of black lives that have been brutally taken, and many other chants, I feel connected to those around me, fighting for equity.

Tuesday, June 2nd, at the East Precinct in Capitol Hill, Seattle. Protesting out past curfew.

Taking to the streets of Seattle, chanting, “out of your homes and into the street

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We live in a society that lacks a true democracy that fails to hold politicians and institutions accountable. This cannot go on. I believe that was collective action and a strong force of solidarity, something bit will come of this. I know that this sounds cliche, but history repeats itself, and there are many lessons we can learn from it. From a protest at a police precinct the other night, one of the organizers shared to the crowd, “right now, the analysis is that this is what happens before the government gets overthrown.” Parallel to the Civil Rights movement, after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.,  week of protesting, rallying, and movements went on all over the country before the Civil Rights Act of 1968 was passed under Lyndon B. Johnson. Legislation that upholds the rights of the oppressed could come of the contemporary Black Lives Matter movement, similar to the Civil Rights Movement.

 

What we are demanding today is defunding of the police, investment in minority communities, accountability for politicians and police officers, justice for the lives lost from police brutality and systemic racism, and the dismantling and abolition of the white supremacist systems that are being upheld. If we want to make a dent of progress in these demands, we must be united. Our collective action and unity is working thus far, our voices are being heard. Just in Seattle, the curfew was lifted to allow protests to commence, the consent decree is no longer under attack, Mayor Jenny Durkan spoke with us at City Hall, no state sanctioned violence occurred in Capitol Hill, Seattle on June 3rd, and the masses continue to organize both in the streets and online. 

In solidarity at City Hall in Seattle.

Listen to our voices, listen to our stories. The youth is the truth! Words cannot describe the anger, confusion, and sense of smallness and overwhelmed I continue to feel as we fight for basic human rights. But the past few days, I have felt overwhelmed by unity. We are reaching a leverage point to intervene with these racist and unjust systems that enable suffering and oppression. I am hopeful that we can achieve liberation.

Proudly supporting this sign at protests in Seattle. Reads, “Filipinos for Black Lives Matter.”

-Reily S.

 

Sources:

https://guides.ll.georgetown.edu/c.php?g=592919&p=4172702

Finding our purpose and place

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In response to ‘Sustaining Myself’ by @aliyahw : 

In my last blog post, I noted how insignificant and overwhelmed I feel when studying the complexities of the global food system and the many injustices that support it. How are we ever to tackle the weak links in our food systems that are soon to collapse? When reading through my classmates’ blog posts, I realized we share a similar feeling of smallness and are seeking answers to often the same questions. I was particularly struck by Aliyah’s post, “Sustaining Myself’ in which she contemplated the living systems within and outside of her body. She expressed how it is easy to feel disconnected from our bodies, and lose attention to what we nourish them with. The contemplative practices gave Aliyah the opportunity to grasp the many complex systems that we as consumers are so reliant on.

Deploying this type of holistic systems thinking that Aliyah described can help us tackle the fragile pillars that uphold our food systems and realize our purpose within them. I propose to Aliyah, as well as my other classmates, what leverage points will you choose to make change towards a sustainable food system, and what sector is important to you?

Reflecting on Aliyah’s question, “who am I?” I think of how being a farmer, I feel a deep connection to my body and food, and also a responsibility to practice what I speak. I am determined to run my own farm one day, but am daunted by the environmental degradation that has ensued as a result of unsustainable agricultural practices. Dwindling topsoil, diminished soil microbe diversity, domination of agribusinesses, and decreasing seed stocks are just a few of the challenges that small-scale farmers are facing (Little, 2009). One solution to our collapsing food system is nourishing and rebuilding soil composition. The complex system of microbes that make up soil is the foundation of food production, and holds many solutions to sequestering carbon, reducing pesticide use, and attaining food sovereignty. It is small solutions like soil that we need to focus on to solve the larger issues of the global food system. Realizing our personal connections to the food systems we are the beneficiaries of can make the daunting problems our generation will face seem more approachable. So, who are you in our interconnected world of complex systems?  

Soil at Plum Forest Farm, Vashon. Photo by me.

Squash seedlings breaking through the soil. The beginning of the food system! Photo by me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Reily S. 

Sources:

Edelman, Marc. “Critical Perspectives on Food Sovereignty.” Journal of Peasant Studies, Feb. 2017, doi:10.4324/9781315689562.

Johnson, Nathanael. “The Secret to Richer, Carbon-Capturing Soil? Treat Your Microbes Well.” Grist, Grist, 1 July 2014, grist.org/food/the-secret-to-richer-carbon-capturing-soil-treat-your-microbes-well/.

Johnson, Sandhya. “Thinking in Systems (Donella Meadows) Chapters 1 to 3.” LinkedIn SlideShare, 30 Dec. 2012, www.slideshare.net/sandhyajohnson/thinking-in-systems-donella-meadows-chapters-1-to-3.

Little, Amanda. “Cooking Oil.” Power Trip, Harper Academic, 2009.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03066150.2014.963568?needAccess=true

Far-away treats

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Studying the complexities of the world food system from my home is humbling at times. How am I connected to it and how can I, an individual, make a difference in the grand scheme of things? The contemplative practices from this class have both amplified this feeling of smallness and helped me gain insight to my reactions to the things I am learning. One practice, on contemplating chocolate, particularly stuck with me. Prior to the practice, two videos were assigned; one documenting child labor on cacao farms on the Ivory Coast, and another on cocoa farmers tasting chocolate for the first time.

I find previewing content like this to be insightful and to provide context that is larger than myself. I admired the hard work of these farmers, and how they were so grateful to be tasting the product from the cacao beans they so tirelessly produce. For a second, I felt so greedy that I can have all the chocolate I desire, yet the people who produce this taken-for-granted treat are mostly unaware of it, and are totally fine without it. I am reminded of the entrenched inequities in our food systems, global hunger, and the fight for food sovereignty as I think of the commodity chain of this chocolate I eat.

It makes me wonder what I truly need in my life, and what American capitalist society tells me I need. I certainly do not need chocolate, or many other products that begin in different hemispheres from me. Yet, I still continue to buy such foods, like chocolate, oranges, coffee, and many more delights that are the result of exploited labor. But in reality, I do not believe me changing my consumption habits makes much of a difference in the grand scheme of things, yet I can try. I wonder, however, why am I so privileged to be the beneficiary of the commodities of the world food system?

Map of global chocolate production and consumption. The top consumers live so far away from the treats they enjoy!

 

Cacao fruit with harvest tool.

Image sources:

https://medium.com/@jerrytoth/whats-wrong-with-cacao-farming-d33ec4a949b2

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-euHLRk7EPJ4/UQgwseW_v4I/AAAAAAAAB1c/ejkQArr_hgY/s1600/chocolate.jpg

 

Farmworkers are essential!

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Amidst this crisis, it is difficult to not feel useless at times, especially for someone who is used to being such a busy-body. Learning about and reflecting on the world food system sparks inspiration, yet makes me long for the days when I worked on the UW Farm. Like many, I am out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and miss the long, yet rewarding days on the farm. Being so idle these days, I realize I sometimes took my wholesome farm life for granted, with access to local produce daily and constantly learning about the intricacies of organic food production. It seems that many people see being a farmer as a relatively easy job, in terms of the little education required. However, farming demands such fine attention to detail and an understanding of how farms operate cohesively as a system. 

Trying to feel connected to the outside world in some way, I came across an article on undocumented farmworkers while scrolling through news and politics. The article, by the New York Times, explained how immigrant farmworkers, most of which are undocumented, have been prescribed ‘essential work’ letters that prevent punishment for working during stay at home orders. While these letters don’t protect from deportation, measures have been shifted from ordinary undocumented workers to those who pose a threat to public safety.’ This allows these essential workers to feel more at ease, despite the high risk they are to contracting coronavirus. It is ironic to me that it took a public health crisis for the government to realize that immigrants are beneficial to our country, especially farmworkers. How can we continue to have the stigma of immigrants being ‘criminals’ and detrimental to the US, when in fact they are ensuring food safety for so many Americans? I resonate with these farmers, as I understand how crucial the agricultural sector is to the sustaining the well-being of a country. 

During this crisis, it is important to analyze systemic inequalities that are becoming more apparent, like the many hardships imposed on immigrant workers. It is these under-paid ‘essential workers’ that are holding up the upper class in America, and it is only now that society realizes how reliant the wealthy are to the poor. Deploying systems thinking and viewing the food system through a broader lens can help to reveal these inequities and understand how to restructure such weak points. Next time you take the convenience and selections at grocery stores for granted, reflect on the many hard workers that ensure food security across the country. 

 

-Reily Savenetti

Sources:

Jordan, Miriam. “Farmworkers, Mostly Undocumented, Become ‘Essential’ During Pandemic.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 2 Apr. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/us/coronavirus-undocumented-immigrant-farmworkers-agriculture.html.