Author Archives: syi48

A reflection of Spring Quarter

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I sit here reflecting upon my final quarter in college, and what a ride it was. Usually, over the course of these ten weeks, I would be stressing out about what exams I need to take, or what homework assignment I need to meet the deadline for, but this was so much more than that. I had to worry about the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic recession and getting laid off, and of course the fight to end the continued oppression of people of color in America. This has easily been the most chaotic time in my life, and I am sure this is the same for many. I just want to congratulate everyone for surviving and making it through this quarter!

Shellfish Aquaculture heavily relies on the use of PVC pipes, which has some major implications on the nearby environment.

For my action project, I had the chance to work with the Center for Food Safety (CFS) on developing a scorecard to grade shellfish aquaculture on their practices based on multiple criteria. Right off the bat, it really surprised me on how many aspects you could grade a shellfish aquaculture operation on. I previously had done research on geoduck aquaculture in a different class, but it was not that in-depth and it only focused on the ecological impacts, so this was a whole new experience to me. It really felt nice being part of something that could benefit the whole community, as this scorecard could really make a difference in the shellfish aquaculture industry.

While researching for this project and looking at the projects the CFS works on, it really occurred to me that the food industry still has a long way to go. If you go on the CFS website, you can see all the projects they are currently working on, and there is a lot! The CFS even has an app that allows you to dive deeper than the label on products, and to tell you if the food is truly organic and gmo-free. Why do we need all this? Shouldn’t there be 100% transparency on all of the food we are putting in our bodies? Maybe one day we will achieve that, but until then the fight continues to make sure that we keep companies accountable for what they are putting in our bodies.

The Future with Urban Farming!

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This post is a response to the article: “Urban Farms’ Rapid Response to COVID-19”

This blog post talks about the benefits of urban farming and how local farms play a critical role in bringing food onto people’s tables, especially during a time like the global pandemic we are in today. The post does a great job of bringing up the point that urban farms are very effective, but there are many more benefits that come with Urban Farms, and hopefully, this post can build on that!

Photo of an Urban Farm on a city rooftop

Urban farms are a great way to shorten the whole process of farm to table and often would cut out the huge delivery process needed of getting produce from an industrial farm to a grocery store close to you. This makes urban farms much more beneficial to the environment, as this would cut down fossil fuel consumption during the transporting of food. Urban farms could also assist with sequestering carbon into these plants and the soil, absorbing some of the carbon that otherwise would be released into the atmosphere.

But most importantly, urban farms are a place that brings the community together. I personally have taken part in volunteering at an urban farm and was able to see this in action. Urban farms provide a place that many people in the community care about, and they all work together to create a space they are happy with. This creates many interactions between members in a community and provides an opportunity for people to create connections through these interactions. People could be more educated about the food they are eating, all while creating a green space that they are proud of.

There are many more benefits to urban farming, like combatting food security. Urban Farming is a sustainable method of producing food and something more communities should take on!

 

Food Globalisation

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During our contemplative exercise in class, I recognized how I play a role as a consumer in the international food system, and that I could be doing a better job in deciding on how I decide to source my own food, and that I can myself do a better job in making sure I don’t add to the evils of the international food chain by becoming a consumer by supporting an industry full of exploiting cheap labor and land across the world.

In a recent article I read, it was reported that almost 70% of produce and grains in an average country’s diet come from a different place, and to me this is astonishing. This just proves to me that the development of agriculture and mass production of foods can be used as an economic tool, but I do not believe that food should not be something that is used to create an economic gain.

Food should be something that helps aid economic gain by helping nourish the population of your country, as making sure everyone has a healthy diet is a key factor to ensure the health of people around the country. Food should be local and traceable, and the contemplative practice in class helped me realize that!

Changes in buyer’s behavior, not the lack of supply, could drive up prices

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In a recent UN article, it was reported that so far the food supply and markets have been stable during the pandemic, and disruptions due to COVID-19 were minimal, but this could change for the worse very fast if anxiety-driven panic causes major food importers and bulk-buyers to begin ordering more products due to the fear of having a shortage.

This would lead to a disastrous situation where there would only be food available in areas these foods have been imported to, and not enough elsewhere, accelerating the issue of food insecurity globally during this pandemic. There is already a disproportionate impact on food security, as lower-income families are affected more, as more of their paychecks go into buying food. If panic-buying by major food importers ensue, this would drive up the prices of key foods such as wheat and grain products, and this would affect those that are already food insecure the most. The UN has reported that many developing countries, due to the fact that they are the most dependent on imports would be affected the most.

It is key that everyone has access to a healthy diet and food throughout the global fight against COVID-19, and one of the ways to mitigate that would be to no not panic-buy, starting at the importer level, but as individual consumers as well. We must all be mindful of each other and only buy what you need, so other people have the ability to have access to valuable resources as well. Maintaining a steady global food chain is a key focus during this pandemic, as a loss in this could prove to be catastrophic. We could all achieve this by not ensuing in panic buying or hoarding behavior!

Original Article: https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/04/1061032