Post a 300-500 word reflective response to either his presentation, an article that you've read recently (include citation) or any of these sustainability-related themes:
- Food and Fuel Prices
- Food Shortages
- "Complex Farming Systems"
- Permiculture
- Organic foods
- Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes (CPULS)
If you're interested in learning more about food issues in American culture, we highly recommend you check out Mark Bittman or Michael Pollan at the New York Times. Michael Pollan has also written some good books if you're into reading.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/author/mark-bittman/
http://pollan.blogs.nytimes.com/author/michael-pollan/
We’ve created a dilemma with our modern day farming techniques, progressively making impacts on the environment that it is not able to recover from. Instead of using the land where it is fertile and following sustainable farming techniques we consistently change the land to fit our needs. Damming rivers and building levees, we stop the natural revitalization of the soil that would occur. Leaching the soil of its nutrients we find it necessary to produce compounds to fulfill this role. We then use tremendous amounts of fossil fuels to produce, transport and process these products to the locations they are consumed. Throw in the trend toward genetic engineering of our plants and the potential repercussions to the environmental systems and “we’re not in Kansas anymore”. The corporate farming practices of recent centuries has taken all of these practices and increased their impacts. Recognizing that food production is one of those basic needs of human survival, we really need to be examining and re-evaluating agricultural processes in general to reduce its impacts on our future survival.
ReplyDeleteWith these thought in mind, I found the presentation by Daniel Dermitzel, of the Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture, this evening very interesting. His proposal is examination of our farming practices, specifically, growing food within our urban environments. Using available green space beside city buildings, in parks, along roadway edges, he suggests planting product for everyday use using sustainable techniques that would promote better soil health. I agree this kind of growing practice would have additional positive side effects beyond provision of food. By growing food locally in the community, we would reduce the cost of transportation which would impact the cost of product. Because it would be locally tended the cooperation occurring between farmer and neighbors would help promote a better community environment. While I believe this idea has merit, the realization of the number of people we feed daily raises the question of whether or not it has practicality beyond a local solution. However, maybe this local solution can have a much larger impact if multiple cities used this model in tandem with other more sustainable measures.
One of the major concerns that I have in relation to agriculture is the trend toward genetic engineering. Understanding that the goal is producing more yields in order to feed more people, there has been an increase in the amount of hybrid and genetic crops across the globe. Recent approval by the FDA to grow genetically altered alfalfa that can be used then to feed livestock has me very concerned about the repercussions of these actions. There is no way to close the natural systems in order to prevent these plants from being pollinated with naturally grown plants. In addition to this, what impact will this have on us? DDT was once thought to be the cure-all pesticide of the 60’s and 70’s until the deaths it began to cause. While I understand the desire to increase our production, more testing is needed before we turn genetically engineered plants and animals into the ecosystem.
By Julia Nehring
ReplyDeleteThere is undoubtedly a hype currently surrounding the food production industry. The environment, the costs, and the accessibility are factors to consider when choosing how to get your produce and meat. Numerous “eat local” campaigns encourage buying from local farmers because it strengthens the local economy and it spares the environment because you don’t have to transport goods as far. Currently this option is slightly more expensive than buying from massive grocers like Walmart, but personally I think spending a little more to support the community is worth it. Buying locally also ensures your knowledge of the product--it is easier to determine whether the farmer uses pesticides, hormones, etc. Another method picking up steam is the urban garden. By growing produce centrally, you can raise knowledge and awareness, and make sustainability available to more people. The pictures that Daniel Dermitzel showed us were awesome because they showed plots of fruits and vegetables just feet away from skyscrapers. Lawrence has its own urban gardening organization. The group, Support for Local Urban Gardeners (SLUG), aims to “help reduce the cost of food, improve the health of participating Lawrence families, improve soil fertility, expand biodiversity, and connect people with educational opportunities in ways that build and sustain community” (http://www.lawrencesustainability.net/slug.shtml.) I did not know much about sustainability and after hearing Daniel speak and doing some research on my own, I am even more excited to go to Three Springs Farm. I hope to learn some good growing methods that I can use if I ever have a yard of my own, or to start my own garden at the KU Student Farm. Mass producing goods requires a large amount of nonrenewable resources, and the goods aren’t even as healthy for you because of the use of unnatural additives. When the farmers have to wear oxygen masks because of all the chemicals surrounding them, you know you shouldn’t buy from them. It just makes more sense to buy locally--supporting the local economy, not ingesting toxic preservatives, and helping the small-scale farmers take over huge commercial farms are all ways to help the community and yourself.
We talked about the current state of the food system and agriculture at Tuesdays class. Overall my reaction is consists of me being filled with insight. There were so many things that I did not know about, for example the forest gardens.
ReplyDeleteI was particularly interested in the forest gardens because I have never heard of this before. I really like the idea and I can’t believe we didn’t think of it sooner. The only disadvantage that I see in it, is that I fear people would not take the time to garden the areas even if they did live near them. I found an energy site that mentions a book called, “Creating a Forest Garden” by Graham Strouts which I thought sounds like a great book to read before the trip for those going on agriculture sites. Here is the link: http://www.energybulletin.net/52819
With all of that said, I would be interested to hear feedback on whether people think we can survive fully on organic foods or not. It is scary to think about, but I believe that we can, I hope that the evolving technology can only influence and work with the agriculture systems rather than work against them. Although, our speaker mentioned that organic sales are not a large percentage of all of the united states sales, they are only about 3.7 percent of all sales. The other thing that is scary to think about is that we really don’t have a choice on whether we can or cannot live on organic foods because we will soon run out of resources such as the fossil fuels. Another thing mentioned was that organic farms are only 80% as effective as traditional farms. Although this does not sound like a huge difference, I think it does. That is 20% of each farm generating less and when that is 20% out of a whole crop of corn, that ends up being a lot of corn wasted.
Think wisely the next time you order a huge meal at a restaurant. Can you eat it all? How much are you wasting? How much as a whole economy are we wasting?
-Kelsey Connolly
Despite certain stereotypes about Kansans (we're all wheat farmers, growing up with freckles and pigtail braids), I know very little about agriculture, growing up in the suburbs of Topeka. For our March 3 class, we were visited by Daniel Dermitzel, who spoke of the state of agriculture and sustainability attempts, a subject in which I have long been completely ignorant.
ReplyDeleteAfter a brief summary of the history of agriculture (which has, apparently, been around for 10,000 years!), he discussed the historical trend of industrialization versus collective labor, the latter of which has had some surge in recent years. This drastically changes the business of agriculture to being about yield, instead of connection to the earth and each other.
An issue Daniel brought to light, which I was unaware of, was the use of nitrogen fertilizer since the Green Revolution. Its usage, which is on the rise, increases fossil fuel emissions. I wonder if the usage of nitrogen fertilizer is necessary for the sustenance of global populations. From the way Daniel was speaking, it didn't sound as if organic and private farms are a real solution. I mean, sure, it's absolutely beneficial to support local farms, etc. But is that a global solution for the scale of the food crisis? I certainly don't know.
Daniel suggested a trend towards permaculture and viewing agriculture via interconnectedness and relationships. Making yields about the greater good, and not just about individual profit. And a soil-based approach to higher yields.
Daniel became excited when talking to us about urban landscaping, whose goal is to ensure that nobody is more than 10 minutes away from agriculture spots. Street corners and city borders, according to the "edge effect," are farmed and put to good use.
When it comes to social and humanitarian work, I confess I'm more interested in directly benefiting humans-- the cut-and-dry results work. Feed a man, find him a job, build him a home. Put a smile on a child's face, relieve the low life quality of the elderly. But this urban landscaping is fascinating. There really is so much land to be found in the middle of a busy city. It's an eyesore, the way it's mowed uniformly in two directions and planted with trees exactly fifteen feet apart. So much potential wasted. I have a theory that one day we'll see plants in museums in glass bubble ecosystems, and nowhere else. The trend towards consumption seems like a freight train out of control
--Laurie Winkel, Houston AIDS group
ReplyDeleteBuying local is extremely beneficial for the health of our community. Going to the farmer’s market is one of my favorite things to do. Not only does the local proximity mean less driving for me, but also reduced transportation for all of the food sold there, meaning less fuel wasted all around. There are also unique products for sale that you wouldn’t typically see on the shelves of Checkers, and friendly people who would love to tell you about their passion for their produce instead of throwing your groceries through the scanner. Essentially, a local market offers an opportunity for less fossil fuel consumption, new edible experiences, personal commentary on your purchases and a chance to meet interesting, well-informed people. Conservation, exploration, education and relationships are all offered through buying local and contribute to a healthier community. On top of the benefits already mentioned, buying local increases awareness. As today’s class mentioned, local food forces us to deal with the immediate consequences of what we farm, buy and consume and makes us more conscious of our behavior. Buying local also increases a sense of pride in our region’s crops as well as respect for the people who produce it. After seeing exactly where our food comes from and talking with the people who produce it, we are more likely to appreciate its value. Although you might toss a Little Debbie Snack in the trash, you would never throw away a piece of birthday cake that your mom baked especially for you. Similarly, people would be more hesitant to throw away plates of vegetables or loaves of bread that were labored over by members of the community. Therefore buying local gives us perspective and leads to waste reduction. By eating food close to our roots, we form connections with the land and people our food comes from which gives us a sense of the food’s worth. Start buying local! You will enjoy yourself while also enhancing the local and global community.
ReplyDelete-Hannah Duff
This week in class we had a speaker discuss urban farming and agriculture. Although I did not particularly enjoy the class, it was very educational and raised my awareness a little about the issues upon farmers and the creation of urban farming. I know there are some groups going to work with this population so I’m sure it was much more informative for them than it was for me.
ReplyDeleteThe speaker was interesting, don’t get me wrong, I just have never been really interested in farming or agriculture or the issues related to those categories. However, I have never heard of urban farming until Thursday’s class. I do feel that there is a lot of wasted space on highways, in neighborhoods, and all around that could be utilized in a more productive way. My family grows our own tomatoes and lemons in the backyard of our house. My grandma has her own vegetable garden. As these are healthier and more cost-effective alternatives to the grocery store, I know it is not always feasible for some individuals to try this method.
With the way the economy is now-a-days, the food and gas prices keep skyrocketing. It is not logical to continue to spend a lot of money on over processed food, or even more money on very organic alternatives. I think it was very enlightening to know that even the median of a highway could be turned into a patch of land for gardening or growing certain foods. If other countries can do it, why can’t we?
Although I will not deal with this issue in my music therapy degree, it is always interesting to learn about other issues effecting the world that are not just what is portrayed in the media (such as the way, civil rights activists, and the food crisis in Africa). This issue hit more at home as I know personally I cannot afford to constantly buy fruits and vegetables so my alternatives are starchy, high processed foods that lead to yet another issue hitting America – obesity.
Thank you for having this speaker. I appreciate his time to come talk to our class!
~Rebecca Faulkner
Daniel Dermitzel spoke about sustainable and urban agriculture this week. This presentation was especially interesting to me because my Alternative Spring Breaks trip is to Three Springs Farm in Carlisle, Kentucky, which is a farm that follows the complex farming system” that Mr. Dermitzel spoke about. “Complex Farming Systems” are systems that work together in farming. The farmer incorporates the landscape, environment, wildlife, and surroundings into his farming, and uses these resources to help make the farming more natural and beneficial. This gave me a better idea of what exactly I would be dealing with on my alternative break, and I learned that complex farming was done by hand mainly. There is a lot of manual labor and care involved with complex farming, which made me appreciate my site for my break even more.
ReplyDeleteAnother very interesting topic Mr. Dermitzel covered was urban agriculture. This was something very new to me because I had never heard of it before. Urban agriculture is farming that takes place in an urban environment, which is a very cool concept in my opinion. Mr. Dermitzel showed us many pictures of urban agriculture taking place, with rice farms right next to skyscrapers, and people with their sleeves rolled up in the fields working on their produce right next to big buildings. There are many benefits to urban agriculture, a simple one being the psychological benefits of seeing the agriculture around you in a busy city. After his presentation, I realized how much I really should appreciate farmers and their efforts, and that the way most of our food is produced is really not good. There are many chemicals used, the soil gets destroyed, and it takes 7.3 calories for every one calorie of food produced, so it’s a lot of energy too! Which is why when fuel prices go up, so do food prices, because fuel is needed in the production of food when done the most common way.
Organic farming, however, is very healthy, but only 3% of all food purchases are organic! This percentage shocked me because I thought more people bought organic foods. I really enjoyed Mr. Dermitzel’s presentation because it gave me a whole new insight on food production, and I really learned a lot about farming. Now I’m twice as excited as I was before for my upcoming spring break adventure!
-Janani
As a midwesterner, agriculture is a vital part of this regions culture, and for many, a lifestyle. However, as guest speaker Daniel Dermitzel pointed out, there are various issues that need to be addressed in regards to this element of our country. The option of organic farming is one of the fastest growing and influential concepts within agriculture in the twenty-first century. More and more, people are looking towards this earth and health conscience choice as a source of food. However, one drawback of organic farming is it’s ability to only produce food on a smaller scale This, as Mr. Dermitzel pointed out, brings up the issue of creating and sustaining our population’s need and food intake.
ReplyDeleteOne the best ways to approach this problem, is community and household gardens. Personally, during my childhood and today, my family has taken a proactive approach by growing several of our own foods during the summer months. Both my grandparents and parents worked to produce a small crop of tomatoes, potatoes, onions, cucumbers, peppers, and more. This labor was a way not only to enjoy nature, but also a small source of food that we didn’t need to buy. This experience taught me a great deal about how to work with plants, and we always enjoyed to product of our hard work. If more families engaged in similar small scale agriculture, our conversion to organic farming would be much easier, and without the worries of sustainability.
We are also seeing this trend of small level agriculture, also within our communities. Community and school gardens are also on the rise with our country, and a sign of what’s to come in the aspect of agriculture. This push to work as a unit to supply a small amount of nutrition and sustenance to the community is important to our progress in agriculture. However, this act is also creating a stronger bond within these communities, and serving as a vital learning experience for children.
By continuing to increase the level of small level gardens and utilizing our land for it’s potential as gardening sources is important to the health of our agricultural system. Without this progress, we will continue to harm our environment and wear out of agricultural resources of present. Hopefully, this trend of community and family gardening will continue to rise in the upcoming years, and we can continue to resolve this social problem of current agriculture.
Since I was little I have lived and breathed farming. In mid-western Kansas it is more than an occupation, it is a way of life. Very early on you learn that yield equals profit. That is the goal, more crops and more money. With small farms in comparison to large companies there is less room for error. One bad storm can destroy your entire harvest but a light rain can make it flourish. Farming is definitely a game of chance and you always want to have the upper hand.
ReplyDeleteWhen Daniel Dermitzel came to speak to us about organic farming I was really excited. Every farmer has a special relationship with his land and many would prefer to switch to organic farming if they could profit at it. Farming started 10,000 years ago as humans progressed from scavengers to hunters and gatherers. Fields and land division progressed as the tools were developed to increase efficiency. This has never changed, there is always a desire for the newest greatest new tool to make farming more efficient. As the 20th century rolled around the invention of nitrogen fertilizer, mechanization, irrigation, and genetic engineering created the green revolution, forever changing the face of farming. Agricultural production has nearly tripled but has become a huge energy consumer spiking an interest in organic farming. The number of farmer in America has decreased significantly but the number of people to be fed has certainly not.
The renewed interest in organic farming has taken off in the last few years and now accounts for 3.7% of total food sales. This is an increase from a billion dollar industry in 1990 to and 28 billion dollar industry. The real pro of urban and organic agriculture is the locality of it. You know who is growing your food and you know that it is fresh. There are many possibilities for taking unused space and turning it into organic gardens. The problem is finding people to be in charge of upkeep and maintenance of such gardens. Like Dermitzel said, I personally don’t see large scale organic farming catching on until the energy crisis peaks and gas prices skyrocket. At this point in time it is just not economically efficient for a small farmer to grow organic. At only 80% of the yield that means a 20% profit cut. That is a huge deal to a farmer’s ability to purchase crops and land for the following year and keep up with bills and workers. There needs to be incentive to get today’s steadfast farming families and corporations to switch to organic. Let’s hope that that incentive is discovered soon.
-Kaitlynn Nelson
I grew up in Kansas, so one would assume I know a lot about farming. However, growing up in the suburbs shelters a person from farming life and I was never as exposed to agriculture as others have been. What little farming I have witnessed has been a product of both of my grandfather's farms in southwestern Kentucky. One grandfather farmed corn and tobacco, while the other had lots and lots of cows. Their farming days had dwindled, though, by the time I was born.
ReplyDeleteMy lack of knowledge was evident when Daniel Dermitzel spoke on Thursday about agriculture and organic farming. I had never thought it to be possible to farm in a city area. The CPULS (Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes) that he spoke about were quite interesting. After thinking about the layout of a city, there are numerous areas that just go to waste. It would be productive and environmentally beneficial to farm produce and other kinds of food in those areas. Not only would it be substantially beneficial, but it would bring populations and communities closer together as well. I have always been interested in gardening and planting fruits and vegetables. Mr. Dermitzel's explanation of CPULS reinforced this interest; after his speech, I believe urban gardens and farmers markets are in incredibly important resource for the future. They will create jobs and food, two things essential for life.
Mr. Dermitzel also spoke about organic farming. Prior to his presentation, I knew that organic was environmentally-friendly, but that was the extent of my knowledge. I researched what organic farming actually is so I could get a better understanding; organic farming relies on different methods other than chemicals like pesticides and food additives. Organic farming began in the 1930s and 1940s as an opposition to chemical and synthetic fertilizers and compounds. While organic farming is developing, its profit is not nearly as much as regular farming and it still makes up only a small part of the farming industry. While I believe that organic farming could e the beginning of a more environmentally friendly agriculture industry, I think that it still needs time to develop so that technique can improve and the agriculture industry won't lose profit.
Megan Carr
Tonight’s presentation was about Agriculture, it’s history and current innovations that are being discussed and utilized. There were many issues brought up that I had never thought about before. The idea of urban agriculture was really interesting and innovative, and I think people should begin to look into it as an option over manufactured agriculture. I’ve always thought the green areas, including parks and medians were nice landscape, but Daniel Dermitzel had a good point. The grassy areas don’t really serve much good, besides looking at them and wasting money to mow them every couple weeks. To turn those areas that aren’t utilized into small urban gardens that produce usable crops, is pretty brilliant. It would add to small local businesses and could also create more fresh markets in urban areas. If local crops are more accessible to people, they will probably be more likely to buy them on their way home, or while on a stroll with there dog.
ReplyDeleteThe other advantage of urban agriculture is the lack of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers in our food. It’s important to people to understand that not only does it end up being in majority of the food we eat, but it also dwells in the soil and can run into our lakes, streams and fresh water sources underground. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather know that I’m eating fresh, organic fruit grown just around the corner, than eat processed food that has been grown with chemicals and soaked in preservatives so it last longer. With the health and economy of this country in the decline, it is important to start eating healthy and contribute back to our local communities. Having small urban farms located close to local businesses may also increase the likely-hood of them buying locally rather than paying to have food shipped and imported. Overall I think the idea of urban farming is creative and could be a very successful innovation in urban dwellings of the United States and around the world.
Change is often good and welcomed by many people. However when it comes to changes in prices of necessities like food and fuel, it can be very frustrating. According to Eric Ruth in his article on htrnews.com, prices in the United States will not increase as much as the rest of the world. “Global food prices rose 25 percent last year and set a record last month”. The article also said, “In the United States, the USDA predicts food costs will rise as much as 4 percent across the board this year. U.S. retail food prices, in groceries and restaurants, are expected to increase faster than the overall rate of inflation both this year and next”. Working in a bakery for the past year allowed me to witness this problem first hand. We made delicious baked goods and sold them at low prices for the quality of the products. Many customers even thought the prices were too low. Over the next few months, prices for ingredients started rising. In order for us to continue to produce our same quality baked goods, we would have to get the same ingredients. And since they costed more, we were forced to raise our prices to continue making a profit. Unfortunately, there are many more restaurants and stores being effected by this inflation of prices. Businesses are not the only ones suffering, U.S. citizens are also feeling the blow in their budgets. Not only is it getting more expensive to eat out but also to buy food to cook at home. One cause for the inflation is weather that has made it hard to grow crops. Predictions “also recently were raised for meats, eggs, cooking oils, fruits and vegetables, sweets, cereals and baked goods. A chilly winter in Florida, Texas and Mexico has hurt tomato crops in all three areas, likely meaning that prices will be higher until later this month or mid-April”. Unfortunately, we do not have any control over what the weather does but we are still suffering the negative side effects. Hopefully, crops will soon be bountiful again and prices will go down.
ReplyDeleteRachel Zarich- TFA Chicago.
http://www.htrnews.com/article/20110306/MAN03/103060493/Food-costs-expected-rise-4-percent-year?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cp
We had a lecture about sustainable and urban agriculture by Daniel Dermitzel. It was very interesting topic since I like eating organic foods even though they are very expensive. The speaker told us that people used to use their own feces to grow their vegetables and fruits. I’m sure that there are some countries that they cultivate foods from using their waste in the present days and I understand that they are very good fertilizers because they are very nutritious and help them to produce good products. However, it is getting less common to use animal faces and the worst thing is that they use chemical fertilizer or agricultural chemicals to help foods grow faster and make them look “good” so that people would buy their products. However, they are very harmful to our bodies and that’s why organic food became popular to people who care about what they are actually eating. I think there are more people want to buy and eat organic foods but they are too pricy and some people cannot afford to buy. I hope one day we all have the access to good quality foods.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the speaker talked about creating gardens in the middle of cities. I thought that was a great idea since we are cutting the trees to build houses/ buildings and we don’t have many “greens” around us anymore, especially when you go to cities. The speaker showed us a picture of the large park where it has nutritious soil with great bask in the sun and we could be using the area for the garden. I think if we have gardens in the city, the city itself will become more colorful and everybody will think about plants and greens. Personally, looking at flowers make me less stress. Like the photo of the company in Japan, they had rice fields in the parking space. I’m sure that the workers feel relax and appreciation of foods when they see the field right after work. The lecture made me realize how important to eat quality foods and take care of my body as well as our environment.
I became aware of the increasing issues in mass food production after taking an introductory environmental studies course. One of the main reasons that the state of food production has become so industrialized is because in general, people are very disconnected from the agriculture process. Agricultural practice have been around for roughly 10,000 years an only recently have machines and large scale growing techniques been implemented; the current scale of harvests fuels the need for intense chemical pesticides and herbicides. Nitrogen fertilizers are highly dependent on fossil fuels for production, which fuels our increasing dependence on nonrenewable energies and adds to pollution of ecosystems. According to the speaker from this week, Daniel Dermitzel, this is where Urban Agriculture comes into play. The goal of urban farming is to bring agriculture back into the city setting which will in turn force people to live more closely with farming practices. Community gardens can be introduced into nearly any area of green space in an urban setting; these can be greenbelts, street medians, areas surrounding small creeks, abandoned lots, etc. The benefit of a community garden is that people can work together to grow fresh seasonal foods. Through active involvement in food production one has a greater sense of the process as a whole, the produce is free of toxins used in mass production techniques and pollution from transportation is virtually abolished. The shift from industrial to organic farming requires a change in methodology; farming becomes information based rather than resource based and emphasis is placed on the connections within ecological systems, paying attention to the relationships between soils and plant types. It seems that the benefits of smaller scale local food production is obvious when we consider that in industrial food production “low food quality, high incidence of diet-related disease, loss of competitiveness of small farmer, climate change/ environmental degradation, and food insecurity still persists” (Dermitzel). As the speaker discussed; we as humans have a tendency to constantly want more, bigger harvests, more efficient technologies but nature cannot support that sort of thinking. Instead the future of agriculture calls for a reformation of standards and an evaluation of the realistic limits of our current techniques and a proactive effort for change to more sustainable and healthy processes.
ReplyDeleteI found the presenter Daniel Dermitzel very informative. One point I found very thoughtful was how the history of farming was centered on the combined effort of a small village or community and now a farm tends to be secluded far from a town or city and independently ran. This is especially not surprising in the United States as we so highly value individualism.
ReplyDeleteWith the idea of urban agriculture there can be an increase in a more community-centered activity with the many benefits of a cleaner agriculture production. Dermitzel discussed the advantages if turning a big grassy park that just gets frequently mowed and unused for years into something that can actually be useful to its consumers. The photos of examples were just breath taking. There is some really awesome ideas to create in the most unique locations of a urban area.
Lastly, I was very inspired by Dermitzel’s discussion of how fun agriculture can be. He said that everything is connected. It made me realize how very important agriculture is to my life and how I can hopefully in the future make certain seemingly small descions such as buying locally to even growing my own produce or creating a community space that utilizes the earth and gives back to everyone.
Shayna Sheridan
I really enjoyed the prensentation by Daniel Dermitzel this week. His love for what he does and enthusiasm for his work provide a lot of motivation for me. You can tell that he really enjoys what he does and is happy to be working in agriculture. Agriculture is a topic that I wish I knew more about which is why I'm really excited about my alternative breaks trip to Austin!
ReplyDeleteAgriculture is the basis of a society, without food people do not survive. We under a lot of pressure tight now with our farming practices. The amountof fertilizers and pesticides that we use on a regular basis is astounding. One of the big issues in agriculture that Daniel touched on in his presentation was the lack on space for the growing demand. The idea of urban agriculture provides not necessarily a complete solution for this problem, but it does provide a sustainable option for providing food for the population. Utilizing the space we have available is very important and this idea provides a good means of achieving it.
This week we had Daniel Dermitzel talk to us about sustainable agriculture and organic farming. I thought that the information he gave us was very interesting and is something that should be taught more widely in schools to create awareness of sustainable living and organic farming. It is very important to remember that all the food that we create has to use energy to be created too, and in America most of the energy used to plant, harvest, and transport food is from fossil fuels. This causes problems because fossil fuels are obviously a non-renewable resource and cannot last forever, so it is important, now more than ever, to start trying to grow and harvest food using a more sustainable method. I liked the ideas that he showed us about the plots of land in urban areas being turned into farmland that will grow crops. This is such a great idea for so many reasons. One which he already stressed in class being the fact that this land is doing nothing but costing money to be mowed and maintained, so the land might as well be put to good use. I also believe that it will do a lot for the lifestyles of the people around it. Being able to look out of the office window and see lush crops growing would be far more beneficial than the roar of lawn mowers cutting grass. Also, the number of jobs that this could create would also be very beneficial to the communities. These jobs would not be jobs that require lots of education so they would be available for those who maybe aren’t as fortunate or homeless. The urban agriculture would also be beneficial because there would be almost no costs for transportation, the crops would be harvested right there in the city and could be sold right down the street at a farmers market of the likes. I believe that even if it is far-fetched, the world of agriculture needs to try to be more sustainable and cut back on burning fossil fuels whenever possible.
ReplyDeleteI was especially interested in Daniel Dermitzel's lecture this past week. As my spring break group is travelling to Memphis, TN to create a community garden in an urban setting, listening to him provided many points of thought and consideration that we will use on our trip. I was previously unaware that farming uses more energy than it produces in this modern day and age. Modern technologies are not as efficient as they could be in this area. However, demand is growing more than ever, and as space becomes an issue, turning to gardening in “green ways” in urban areas is both unconventional and beneficial. The benefits of growing in this environment are not limited to just food production; the sight of a green crop of produce growing in the median of a street or outside a bland, stone office building could also serve to boost the moods and morale of those in industrial settings. In my opinion, it could also provide for the involvement of those individuals who would not usually have the opportunity to participate in farming or gardening activities, such as inner-city youth or volunteers. It would also serve to generally reconnect people to the farming industry, which is one that has been very affected by modern techniques and machinery. It was interesting to consider just how many opportunities are present for this farming-technique, as the presentation included a picture of potential sites in nearby Kansas City. I had never considered how well the idea could be implemented in a location so close to home. When considering creating an urban garden, it is useful to think about how the methods used for this farming are just as important as those implemented on a conventional farm. Daniel mentioned the use of earth-friendly chemicals and biodegradable products as a large issue in modern farming that people often forget. Keeping in mind that future generations will be farming in the same locations we are today, this is imperative to remember.
ReplyDeleteThis week the presentation on Agriculture and Urban Landscapes brought out points about our society and the complexity of farming and attitudes toward food. For a large number of people we would not know how to produce our own food. Even in a farming state where you see commercials on TV for the fertilizers and pesticides used in farming, many people have never seen how a farm works. So I think it is good to bring farming into the urban landscape. It is great for people to see and have the opportunity to actually grow food. My grandfather’s always had a garden with varying degrees of success. My Grandpa Hootz grew a few of my favorites. He would grow strawberries and peanuts. My Grandpa Brown harvested grapes and my Grandmother would make homemade grape jelly. I remember reading that honey which is made from local bees is good for your immune system. Some of our abundance and ability to have anything at we want. Does this prevent us from the moderation and balance that keep us healthy? While we are able to transport food quickly with the use of fuels, we are still unable to distribute food to all parts of the world. Even more concerning then the shortages and costs of fuel are the shortages and costs of water. I lived for 2 years in Austin, Texas. One of those years there was a severe drought. Lake Travis which is used as a water reservoir for the city of Austin was down 75% before the end of summer. The city is considering a major water project to bring water from the gulf. The water would have to be transported hundreds of miles and desalinated before it could be used. To consider this type of huge capital investment clearly makes you question the sustainability of the way we do farming today. Kansas City is trying to encourage rain gardens to decrease the need for water pumped from the river. I am glad there are people and organizations trying to make a difference for the future of our food production.
ReplyDeleteThe problems Dan Dermitzel discussed in his presentation this week were applicable to not only the United States but the world in general. Agriculture is a worldwide issue and sustainability is becoming the prevailing question within it. Due to overpopulation, the world is searching for a way to feed everyone, and as of late, the focus has been on technological advancements driving a surplus in food production. The issues he discussed reminded me of a documentary I watched recently called King Corn. In this film, it is shown what this overproduction of one crop can do to nutrition, food supply and to the environment. The filmmakers decide to go to Iowa to farm one acre of corn like the traditional farmers in the area. When purchasing corn, they buy the same type of maize as all the other farmers. This corn is used for its productivity. The town in which they were farming, Greene, Iowa, has had an immense surplus of the crop for the past several years, and it continues to grow. Aside from the enormous silo holding the town’s corn, there are also huge vats into which the crop is dumped. This sounds fantastic in regards to feeding the largest amount of people, but what is sacrificed is the nutrition. The corn they produce is inedible until after processing since it contains around 90 percent starch. This corn permeates our diets in every way. Through our meat, feed lots use corn almost exclusively and also through the production of high fructose corn syrup. Our society has gotten used to having the cheapest food in the world and our bodies pay the price. High fructose corn syrup is highly damaging to metabolic processes and can lead to cirrhosis (a problem historically attributed uniquely to alcoholics) even in children. The problem of nutrition can be relieved in many ways but the growing fad is to turn to organic foods. While this ameliorates the problem of nutrition, it creates another of price: organic foods are typically much more expensive than their processed counterparts. Mr. Dermitzel had incredible ideas about how to help this problem. One thing he proposed is urban gardening, an idea that is very attractive to me, personally. The idea of using land that has not been utilized for anything but pretty landscaping sounds like a real possibility in changing the way America eats, and views their food. One thing is clear, there needs to be a change in attitude about American diets before our resource intensive farming techniques render our agriculture worse off than it already is.
ReplyDeleteThis week, Daniel Dermitzel gave a presentation on sustainable and urban agriculture. His speech went much more in depth about the history of agriculture than I had expected, but I found it fairly interesting. Daniel's take on organic farming was one of the most down-to-earth and realistic views I've ever heard, and I respected him for that. He acknowledged that organic farming is not necessarily smarter for all farmers because organic farms about 80% as productive. However, organic farming is valuable in the sense that it's much more natural and back to the earth due to the lack of herbicides and pesticides. It's a shame that organic farming is less productive and organic products are more expensive, because it seems that most people would prefer to buy organic foods if there wasn't such a gaping price difference in products.
ReplyDeleteI learned a lot from Daniel's presentation; I knew almost nothing about urban agriculture before I heard him speak. His obvious enthusiasm and passion about planting urban gardens was infectious and inspiring. Clearly the prospect of planting urban gardens is exciting to him, and I loved seeing that so vividly in the excited manner in which he spoke. Even though I've never given much though to the idea of urban agriculture, his enthusiasm got me excited about the possibilities of utilizing empty green pastures rather than wasting the valuable space. It makes so much sense to use such space to garden; the only problem to overcome is finding people willing to maintain the garden, although I don't think that would be much of an issue. It seems that plenty of people would make use of a community garden if given the chance.
It's really inspiring to me to experience people that are truly passionate about their work and really care about the future of their line of work. I only hope I can retain such an enthusiasm for the things that I am most passionate about as I age.
Listening to the speaker Thursday night I was transfixed on the idea of turning all usable spaces into areas of agriculture. I never before viewed green grassy parks or even medians between roads as “wasted space”. I wonder though who would be the one to take care of all of these spaces? Gardening is a major time commitment that most people couldn’t handle, especially if their entire front and backyards were agricultural spaces, so I have to wonder how the people with jobs and children could incorporate this idea into their own lifestyles.
ReplyDeleteAnother aspect of agriculture that I don’t often times think about is the sustainability of the soils that crops are grown in. Being able to understand the proper techniques to farming which wont deplete soil nutrients is a complex process. It would take a lot of knowledge to know which types of crops add nutrients back into the soil and which types of crops deplete the nutrients at a fast fate. The idea that fertilizer is also the cause of carbon emissions in our atmosphere was another issue that was shocking to me; it never occurred to me that farming could actually be detrimental to our environment. Although fertilizers do seem necessary to produce enough food to supply the world with the nitrogen that is found in them is the cause of the carbon emissions. This problem could probably be solved if more people grew their own food and didn’t rely on the agriculture industry to supply these products.
With the demand for organic foods on the rise the rate of carbon being emitted into our atmosphere could decrease. Most, if not all, organic food is grown here in America which has environmental regulations. I was shocked to learn that, because of these regulations, it is the more developed countries that have the better environmental conditions and the underdeveloped yet industrialized nations that suffer more severe environmental issues.
Jake Wasinger
ReplyDeleteBlog 1
6 March 2011
The Mid-South Center for Peace and Justice in Memphis, Tennesse strives in their community service program GrowMemphis to sustain a healthy, progressive community in Memphis. The idea of an urban gardening program promotes healthy citizens, social awareness and the utilizing of urban space. It is true that parks and open areas of cities (and towns) can be utilized to grow healthy food for communities. Not only is Memphis taking steps forward to make certain this is available to their community, but also by opening up their volunteer work to others, allows the volunteers (like myself) to be involved in community gardening. Prior to hearing Daniel Dermitzel speak about the current state of environment on Saturday, March 3rd, I was not aware how beautiful the idea of community gardening may come to be.
Dermitzel began his presentation with a short introduction about the 'history of our environment.' This information was insightful, because it grasped the way certain scholars look at things like the ecosystem, agriculture and the environment as a whole. For instance, looking at the act of agriculture as a 10,000 year old or the earliest evidence of wheat beginning in 9800 B.C., allows the recipient of this knowledge to ponder: How has the life of a farmer changed? How has our food changed? Did farming occur in urban settings in the past?
As we ask ourselves these questions, it was interesting to hear Dermitzel reveal modern farming practices. Statistically, Dermitzel brought to attention the amount of farmers necessary to sustain agriculture. He showed that in recent history there has been less farmers but more output of agriculture (due the advancements of technology). It is interesting how he put this statistically in correlation to the use of fossil fuels: that the output of agriculture (creating food), used to produce workers (people would eat and then work); however, nowadays agricultural industries use great amounts of fossil fuels to create great amounts of food.
On a more optimistic note, Dermitzel revealed the beauty of urban farming. As any person produces food in a sustainable urban setting, they are not separating or "mechanizing" nature, as the agricultural industry does. Using different sources to create food (ie: wind or solar energy), communities could be less dependent on fossil fuels, and more dependent on the earth and what it does provide us create healthy food. As healthy food is something a lot of people take for granted, creating healthy food should not only be a priority, but something that people love to do.