My favorite contemplative practice from the later half of the quarter was from week 9’s lesson about seeds. The presentation was informative, but also really opened my eyes to my own life and personal growth. Like seeds, we grow and thrive best when we are well nourished and cared for. In order for us to succeed and be healthy, we… Read more »
I didn’t truly know what to expect this quarter prior to taking the course. I had started to take the same course during a previous quarter but had to drop it after doing a little bit of the coursework. I knew that I would be learning about the food system and how the food system interacts with global politics. Now,… Read more »
After reading this week’s learning resources, my perspective on meat consumption has changed significantly. My previous belief about meat consumption was that it was best to keep farming outdoors and “natural” rather than participate in the often-unethical farming of indoor livestock. I never realized that outdoor farming had as large of a negative environmental impact as Monbiot points out in… Read more »
Our environment is changing. When we consider the state of our environment and the various negative impacts that have taken place over time, particularly those caused by human consumption and fossil fuel emissions. However, changing how one product is produced or farmed can have more of an impact than people realize. Various grains are extremely versatile and used in different… Read more »
For my essay, I compared the food consumption and spending of the Revis family in North Carolina, and the Aboubakar family living in a refugee camp in Chad. The Revis family’s average spending was $317.25, and was made up of a large amount of processed or instant foods, take out, and foods that are full of preservatives and sugars, which are… Read more »
Any significant drop or raise in population would dramatically change the state of the economy, and ultimately, the function of the market. If something simple, such as wheat, were to suddenly become scarce, the impact would be dramatic. Since wheat is used in such a great many other products, those products relying on wheat would also become scarce and would… Read more »
My post is in response to the Lesson 3 contemplative practice about chocolate and cocoa farms. I thought about how different the Hershey bar I had with me at home was made than the chocolate that was farmed on the Ivory Coast. We can simply buy chocolate for a few dollars at any store, and enjoy it while not having… Read more »
What I found interesting this week was the evolution of food systems, from it’s beginning to it’s present forms. The lifestyles of humans have evolved dramatically. In a hunter gatherer society, food was consumed as it was available, and groups would migrate to find more food resources once theirs become scarce. However, as these evolved into settlements and communities, humans began to deplete… Read more »