Thought + Food

Today’s story from Kyrgyzstan has roots that are common to many rural communities across the world: the young men of the household move to cities or even to other countries in search of better livelihoods and the women are working the farms and growing the food. Faced with raising 12 grand children, this Kyrgyz grandmother found hope and security in her peach garden. She is supported by a program that provides seeds, equipment, training, and most importantly access to land.

(Image Courtesy: “Peach Blosson” by ahmet guler, freedigitalphotos.net)

Source: Even kids who eat only organic can’t always escape exposure to pesticides

A piece from the Modern Farmer analyzes the curious contradiction: consumers strongly support humane treatment of animals (cage free eggs, grass fed beef, larger spaces for livestock) but when they go shopping they still buy the conventional and, often, much cheaper variety.  California is an interesting example where consumers have voted in favor of bigger cages for hens but 85% of consumers continue to buy conventional eggs , often from out of state. The eggs from other states are cheaper and the egg industry in California is being undermined because of the law that sought to promote animal welfare.

So why does the voter behave differently from the shopper? Perhaps its because the idea is appealing and people want to do the right thing, but when faced with budget constraints the decision making process works in a different way. There are of course, many consumers who will pay more but that is a small proportion.

This story made me think about the labeling issue again: the consumer is reading the “cage free” or “organic” label but ultimately decides based on the resources available. So how important are labels anyway? From the producers’ perspective, being forced to make large investments to satisfy legal requirements which are then not valued at the market,  or even cause losses, seems unfair. Even for the supporters of animal welfare, the labels have little value: both “organic” and “cage free” eggs allow for “beak cutting and forced moulting”, that doesn’t sound all that great from the hen’s point of view, does it?

Still, the “happy eggs equal healthier you” idea has gained traction: Panera, Starbucks and McDonald’s are all moving to cage free eggs by 2020. Will this mean higher prices for the consumer? Will that determine where we eat? It will be interesting to see what happens.

(Image Courtesy: “Smiley and Angry Egg” by winnond; freedigitalphotos.net)

This story, with images that linger long after reading the piece, comes from Nepal. The story, however, is one that is common in farming communities all over the globe: those who  grow our food often do not own the land on which they work so hard. Land rights are crucial for food security and lifting farming families out of poverty.

(Image Courtesy: Misty Landscape by Dan, freedigitalphotos.net)

The coffee corn borer beetle is a threat to coffee crops in almost every country. A study from Costa Rica shows an interesting way to deal with it: by preserving areas of rain forest around coffee fields. The rain forests are home to several species of birds that feed on the beetles, thereby reducing crop damage. The species were identified by studying bird poop which had remains of the beetles. The researchers calculated that the birds provided increases in yield from $75 to $310 per hectare annually. So farmers have better incomes and there are improved environmental outcomes, and we continue to enjoy our coffee! You can read the study here.

The need to align agricultural and conservation goals is crucial as they are closely linked, a previous post lists encouraging examples from around the globe.

(Image Courtesy: “Coffee Cups With Coffee Beans, KEKO64, freedigitalphotos.net)

Fall is the one time in our area where everyone seems to be planning a trip to the farm, to pick apples or choose a pumpkin. One farmer realized that this was probably the only time that kids have a chance  to see how their food is produced and works to make it a fun and memorable time. It makes me hopeful that when children see the effort that goes into growing food, they will not be so quick to waste it. Maybe fewer apple slices of squishy berries will be tossed out with an “eww” at lunchtime in school!

(Image Courtesy: “Pumpkins” by Tina Phillips, freedigitalphotos.net)

 In the book (and just released movie), “The Martian” by Andy Weir , an astronaut is stranded on Mars and survives by successfully growing potatoes. The book is absorbing and the science appears convincing. Modern Farmer did some fact checking, and found that, yes, it was possible to grow potatoes on Mars as described in the book. Given the enthusiasm around the movie, I wonder what people will think about that. Here, survival is at stake, and an innovative solution is applied: if we can applaud this in a book/movie, why is there is such resistance to innovative science based solutions in agriculture in the real world?

Perhaps it is precisely through the world of the imagination that we can bring about an acceptance of the application of new technology in agriculture. I remember my daughter bursting into the kitchen to announce that in the book that her entire class was reading at that moment, “Divergent” by Veronica Roth, the main character says: “My mother told me once that, a long time ago, there were people who wouldn’t buy genetically engineered produce because they viewed it as unnatural. Now we have no other option.” For the first time, what I talked about was not merely background noise but actually validated!

Waiting to see if the movie is as good as people are saying….

(Image Courtesy: “Mars Surface” by Victor Habbik FreeDigitalPhotos.net)