Service Learning Blog #3

After attending multiple service learning events throughout the semester I've realized that they are not only interesting, but very rewarding. Vising  the Lord's Acre two different times made me more comfortable with the entire gardening process. The second time around there wasn't any worry of not being able to garden properly. It was also really helpful knowing the people that worked there already. I find the group at the Lord's Acre to be very welcoming and they are always willing to help with whatever the class needed. While at the garden the group I was working with tended to complete tasks very quickly so I was able to learn how to do many different tasks necessary for the upkeep of a garden. I learned how to plant strawberries, cut kale, and cut up spices. In the second picture I went to the learning kitchen and learned how to pickle peppers. Working with Lydia really showed me the great resources that the garden gives the school. Lydia also provided us with kale and mushrooms which turned into a nice snack when the group was waiting for the peppers to finish pickling. I haven't tried the peppers yet, but the mushrooms and kale were delicious. I enjoyed working with all of these different people and learning all of these things that I wouldn't have learned otherwise.

Reading response from 11/2

After reading "The Omnivore's Delusion: Against Agri-intellectuals” (204) and "Real Food, Real Farming” (Coleman 236) I realized that there are multiple ways of farming, but also multiple opinions on the correct way to farm. Mainly from people that haven't necessarily worked on a farm in their life. Coleman talks about organic food and how it now is equivalent to the highest form of food the public can eat. I don't necessarily believe that is accurate in any way. I find organic food is very beneficial, but often over-priced. Also organic food is not always the healthiest option in my opinion. Fresh food has always seemed healthier to me and from personal experience it is the healthiest option provided. In the piece by Hurst he opens with an encounter he had on a plane. It appears like Hurst doesn't agree with the idea of organic food being the solution. Hurst brings up the fact of wanting to farm with more technology or more industrial use in farming. Everything else has had major advancements in the way they work so it's only fair to allow farming to advance as well. 

Reading response

After reading the two articles and listening to the TED talk with Rob Finley I realized that there needs to be a change not only in the way we view food, but also where we get our food from. Will Organic Food Fail to Feed the World by David Biello talks about the not so well known negative side effects of farming and agriculture. Then Biello goes on to talk about Organic food appearing to be the obvious solution to counteract the effects of a more conventional farming. The main issue with organic farming is that this type of farming leads to less food being produced. In the second article Biotechnology Isn't the Key to Feeding the World by Frances Moore Lappe, Lappe talks about genetically modified seeds being the solution  in the eyes of "Biotechnology companies and even some scientists" (Lappe, 249)  although this is something Lappe disagrees with. Lappe also discusses the issue of food, grains mainly, that could be given to the population are given to livestock stating that " Thirty years ago, one-third of the world's grain was going to livestock; today it is closer to one-half."(Lappe, 249) Although food production has been made easier over the years sometimes it may be better to just go back to conventional farming in order to know where our food is coming from and provide the best food for our families. Finally in the TED talks with Rob Finley, Finley shows a creative way to garden in the "food desert" (Finley) that he lives in. He plants gardens on the side of the sidewalk in order to provide food that is healthy and free to the community. Finley shows the viewers that it is possible to provide healthy food to an entire community. I think the video was my favorite out of all of these pieces because it provided real life examples of a community benefiting from this garden Finley created. Considering these gardens are put together with the help of volunteers it shows that often times people have this desire  to eat healthier or be able to provide more nutritious food for their families. Sometimes it just takes one person to step up and start this movement to better their community.