Inaugural post

Dear friends,

From April to October 2007, I am participating in the apprenticeship program at the UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. There are approximately 40 apprentices with work and study experience in fields such as education, public health, agriculture, and social organizing. Ages range from 19 to 68. We are all living and working on 10 acres of farms and gardens on the UCSC campus and learning the basic approaches and techniques of sustainable food production.

I’m usually something of a technophobe, but I’ve decided to venture into the world of blogging for the time being because I want to share some of what I’m learning and experiencing on the farm. I hope I can relate something interesting or thought provoking every so often to friends and family who might venture here. I don’t have much access to computers on the farm, so posts may be few and far between. But please feel free to add your comments or let me know if there are any particular subjects you’re interested in reading about.

I thought it might be appropriate for this first entry to mention some of the reasons why I enrolled in this program and why sustainable agriculture appeals to me as someone interested in education and community development.

• Family roots – My father grew up on a farm in Illinois that our family still owns. Learning more about how to grow crops helps me understand and appreciate our family’s history.

• Health issues – Agriculture affects our health both in terms of the nutrition of the food we’re ingesting and the positive or negative effects of our agricultural practices. For example, increased childhood obesity showcases the danger of high-sugar processed foods, just as coastal dead zones point to the hazards of the overuse of chemical fertilizers.

• Food is universal – Everyone loves food! Agriculture is common ground because we all enjoy the end product so thoroughly. As a social, political, and environmental issue, food is inclusive and pervasive.

• Shared work – I’ve been fortunate to visit small farming communities in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, and Costa Rica. I am always struck by the strong cohesion and cooperation that exists in such communities. Small-scale farming through the apprenticeship program offers a unique opportunity to live and work closely with others in a very integrated fashion. Sharing work day after day offers its challenges, but in general I believe it leads to positive personal and social development.

• Appreciating where food comes from – Knowing more about how the food I’m eating made its way to my plate makes it all the more enjoyable. And knowing more about the difficult manual and intellectual labor that is invested in that food makes me appreciate the often underpaid workers who plan the planting season, pick cabbage, thin prunes, harvest rice, etc. No doubt about it – farming is hard work!

• Supporting traditional farming – As the world globalizes, developing countries are under tremendous economic and political pressure to find their agricultural and industrial niche. Instead of growing a diversity of crops to feed their populations, farmers increasingly grow a small number of cash crops which are exported to the world market. Lost in the process are the unique (and largely sustainable) agricultural practices, which have developed over centuries, and the rich cultural heritage connected to those practices.

• Psychological considerations – I’ve come to believe that disconnection from nature is mutually detrimental for both the environment and the human psyche and is at the root of the current ecological challenges we face. Participating in agriculture with a view towards sustainability can help reintegrate us into the complex and dynamic rhythms of the natural world and lead us to healthier, more pragmatic lifestyles.

That's all for tonight. Take care,
Chad