Conference on World Affairs Discussion

          At the 2017 CU Boulder Conference on World Affairs, I attended two panels. The first was a general discussion on food entitled Why Food Matters; Nourishing Our Bodies and the Land. The panel was headed by Rick Bayless, Debra Eschmeyer, and moderated by Sheila Dietrich. Bayless, a renowned chef known for using locally and organically produced ingredients in his restaurants, emphasized the importance of viewing food as sustenance instead of as fuel (though I never fully grasped what this all important distinction was exactly). He asserted that our bodies can only truly thrive when our food is connected to our past. In other words, if your heritage does not include a culture that makes burritos, don't eat burritos. I found this claim fascinating, but he didn't give any scientific evidence to support it. Eschmeyer focused most of her time on creating more sustainable agricultural practices, particularly on incorporating local ingredients into school lunch programs and getting kids invested in growing their own food. The panelists also shared their thoughts on the future of sustainable agriculture, discussing the use of such technologies as hydroponics and vertical farming. 

          The other panel which I attended was called How Damaged is America's Worldwide Reputation? The panel was comprised of Kinan Azmeh, Amar Bakshi, Peter Rupert Lighte, and Shadia Marhaban. Nikhil Mankekar served as the moderator. The speakers all presented their unique perspectives on the reputation of the U.S. in their home countries. One panelist from Indonesia commented that the most prevalent image of the United States in her country was not of politics but of Hollywood. That said, most of the panelists seemed to agree that recent moves on the international stage such as Trump's travel ban have not helped to create an ideal image of America. Another topic which came up was the general lack of initiative on the part of Americans to take a stance on the plight of Palestinians. The conclusion seemed to be that although America's reputation has been tarnished by recent political events, these are not the only factors that contribute to our international standing. 

Thoughts and Ruminations on Chapter 11, Swine of Our Times, and The Oil We Eat

What has been the impact of agriculture on the natural order of the world?

          In the 10,000 years since humans adopted the practice of cultivating their food instead of foraging for it, the natural world has been significantly contorted. The First Agricultural Revolution led to humans consuming a disproportionate amount of energy. Today, humans consume around 40% of Earth's primary productivity, in part by our vast production of pants but also by our extensive destruction of forests for agricultural purposes. The impacts of agribusiness on the natural world is staggering. Just look to the practices of hog farms in the United States, who keep conditions so crowded for their hogs that they have to artificially inseminate their sows to prevent the spread of disease. Farmed hogs have also become shockingly genetically uniform, making them more susceptible to disease. This problem is exacerbated by the growing resistance of certain diseases to antibiotics, which are added to the hogs' feed. Apart from the impact on domesticated animals, the energy requirements of our current model of agriculture are so severe that they are changing the climate of the planet. Excessive carbon emissions from livestock warm the planet, acidity the oceans, and raise sea levels. This problem is compounded by the mass deforestation that supplies the land needed for these practices. There is no doubt that human agricultural activity over the last 10,000 years, and most acutely over the last 50, has fundamentally upset nature. 

Image source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKc0WFthbNtEnMyuA7GaNCziVxzQfKRDUEWVwWBgS6uDVBiju1EFmy1KTjsdUB-OtopYxvQBOZQR8Is_IuZYeYAaFz2w357hdkrH_z6uu4Md-cfRZfUUkYGTuhraCAxW8aXOOOaljllpg/s1600/agriculture-deforestation.png

Investigative reporters wanted to expose the conditions within factory farm, but big agro has deep pockets. So, the Iowa state legislature made it illegal for reporters to take jobs at factory farms for journalistic purposes. 

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/03/the-ag-gag-laws-hiding-factory-farm-abuses-from-public-scrutiny/254674/

Image source: https://realtruth.org/images/factory_chickens_unhappy-apha-140812.jpg

Map of South America's Agricultural Output: https://economics.rabobank.com/Global/Publicatie%20afbeeldingen/2015/09%20September/LATAM-H5%20agri/Map-South%20America.png

Food, Inc. Review

In the 2009 documentary "Food, Inc.", the film's crew seeks the opinions of industrial farmers, organic farmers, big agricultural representatives, and consumer safety advocates to explain the current system of agriculture within the United States. This film brings to light many troubling aspects of the way we feed our country, from the appallingly cruel and unsanitary conditions of factory farms to the abusive business practices of agriculture giants such as Monsanto. The crew interviews a number of farmers, both factory and organic, who attest to the far reaching harms of factory farming such as antibiotic resistance and E. coli outbreaks. One of the challenges that the film crew faced was obtaining interviews with farmers about the industry, as there are heavy legal restrictions placed on speaking out against it. Filming inside factory far,S was also very difficult for the team, as was obtaining interviews with representatives of the largest companies in big agro. "Food, Inc." also addresses the extremely close ties between agriculture and the agencies that are supposed to regulate it. The film reports that many former executives of the largest agricultural conglomerates go on to hold high offices in agencies such as the FDA and the EPA. Unsurprisingly, these former executives champion policies that give a tremendous advantage to big agro, such as high corn subsidies and ad-gag laws that prevent negative press about the industry.