What can we do now?

As I read through the conclusion of Stuffed and Starved I cannot help but sit and think how depressingly true all of this is. The scarcity of water, energy and various natural resources. The abundance of poop and disease infesting our living areas. It’s absolutely ridiculous! All of these problems not only effect individual communities, but the communities who rely on their resources from a far.

 

Like we have previously discussed in class, I do firmly believe there are ways in which we can positively improve these problematic situations but it’s not going to be done overnight. And it is going to take more work than many of us can imagine.

Patel puts this transformation of the food and agriculture industries into ten fundamental changes (all of which we have previously touched upon)…

1.      Transforming our tastes

2.      Eat locally and seasonally

3.       Eat agroecologically

4.       Support locally owned businesses

5.       All workers have the right to dignity

6.      Profound and comprehensive rural change

7.       Living wages for all

8.       Support for a sustainable agriculture of food

9.       Snapping the food systems bottleneck

10.   Owning and providing restitutions for the injustices of the past and the present

 

What can we do now? As college students? On a daily basis?

My opinion is we can begin with numbers 1, 2 and 4of the fundamental changes listed above. We are broke college students who don’t have the time or money to change our entire diet. Yet, we can begin transforming our tastes and what we think we like and need to eat. We can take back over the choices that we have and not subside to the tastes we have been conditioned to like by the food industry. We can also start learning how to eat locally and seasonally. Although many of us eat on campus meal plans or in greek houses we can become aware of our options and how to gain access to locally grown foods and what it means to eat seasonally. Once we leave Hanover each of us will need to know where to obtain those local and seasonal foods. One way we can eat locally is by supporting locally owned businesses. Not only is the food cheaper, but it helps economically promote the community you’re living in.