It could hardly be denied that the content of BA1002 - week 8 lecture and readings is depressing in its appraisal of modern western food systems. The crux of Patel's
Stuffed and Starved is that the 800 million hungry people on the planet today are outnumbered (and outweighed) by one billion who are overweight (p.1). So what has this information got to do with Facebook? Well, our social networks are, or at least could be, a major tool for social change, community engagement and increased awareness about these issues which are ethically and environmentally unacceptable.
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| The vegetable garden of Abundance of la Chatonniere. |
I went looking for information and connection regarding some of the alternative concepts mentioned by Roger Wilkinson in his lecture. The page for
'Slow Food Movement', though attracting 54,510 'likes' consists of nothing more than a Wikipedia description. The
'Organic Farming' page, on the other hand, compiles loads of regularly updated information, inspirational images and stories, with 15,467 members. 208,604 people 'like'
'Occupy Monsanto'. This little expedition reveals that the potential is there for large numbers of people to share information and become part of a group movement related to what they care about. But, first, we have to care.
Wilkinson, after expounding briefly upon the illogical and unethical systems operating in our supermarkets, admitted to buying the cheapest brand of canned tomatoes, understanding it was quite likely the worst choice ethically. This is not a personal criticism or judgement, but it may be an example of how it has become the overwhelming norm for so many of us, even the educated authorities in our culture, to be critical, yet complacent, in the face of devastating global challenges.
References
Patel, R. (2007).
Stuffed and starved: The hidden battle for the world's food system. Toronto, Canada: Harper Perennial.
Wilkinson, R. (2013).
BA1002: Our space: Networks, narratives, and the making of place, week 8 lecture. [live lecture].
Image References
Secret language of flower. (2013).
The vegetable garden of Abundance of la Chattonniere. [Image]. Retrieved from
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=386347671469814&set=a.335182469919668.66981.292383024199613&type=1&theater
The National Age. (2013).
Pop goes the industry. [Image]. Retrieved from
http://www.theage.com.au/national/canned-why-local-tomatoes-cop-a-pasting-20120526-1zc2q.html
Hi Tamlyn,
ReplyDeleteLocally you will find permaculture groups in both Townsville and Cairns that are trying to change the way we see food, crops and weeds as part of our ecosystem. Through grass roots organisations such as these changes can occur that will make our planet and us more healthy. It is also a good socially enriching activity. This would force corporations to rethink their strategy and take control out of their hands (Patel, 2007). Unfortunately, their ‘profit motives’ are driven by greed from the shareholders and I fear it will only get worse (Patel, 2007, p.1).
Reference:
Patel, R. (2007). Introduction, in Stuffed and starved: The hidden battle for the world’s food system (pp. 1-19). Toronto, Canada: Harper Perennial.