Sustainable agriculture: A savior to food?

It should come as no surprise that America is one of, if not the largest food producers in the globe, and this comes with it's benefits and consequences. Documentaries such as King Corn or even the "mocumentary" Fast Food Nation have done their part in exposing the true production of our food.

According to sources, industrial agriculture, which is responsible for majority of the food that most Americans consume in today's society, it's absolutely horrible for the body and the environment.

In a recent article that I wrote, I covered the building of a permaculture garden at the University of Massachusetts, which was developed by several students in a sustainable living class.

According to them and several professors I spoke with, permaculture is a positive thing, and really supports an environment.

But here's an aspect that I would have liked to cover. Farmers, simply put, do not make that much money, or even have that much compensation. All of these students were volunteers giving their time to build this garden. About 150 of them. But at what point do they call it quits? In the consumerist ideals of an average American, sustainable gardening isn't enough to keep a business running. People run out of motivation. They run out of energy, and to keep a permaculture garden up and running every year, with actual measurable results, would drain that energy fast, especially if the people have other work or have lives to attend to.

Most farms are finely tuned to have specific patterns and machinery, where as a permaculture garden takes much more work. There's even ideas that seem to support that a person wishing to make a living off of it would be the type of person to break the boundaries of consumerism itself.

Unfortunately, it's a vicious cycle. People wants to be able to afford the things that are better for the body, but that's what takes more work, and the people willing to put in the work are few and few between. People also want the more convenient food, but it's completely damaging to certain aspects of life.

The trick is to find a medium. But of course, if one isn't found, then only an extreme of some sort will be enough to persuade the minds of many to find a change.

Food Bank offers struggling persons an affordable alternative

The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts is not your typical grocery store experience. Gone are the tiled floors, the background music to add ambiance, the perfectly organized and visually appealing products and the overall typical grocery store atmosphere.

Instead, what awaits shoppers is a factory-like setting, with most products resting in cardboard boxes, a concrete floor, and a gray wall surrounding the area. But for many people in Western Massachusetts, this place is one of their only options for food.

Permaculture garden battles against industrial agriculture

One November afternoon, a white pick-up truck pulled along the side of the grass field in front of Franklin Dining Common. Three people, males, got out and grabbed rakes out of the bed of the truck. Using these rakes, they pulled down a six-foot high pile of mulch off. The crisp fall sun shining upon them, they began to spread the mulch across the space. But these weren’t UMass agriculture workers. These were students, and they were building a garden.


The University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Permaculture Garden Planning Committee, who are currently building their own permaculture garden on campus, developed this idea and was eventually funded to begin the project. Through their work, they are hoping the garden will serve as a tool to promote sustainability and help educate students about the enemy it fight against, industrial agriculture.

Food Safety Reform Bill Passed

You can check out the movie about how a food safety reform bill came to passing, as well as what to expect here.