Every day, people are starving. Every day, food is wasted. However, there is no food shortage. There is no lack of food on our planet. The heart of the problem is the method of production and distribution.
The force driving industrial agriculture is to produce the highest yield for the lowest cost- without regard for the environment, ecosystems, nutrition or people who cannot afford their product. These food systems export their yield to any location where there is demand and therefore money to be gained. Too often the coffee farmers who produce our beans don’t earn enough to provide their family with a meal. And too often our grocery stores are cluttered with food from thousands of miles away, packaged, trucked, flown, trucked and unpackaged, from a country where some citizens cannot afford to buy a piece of fruit.
Not only do these industrialized systems encourage the uneven distribution of food, but they are also responsible for much of the unbalance seen in nature. Currently, nine crops supply 75 percent of the world’s food and three crops provide 50 percent, according to UCSC Food Systems Working Group Campus Food Guide. This is a result of the monocrop method of agriculture. Monocropping is an industrialized agricultural practice where only one crop is planted on a large plot of land. Although monocropping can be an efficient form of agriculture, it depletes the soil of nutrients, decreases biodiversity and makes any plot of land extremely vulnerable. When there is a lack of biodiversity, just one pest or disease could prove detrimental to an entire piece of land. And if this plagued piece of land usually feeds millions of people around the world, that one crop disease could easily deprive U.S. citizens of a staple food item.
And the global population and the demand for food continue to grow. So what can we do to ensure crop stability and increased food availability in every region of a country?
One solution is the support and understanding of sustainable food systems. Purchasing local, organic and fair-trade items from sustainable sources has recently gained popularity. Sustainable food systems actually support local economies. They involve endorsing businesses who pay their workers a liveable salary, cooking in your kitchen, celebrating food traditions and culture, nourishing your body with fresh produce ripened on the vine and reducing your carbon footprint by purchasing organic food within your region. In short, a sustainable food system is one that values a product, which benefits people, producers, communities, laborers and the environment.
These ideals are addressed and practiced through many global, national and state-wide food-related movements. The Real Food Challenge, the SLOW Food Club, the Cal Poly Organic Farm, Zero Waste Program and the Fair Trade Club are some of the groups on campus who practice and support sustainable agricultural techniques. Some of these groups are part of a national movement, while some are specific to Cal Poly campus. The students who make up these clubs and organizations work to educate and implement sustainable agricultural practices in to the San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly communities.
Real Food Challenge:
The Real Food Challenge is a national campaign that seeks to increase the procurement of real food on campus to 20 percent real food by 2020. “Real Food” is from local and community-based systems, which include humanely raised animals, ecologically sound farming practices and fairly treated and paid workers. The Cal Poly Real Food Challenge committee is a collection of students that works toward incorporating more of this fresh and sustainable food into campus dining. The Real Food Challenge serves as both a campaign at Cal Poly and a network of hundreds of universities across the nation. The UC system has already agreed that 20 percent of food purchased through dining services will be real food by 2020. For more information check out the Real Food Challenge website: www.realfoodchallenge.org or e-mail tsalzman@calpoly.edu Meetings are on the second floor of the library, Wednesday at 3 p.m. (subject to change next quarter).
Organic Farm:
The Cal Poly Organic Farm is a student-driven operation intended to further sustainable practices and education within agriculture. The Organic Farm is a great place for students interested in learning how to grow and produce food. Students are introduced to concepts and practical hands-on knowledge about gardening and production agriculture. Students sow seeds, plant, transplant, weed, harvest, wash, pack and market food that is grown on the farm. Enrollment in the Organic Enterprise course has grown over the years to over 30 students per term. There are also paid staff opportunities for students to participate. The best way to support organic and sustainable agricultural education is by purchasing the farm’s produce through the year-round CSA program or at the Thursday evening San Luis Obispo Farmer’s Market. For more information, or to schedule a CPOF tour, please visit: www.calpolyorgfarm.com, call 805-756-6139 or e-mail orgfarm@calpoly.edu
SLOW Food Club:
Slow Food Cal Poly is an on-campus chapter of Slow Food USA. By supporting the Slow Food global movement, we promote and educate the community and students about eating clean, fair and great tasting food. Slow Food Cal Poly believes in eating food that is local and sustainable, fair to the farmer and workers who produce it and representative of the rich and unique traditions of our ancestors. Food has become stripped of its nutritional value and freshness through the industrialization of agriculture and packaged food. As a group, we hope to enlighten students on the huge impact their food has on the environment, the economic strength of the community and its health. This year, the Slow Food club presented the documentary “FRESH” and led a Cal Poly Organic Farm tour. For more information on Slow Food Cal Poly, become a fan on Facebook or e-mail slowfoodcalpoly@gmail.com
Fair Trade Club:
The goal of Fair Trade Club is to bring awareness on campus and to the community. The concept of fair trade is to fight the injustices of conventional trade by ensuring that farmers get a fair price for their product, have decent labor conditions and use sustainable farming methods. Currently, only a limited number of farmers can be reached because of the limited market demand for fairly traded products. Fair Trade Club wants to increase support of fairly traded products so both farmers and the environment can be sustained. For more information visit fairtradeclub@calpoly.edu or call 805-558-6383
Zero Waste Club:
The Cal Poly Zero Waste Program aims at reducing the solid waste our campus sends to the landfill by enhancing the composting and recycling program. The group also aims to educate students on campus about the importance of recycling and composting and how they can practice waste reduction at home. Currently students are working to implement a composting system at the San Luis Obispo Farmer’s Market. For more information or to become involved in increasing composting on campus, find Cal Poly’s Zero Waste club on Facebook or attend a meeting at the Engineering East building, room 119 Thursdays at 7 p.m.
Today, many aim to “green” their lifestyle. Recycling, buying organic and turning off lights are easy things to do, but it takes much more to address the root of the problem. Since food is a human necessity, its availability and origin have the power to change the lives of each individual citizen in the United Sates and in the world. Our current agricultural practices must be enhanced into more sustainable food systems if our global community wishes to decrease humanity’s carbon footprint and thereby decrease the degradation of our environment. Though it is hard to conceptualize, Cal Poly is an integral part of the food systems in other countries, thousands of miles away. As a student at a university and in a system of higher education, you have the power to affect and change policy. Join a movement today on campus or on a national level to further understand why sustainable food systems are one solution to many, complex global and climate related problems.
Empower Poly is a coalition of member clubs on Cal Poly campus. It addresses all issues of sustainability such as education, climate change, renewable energy, transportation, recycling, composting and food systems. Meetings are held at the Engineering IV building, room 242 Tuesdays at 6 p.m.
The California Student Sustainability Coalition is a state-wide network that encourages students to collaborate on all aspects of sustainability including sustainable agriculture and food systems through the Real Food Challenge. Become a fan on Facebook or visit www.sustainabilitycoalition.org.