February 18, 2022 Blog Post.
Chapter 7 of the reading was quite interesting to me since I was previously unaware of the divide within the agricultural space within the United States, but more specifically Hawaii. The ideals and hopes behind organic agriculture are very noble, and ones that I can relate to since being able to partake in fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables is something I have been trying to do more of since my diagnosis half a decade ago. The discrimination within agriculture was something not all unexpected, at least in my opinion since there is already a great divide between men and women in other professions why would not the agricultural sector be any different. The interviews that the author undertook with the female farmers from Hawaii was both informative but also collaborated the many issues that these organic farmers face both in mainland North America, but also locally in Hawaii, such as land leases, pricing both in regard to resources and profits, which was further developed by the accounts of these famers that many of them work part-time or full-time jobs alongside their farming to generate profit for the family. They also voiced many points that I can understand such as the freedom that being their own boss or owner can bring since they decide for themselves what to do with their time, and business which can be very empowering feeling. I found Michelle Galimba’s narrative account of her time working on their families farm enjoyable in a number of ways. Firstly her opening remarks on the location of the family farm as well as how she views the interactions of rainfall on it are quite fascinating in my opinion since I simply see rain in most cases as a calming natural event, but she views it as this living thing which can have multiple casual reactions on the farm and by extension the local economy. Secondly her family’s history with animal husbandry, and farming such as her father’s time as a ranch hand on Na’alehu Dairy all correlates with her own interests in farming since she grew up surrounded by influences of this nature. WWOOF and other similar volunteer farming organizations was something I was not knowledgeable about until after reading this section of the article excerpts. The idea of getting more people mostly younger individual engaged with the process of cultivating food, is something I can get behind because not only is it a great learning experience, but it also helps develop one’s own bodily health in several ways, such as exercising, learning to eat better, as well as managing time better. In regards to POMS, “People’s Open Markets” I found the whole practice both beneficial and shady all at the same time. The beneficial side of this market type is that the residents within these market areas are able to purchase foods, at a cheaper price than most local supermarkets, or convenience stores in that area due to pricing regulations set up within each market. I will say that while this is a good thing for those who are poorer off, that text does make reference to these “vendors” reselling convenience store fruits and vegetables because that are able to make a profit by reselling them which is an interesting hustle but expected in this type of market.
