Goal: Obtain a Masters of the Environment + Sustainable Food Systems degree

 

 

Goal in progress. Initiated August, 2019.

 

I'm back in school! I started a Masters of the Environment (MENV) program and am specializing in Sustainable Food Systems at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Some self-exploration at the beginning of 2019, in addition to the values that stirred dissatisfaction in my first job, have lead me to pursue higher education. I am increasingly passionate about soil health and the importance that it has for climate resilience within our food system.

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If we want a resilient, healthy, and equitable

food system, we first need healthy soil.

 

When I first began this program in August of 2019, I felt fairly confident that I wanted to work as a liaison between farmers, scientists, and policy makers in order to enable farmers to better manage their land and use regenerative practices to increase their soil health. Though, through my research, networking, and coursework thus far, the following is clear:

 

Farmers cannot improve their relationship with the

land until the system that bounds them is changed.

 

Having grown up on a farm, I've had the background and empathetic capacity to recognize that farmers are doing their best. Of the farmers that I have met, I have seen that their hard work, dedication, and lifestyle all demonstrate the strong relationship that they have with our land. To me, a farmer is one of the best stewards of our earth. Though farmers are often blamed for polluting our waterways and destroying ecosystems, they have no intentional actions of negligence or destruction.

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Because of the negative impacts of our food production, farmers are often

ridiculed for their actions. Yet, I don't believe it is their fault.

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Yes, our agricultural system causes immense amounts of run-off and eutrophication, loss of biodiversity, increasing soil erosion, and stronger reliance on various chemical inputs. But we cannot point our fingers at the labored hands that feed us. For the year of 2018, the median net revenue for a farmer was -$1,548, according to the USDA. How are farmers expected to improve their practices while working on such tight margins? The system they work within is so governed by Big Ag and the societal expectation for cheap and perfect food that they cant afford any risk associated with change.

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I recognized that if I wanted to change what was happening on farms,

working with farmers wouldn't accomplish enough.

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The agricultural change that is necessary in order to survive the increasing climate crisis cannot happen within the system in which farmers are bound. Upon this frustrating reality, I've changed directions and am now working to shift supply chains of brands to source from regenerative farmers. By shifting natural food brands to use regenerative ingredients, regenerative farmers are provided better market security. So, pre-competitive agreements made between brands and farmers can give growers the financial security needed for transition. While my heart lies on the farm, my fervor for a system that supports soil health and farmers in their practice is taking me in another direction, one that I am eager to learn from and grow in.

 

Curious to support regenerative farmers and soil health yourself? Click here