Monday, 13 September 2010
Monday, 6 September 2010
Lesson plan suggestion for Year 5
Year5 Lesson Plan:
It’s a bug eat bug world: Investigating Beneficial Insects.
Key learning Areas: Science.
Science as Human endeavour:
- Science can help to make natural, social and built environments sustainable and may influence personal human activities
Life and living
Living things have features that determine their interactions with the environment.
• Living things can be grouped according to their observable characteristics
• Structures of living things have particular functions
• Living things have relationships with other living things and their environment
Planning and Assessment considerations for this lesson.
| Key question for this unit: How do we support sustainable food production in our community? |
| Specific lesson objectives: o Identify and classify the insects in our garden. o Research their natural insect predators. o Research plants that repel them.
Assessment linked to goals and objectives: (Group work) Scientific reports will be completed during this process. Recommendations will be checked for accuracy and relevance. Lesson duration: 2 x 1 hour 10 min lessons. |
| Lesson sequence | Resources | Timing |
| Part A: Students will work in groups of 3 to explore and record the insect varieties present in their school community garden. Classify insects | Magnifying glasses. Digital cameras. Photographic examples of common insect pests in Photographic examples of common beneficial insects in | 1Hour 15 min |
| Lesson evaluation and reflection: Reflect on, and communicate what we have learned and what we would like to know more about. | | 10 min |
| Part B: Research the natural predators of the pest insects. Research plants that are likely to repel pests. Research plants that attract predators. Share your findings with class. Make recommendations from your findings. | Internet. Books, Journals. Expert visitor | 1 hour 15 min |
| Lesson evaluation and reflection: Reflect on, and communicate what we have learned and what we would like to know more about. | | 10 min |
Sunday, 5 September 2010
Refugee and Migrant Community Garden
A community garden at Griffith University gives local refugee and migrant communities in Logan and Beaudesert the opportunity to increase self-reliance and have social interaction, thereby improving mental health and boosting their self-esteem. The project also aims to encourage learning about nutrition, to foster healthy eating habits and to involve the communities in physical activity to increase their fitness. The garden offers an opportunity to newly arrived refugees and migrants to participate in familiar farming activities, grow traditional foods and develop a sense of being connected to their new community. Various communities work
on the gardens together. They include students from Griffith University and members of the Burundian, Congolese, Sudanese and Pacific Islander communities. Griffith University is working in close partnership with Assisting Collaborative Community Employment Support Services (ACCES Services) on this project. Other project partners are Multilink, Logan City Council and Queensland Health.
http://www.immi.gov.au/media/publications/settle/empowering_refugees/_pdf/3-griffith-community-food-garden.pdf
on the gardens together. They include students from Griffith University and members of the Burundian, Congolese, Sudanese and Pacific Islander communities. Griffith University is working in close partnership with Assisting Collaborative Community Employment Support Services (ACCES Services) on this project. Other project partners are Multilink, Logan City Council and Queensland Health.
http://www.immi.gov.au/media/publications/settle/empowering_refugees/_pdf/3-griffith-community-food-garden.pdf
Edible Landscapes and Guerilla Gardeners
There are many small-scale movements for food sustainability in urban communities around Australia. This is an easy way we can all make a difference - and what individuals do has effects that ripple out into the wider world. Any food we grow ourselves, we don't have to buy, and that ultimately reduces the strain on the global environment, while improving our local environment.
Street verge gardening is an idea that has become popular in Melbourne and Sydney. Check out http://communitygarden.org.au/verge-gardens for more information. If you're in Brisbane and feeling a little peckish, check out
http://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=109454405528422793223.0004798ac1435812ae271&ll=-27.495481,153.051224&spn=0.182726,0.30899&z=11&source=embed, where you will find a map marking out food trees on public land throughout Brisbane. Should you know of any trees that aren't on the map yet, you can add them:
1. Use your Google account
2. Save the map "Edible Brisbane: Public Fruit" to 'my maps'
3. Click on 'edit'
4. Click the marker symbol and zoom in to place the marker in the exact location
5. Enter title and description
6. Click 'save' and 'done'
In Brisbane it is apparently against the law to plant the street verge, but guerilla gardening groups exist who organize night missions to plant out public spaces with food or ornamental plants. Sounds like lots of fun! For more information, visit http://www.GuerrillaGardening.org/
Street verge gardening is an idea that has become popular in Melbourne and Sydney. Check out http://communitygarden.org.au/verge-gardens for more information. If you're in Brisbane and feeling a little peckish, check out
http://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=109454405528422793223.0004798ac1435812ae271&ll=-27.495481,153.051224&spn=0.182726,0.30899&z=11&source=embed, where you will find a map marking out food trees on public land throughout Brisbane. Should you know of any trees that aren't on the map yet, you can add them:
1. Use your Google account
2. Save the map "Edible Brisbane: Public Fruit" to 'my maps'
3. Click on 'edit'
4. Click the marker symbol and zoom in to place the marker in the exact location
5. Enter title and description
6. Click 'save' and 'done'
In Brisbane it is apparently against the law to plant the street verge, but guerilla gardening groups exist who organize night missions to plant out public spaces with food or ornamental plants. Sounds like lots of fun! For more information, visit http://www.GuerrillaGardening.org/
City Farmer's Market
The City Farmer's Market held every Wednesday at Reddacliff Place in the Brisbane CBD is a bustling hub of quality seasonal fruit, vegetables, seafood, meat and poultry, breads, flowers, plants, cheeses, charcuterie and more.
Business people, tourists and locals alike gather to take advantage of the fresh produce on offer, at very good prices (often further discounted at the end) and often direct from the farmers themselves. Stall holders proclaim 'no pesticides added', 'nothing but natural', 'spray free, naturally ripened', '100% quality guaranteed folks', 'check out these...', 'beautiful, beautiful'... and there really is no reason to doubt these claims.
 |
| Grown to classic music... |
Northey Street City Farm
Northey Street City Farm is a non-profit community organisation situated on the banks of Brisbane’s Breakfast Creek in Windsor and is a fantastic example of how communities can support food sustainability issues.
The farm was developed in April 1994 for people to enjoy and participate in using the principles of permaculture. It offers hands-on gardening opportunities, courses & workshops, a weekly organic markets and much more. Within the 4 hectare farm are more than 1500 exotic and native fruit trees, bushtucker plants, shrubs and ground cover
To create a working model of a cooperative, community based urban permaculture farm which demonstrates, promotes, educates and advocates for environmental and economic sustainability in a healthy, diverse and supportive community.
Sunday farmers market
Every Sunday the farm hosts Brisbane’s only certified organic farmers market. Fresh, seasonal, top quality local produce, dairy and dry goods are on sold to a ever-growing consumer base at very reasonable prices. On site you'll also find an edible plant nursery, Chai cafe, music, permaculture workshops and more.
New to the farm is Village Life - a collection of artists, crafters, performers and healers, all right next to the food market.
I decided to check the market out for myself and what a fantastic place. The vibe of community spirit is so welcoming and addictive. The stall holders (most of which are the farmers) are friendly, full of passion and knowledge about Organic farming, and love to talk to their customers. The produce has been picked not long before and the quality shows.
Even if you are not yet convinced about the value of Organics, the feeling you get at this market makes it definitely well worth checking out.
How have agricultural locations changed in the Brisbane region?
In the 1960s and 70s agriculture was centred in the premium red soils of the Redland Bay area, Sunnybank, Carseldine and Rochedale. The location from the city was great, the quality fantastic and all farms were at most 1 hour from the city. Sadly, this 'urban' agriculture has all changed!
With population growth, land being taken by housing and an increase in land prices, agricultural farms have been forced to move out of the urban areas. While our produce is still considered to be local the term 'local' has been re-defined and the distance significantly increased.
So how 'local' is local?
At the Northey Street Organic Market I asked the manager how far the stalls had travelled. A large proportion came from the Glasshouse Mountain area, Cunningham, Boonah & Aratula. All on average 1 hour away from the city. At the higher end of the distance scale was Northern NSW and Gympie, both an average of 2 & 1/2 hours away. And when it comes to apples, the most local growing area is Stanthorpe, 3 hours away (however this is largely to do with climate).
At the City Farmers Market at Reddacliff Place in the Brisbane CBD I asked one of the stall holders where his produce had come from and was told that it was largely from up on the Sunshine Coast, the farthest location being Beerwah and of course the unavoidable Stanthorpe for apples.
 |
| The old 'local' |
With population growth, land being taken by housing and an increase in land prices, agricultural farms have been forced to move out of the urban areas. While our produce is still considered to be local the term 'local' has been re-defined and the distance significantly increased.
So how 'local' is local?
At the Northey Street Organic Market I asked the manager how far the stalls had travelled. A large proportion came from the Glasshouse Mountain area, Cunningham, Boonah & Aratula. All on average 1 hour away from the city. At the higher end of the distance scale was Northern NSW and Gympie, both an average of 2 & 1/2 hours away. And when it comes to apples, the most local growing area is Stanthorpe, 3 hours away (however this is largely to do with climate).
At the City Farmers Market at Reddacliff Place in the Brisbane CBD I asked one of the stall holders where his produce had come from and was told that it was largely from up on the Sunshine Coast, the farthest location being Beerwah and of course the unavoidable Stanthorpe for apples.
 |
| The new 'local' |
The Challenge in a Nutshell
This image neatly summarises the challenge of food sustainability.
Our planet currently supports 6.6 billion people, each of whom need something to eat and drink every day.
Vast amounts of food are grown and produced around the world, but it cannot always be grown where the people are most highly concentrated. In cities, where populations are highly concentrated, most people do not have the space to grow food for themselves or their communities, and rely on food that is transported from farming areas. Because of the demand for large quantities of food, intensive farming practices have developed over the last 60 years or so. Intensive farming produces high yields of crops, but often causes environmental degradation such as chemical pollution, erosion, soil depletion, salinity. The need to transport food also raises problems of resource use and pollution.
So the problem is that under current conditions, we are not balancing human needs with environmental needs, to the point that the health and possibly survival of the planet is under threat. The challenge is to find sustainable means of meeting our food needs, while looking after our natural systems so that they can continue to support us.
Every human being can play a role - whether it is by growing some of our own food, or reducing the amount of food we consume (or waste), and especially by being aware of the ecological and social impacts of some of the food products we buy and making different choices to minimize that impact.
What is the Doomsday Vault?
The Svalbard Global Seed Vault (Norwegian: Svalbard globale frøhvelv) is a secure seedbank located on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen near the town of Longyearbyen in the remote Arctic Svalbard archipelago, about 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) from the North Pole.[1] The facility preserves a wide variety of plant seeds in an underground cavern. The seeds are duplicate samples, or "spare" copies, of seeds held in genebanks worldwide. The seed vault will provide insurance against the loss of seeds in genebanks, as well as a refuge for seeds in the case of large scale regional or global crises. The seed vault is managed under terms spelled out in a tripartite agreement between the Norwegian government, the Global Crop Diversity Trust (GCDT) and the Nordic Genetic Resource Center (also known as NordGen and previously named the Nordic Gene Bank, a cooperative effort of the Nordic countries under the Nordic Council of Ministers).
Construction of the seed vault, which cost approximately 45 million Norwegian Kroner (9 million USD),[2] was funded entirely by the Government of Norway.[2] Storage of seeds in the seed vault is free of charge. Operational costs will be paid by Norway and the Global Crop Diversity Trust.[2] The primary funding of the Trust came from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, United Kingdom, Norway, Australia, Switzerland, and Sweden, though funding has been received from a wide variety of sources including four developing countries: Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, and India.[3]
Construction of the seed vault, which cost approximately 45 million Norwegian Kroner (9 million USD),[2] was funded entirely by the Government of Norway.[2] Storage of seeds in the seed vault is free of charge. Operational costs will be paid by Norway and the Global Crop Diversity Trust.[2] The primary funding of the Trust came from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, United Kingdom, Norway, Australia, Switzerland, and Sweden, though funding has been received from a wide variety of sources including four developing countries: Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, and India.[3]
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Genetically Modified Food
Advantages of genetically engineered foods
GM crops are more productive and have a larger yield.
Offer more nutritional value and better flavor.
A possibility that they could eliminate allergy-causing properties in some foods.
Inbuilt resistance to pests, weeds and disease.
More capable of thriving in regions with poor soil or adverse climates.
More environment friendly as they require less herbicides and pesticides.
Foods are more resistent and stay ripe for longer so they can be shipped long distances or kept on shop shelves for longer periods.
As more GM crops can be grown on relatively small parcels of land, GM crops are an answer to feeding growing world populations.
Proponants argue that GM foods are safe.
Dangers of genetically engineered foods
Scientists can choose which genes to manipulate, but they don't yet know where in the DNA to precisely insert these genes and they have no way of controlling gene expression. Genes don't work in isolation, changing a few could change the whole picture, with unpredictable and different effects under different circumstances.
It is not correct to tout genetically modified food without evaluating the risks sufficiently. Or at least proving conclusively that there are no risks.
Many GM companies don't label their foods as being GM foods. There is concern about a GM bias affecting business. But not labeling is wrong and unfair to the consumers who should have the right to know what they are buying and indeed to decide whether they want to buy GM food or not. Even if health safety factors are not an issue, some people might have moral or religious objections. They should not have to eat GM food if they don't want to.
GM food will end food diversity if everyone starts growing the same standardized crops.
Herbicide-resistant and pesticide-resistant crops could give rise to super-weeds and super-pests that would need newer, stronger chemicals to destroy them.
GM crops could cross-pollinate with nearby non-GM plants and create ecological problems. If this were to happen with GM foods containing vaccines, antibiotics, contraceptives and so on, it would very well turn into a human health nightmare.
The claim of ending world hunger with GM food is a false claim. World hunger is not caused by shortage of food production, but by sheer mismanagement, and lack of access to food brought about by various social, financial and political causes.
The GM technology companies patent their crops and also engineer crops so that harvested grain germs are incapable of developing. This is not empowering to impoverished Third World farmers, who cannot save seeds for replanting and have to buy expensive seeds from the companies every time. The new technology also interferes with their traditional agricultural ways which may be more suited to their conditions.
Instead of going for GM food, why not focus more on improving organic agricultural practices?
Excerpt taken from an article by Sonal Panse.
Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/science/genetics/articles/23358.aspx#ixzz0ydP83wpI
GM crops are more productive and have a larger yield.
Offer more nutritional value and better flavor.
A possibility that they could eliminate allergy-causing properties in some foods.
Inbuilt resistance to pests, weeds and disease.
More capable of thriving in regions with poor soil or adverse climates.
More environment friendly as they require less herbicides and pesticides.
Foods are more resistent and stay ripe for longer so they can be shipped long distances or kept on shop shelves for longer periods.
As more GM crops can be grown on relatively small parcels of land, GM crops are an answer to feeding growing world populations.
Proponants argue that GM foods are safe.
Dangers of genetically engineered foods
Scientists can choose which genes to manipulate, but they don't yet know where in the DNA to precisely insert these genes and they have no way of controlling gene expression. Genes don't work in isolation, changing a few could change the whole picture, with unpredictable and different effects under different circumstances.
It is not correct to tout genetically modified food without evaluating the risks sufficiently. Or at least proving conclusively that there are no risks.
Many GM companies don't label their foods as being GM foods. There is concern about a GM bias affecting business. But not labeling is wrong and unfair to the consumers who should have the right to know what they are buying and indeed to decide whether they want to buy GM food or not. Even if health safety factors are not an issue, some people might have moral or religious objections. They should not have to eat GM food if they don't want to.
GM food will end food diversity if everyone starts growing the same standardized crops.
Herbicide-resistant and pesticide-resistant crops could give rise to super-weeds and super-pests that would need newer, stronger chemicals to destroy them.
GM crops could cross-pollinate with nearby non-GM plants and create ecological problems. If this were to happen with GM foods containing vaccines, antibiotics, contraceptives and so on, it would very well turn into a human health nightmare.
The claim of ending world hunger with GM food is a false claim. World hunger is not caused by shortage of food production, but by sheer mismanagement, and lack of access to food brought about by various social, financial and political causes.
The GM technology companies patent their crops and also engineer crops so that harvested grain germs are incapable of developing. This is not empowering to impoverished Third World farmers, who cannot save seeds for replanting and have to buy expensive seeds from the companies every time. The new technology also interferes with their traditional agricultural ways which may be more suited to their conditions.
Instead of going for GM food, why not focus more on improving organic agricultural practices?
Excerpt taken from an article by Sonal Panse.
Read more: http://www.brighthub.com/science/genetics/articles/23358.aspx#ixzz0ydP83wpI
What are Genetically Modified Organisms?
Excerpts from an article by Deborah B Whitman.
"The term GM foods or GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. The enhancement of desired traits has traditionally been undertaken through breeding, but conventional plant breeding methods can be very time consuming and are often not very accurate.
Genetic engineering, on the other hand, can create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and with great accuracy. For example, plant geneticists can isolate a gene responsible for drought tolerance and insert that gene into a different plant. The new genetically-modified plant will gain drought tolerance as well. Not only can genes be transferred from one plant to another, but genes from non-plant organisms also can be used. The best known example of this is the use of B.t. genes in corn and other crops. B.t., or Bacillus thuringiensis, is a naturally occurring bacterium that produces crystal proteins that are lethal to insect larvae. B.t. crystal protein genes have been transferred into corn, enabling the corn to produce its own pesticides against insects such as the European corn borer."
http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php
Deborah B. Whitman
Released April 2000
"The term GM foods or GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. The enhancement of desired traits has traditionally been undertaken through breeding, but conventional plant breeding methods can be very time consuming and are often not very accurate.
Genetic engineering, on the other hand, can create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and with great accuracy. For example, plant geneticists can isolate a gene responsible for drought tolerance and insert that gene into a different plant. The new genetically-modified plant will gain drought tolerance as well. Not only can genes be transferred from one plant to another, but genes from non-plant organisms also can be used. The best known example of this is the use of B.t. genes in corn and other crops. B.t., or Bacillus thuringiensis, is a naturally occurring bacterium that produces crystal proteins that are lethal to insect larvae. B.t. crystal protein genes have been transferred into corn, enabling the corn to produce its own pesticides against insects such as the European corn borer."
http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/gmfood/overview.php
Deborah B. Whitman
Released April 2000
The Benefits of Farmer's Markets For Organic Fruit and Vegetables
An Article by Peter Nisbet http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Benefits-of-Farmers-Markets-For-Organic-Fruit-and-Vegetables&id=4784843
Farmer's markets offer fabulous opportunities to buy and sell organic fruit and vegetables. Such weekend markets, normally held on a Saturday or Sunday, offer fresh organic produce straight from the fields and orchards at prices significantly lower than you will find in the organic section of a greengrocer or a supermarket.
It is exceptionally rare to find such fresh produce in a supermarket, which will generally tend to store produce for months in cold storage before it hits the shelves. The farmers and food producers benefit because they have more control over their prices, and by attending a number of different markets they can help to maintain the viability of their business.
However, what are the benefits for you, the consumer? Why should you spend part of your valuable weekend browsing round a farmer's market and checking the range of produce available? The initial reaction of many is that the produce must be very expensive, and they would be unlikely to buy anything - but why? And is that in fact the case?
Sure, the prices of many fruits and vegetables will be a bit higher than you are used to paying at a supermarket, but what is more important: price or quality? Not only that, but they are not all that expensive and you get the chance to purchase high quality fresh organic fruits and vegetables at competitive prices - generally lower than the price you would pay for equivalent fresh food anywhere else.
Freshness
The food comes directly from the farmer to you, and absolutely fresh - not several weeks or even months old. In many ways it is actually more economical for you to buy food this way because:
a) You can purchase as much or as little of each item as you want. No pre-packaged goods here! If you want only one apple or two tomatoes, you can have them. You won't have unused food going soft, damp and mouldy before you can eat it all.
b) The fruit and vegetables purchased from a farmer's market are fresh. How often have you purchased produce from a supermarket, prepacked or not, and found it going soft or mouldy after a couple of days? That's because it is already old by the time you buy it.
Without the waste of over-purchasing or of old food deteriorating quickly, fresh organic produce can actually work out cheaper than supermarket fruit and vegetables. Many shop at farmer's markets just because of this very single reason. However, there is more than just that.
Organic Produce
Many say they can't tell the difference between organic and chemically grown food, but studies have indicated that most can. A 5-year European Commission study confirmed a considerable difference between organic and conventionally farmed crops and this has been supported by other studies. However, the UK Food Standards Agency disagrees. Nevertheless, most Australians believe the common-sense attitude that fruit and vegetables left to ripen naturally in the sun, rather than packed in dark boxes, will taste better - and in fact will actually have a taste!
Not only that, but organic food is grown without the poisonous insecticides that generate damaging free radicals in your body, another scientifically accepted fact - without arguments this time! Free radicals age your skin quicker and can cause atherosclerosis, a condition of your arteries that can cause strokes and heart disease. However, as long as the food is washed there should be no problems.
If you are not sure about the taste, many growers will allow you a free sample to taste before you buy. Try getting that in a supermarket!
Environmental Benefits
Among the benefits of farmer's markets are those that are beneficial to the environment:
a) Fewer food miles: buying from local producers means that food has less distance to travel with a consequent reduction in pollution and use of fossil fuel. It will also, of course, be fresher. Do you really believe that European or American produce was picked last week to be on your supermarket shelves today? The apple you buy in Sidney in December could have been in cold storage since July!
b) Less pollution by insecticides and fungicides: this is safer for you, the environment and the local bird and animal populations.
c) Less packaging: Thousands of tons of plastic packaging are wasted every year in Australia through pre-packed supermarket foods.
Reduced Waste
Hundreds of thousands of tons of fruit and vegetables are wasted every year for a number of reasons. A major reason is the lack of freshness of supermarket produce that has a very limited time on the shelves at room temperature before they have to be removed and binned.
People forced to purchase pre-packed fruit and vegetables cannot use them all before they become inedible for the same reason - lack of freshness. We must all have purchased fruit that we have had to trash because it went rotten before we use it. Farmer's markets enable you to purchase exactly what you want, and if you overbuy it's no big deal. The food is very fresh and will last until you need it.
A Great Day Out
A visit to a farmer's market is a great day out for all the family. Many have entertainment and funfairs, with burger bars and ice cream vans. Many farmer's markets in Australia are integrated with other weekend markets, so you can have a whole shopping experience, buying not only fresh organic fruit and vegetables but also arts and crafts, hand-made clothing and a whole host of other stuff.
Or just enjoy wandering around, trying the free samples. You are not obliged to buy anything and you might come across something you have never tried before. Maybe some local honey, hand-made soap or beautiful-tasting bright red strawberries or raspberries, hand-picked this morning and grown without any artificial fertilizers or pesticides. And these massive pure white crisp cauliflowers also look very tasty...
There are no doubts at all in the minds of those that visit them that of all the benefits of farmer's markets, the freshness and gorgeous taste of organic fruit and vegetables is the one that draws them every single week. However, as explained above, there are more benefits than just one, including your health, the health of the countryside and the health and nourishment of your children.
That is not to say that supermarket produce is unhealthy - far from it - but come on, which would you rather eat? A tasty red crunchy carrot less than a day old, or a limp orange thing going by the name of a carrot that was grown 2,000 miles away and picked by machine a few months ago...
Farmer's markets offer fabulous opportunities to buy and sell organic fruit and vegetables. Such weekend markets, normally held on a Saturday or Sunday, offer fresh organic produce straight from the fields and orchards at prices significantly lower than you will find in the organic section of a greengrocer or a supermarket.
It is exceptionally rare to find such fresh produce in a supermarket, which will generally tend to store produce for months in cold storage before it hits the shelves. The farmers and food producers benefit because they have more control over their prices, and by attending a number of different markets they can help to maintain the viability of their business.
However, what are the benefits for you, the consumer? Why should you spend part of your valuable weekend browsing round a farmer's market and checking the range of produce available? The initial reaction of many is that the produce must be very expensive, and they would be unlikely to buy anything - but why? And is that in fact the case?
Sure, the prices of many fruits and vegetables will be a bit higher than you are used to paying at a supermarket, but what is more important: price or quality? Not only that, but they are not all that expensive and you get the chance to purchase high quality fresh organic fruits and vegetables at competitive prices - generally lower than the price you would pay for equivalent fresh food anywhere else.
Freshness
The food comes directly from the farmer to you, and absolutely fresh - not several weeks or even months old. In many ways it is actually more economical for you to buy food this way because:
a) You can purchase as much or as little of each item as you want. No pre-packaged goods here! If you want only one apple or two tomatoes, you can have them. You won't have unused food going soft, damp and mouldy before you can eat it all.
b) The fruit and vegetables purchased from a farmer's market are fresh. How often have you purchased produce from a supermarket, prepacked or not, and found it going soft or mouldy after a couple of days? That's because it is already old by the time you buy it.
Without the waste of over-purchasing or of old food deteriorating quickly, fresh organic produce can actually work out cheaper than supermarket fruit and vegetables. Many shop at farmer's markets just because of this very single reason. However, there is more than just that.
Organic Produce
Many say they can't tell the difference between organic and chemically grown food, but studies have indicated that most can. A 5-year European Commission study confirmed a considerable difference between organic and conventionally farmed crops and this has been supported by other studies. However, the UK Food Standards Agency disagrees. Nevertheless, most Australians believe the common-sense attitude that fruit and vegetables left to ripen naturally in the sun, rather than packed in dark boxes, will taste better - and in fact will actually have a taste!
Not only that, but organic food is grown without the poisonous insecticides that generate damaging free radicals in your body, another scientifically accepted fact - without arguments this time! Free radicals age your skin quicker and can cause atherosclerosis, a condition of your arteries that can cause strokes and heart disease. However, as long as the food is washed there should be no problems.
If you are not sure about the taste, many growers will allow you a free sample to taste before you buy. Try getting that in a supermarket!
Environmental Benefits
Among the benefits of farmer's markets are those that are beneficial to the environment:
a) Fewer food miles: buying from local producers means that food has less distance to travel with a consequent reduction in pollution and use of fossil fuel. It will also, of course, be fresher. Do you really believe that European or American produce was picked last week to be on your supermarket shelves today? The apple you buy in Sidney in December could have been in cold storage since July!
b) Less pollution by insecticides and fungicides: this is safer for you, the environment and the local bird and animal populations.
c) Less packaging: Thousands of tons of plastic packaging are wasted every year in Australia through pre-packed supermarket foods.
Reduced Waste
Hundreds of thousands of tons of fruit and vegetables are wasted every year for a number of reasons. A major reason is the lack of freshness of supermarket produce that has a very limited time on the shelves at room temperature before they have to be removed and binned.
People forced to purchase pre-packed fruit and vegetables cannot use them all before they become inedible for the same reason - lack of freshness. We must all have purchased fruit that we have had to trash because it went rotten before we use it. Farmer's markets enable you to purchase exactly what you want, and if you overbuy it's no big deal. The food is very fresh and will last until you need it.
A Great Day Out
A visit to a farmer's market is a great day out for all the family. Many have entertainment and funfairs, with burger bars and ice cream vans. Many farmer's markets in Australia are integrated with other weekend markets, so you can have a whole shopping experience, buying not only fresh organic fruit and vegetables but also arts and crafts, hand-made clothing and a whole host of other stuff.
Or just enjoy wandering around, trying the free samples. You are not obliged to buy anything and you might come across something you have never tried before. Maybe some local honey, hand-made soap or beautiful-tasting bright red strawberries or raspberries, hand-picked this morning and grown without any artificial fertilizers or pesticides. And these massive pure white crisp cauliflowers also look very tasty...
There are no doubts at all in the minds of those that visit them that of all the benefits of farmer's markets, the freshness and gorgeous taste of organic fruit and vegetables is the one that draws them every single week. However, as explained above, there are more benefits than just one, including your health, the health of the countryside and the health and nourishment of your children.
That is not to say that supermarket produce is unhealthy - far from it - but come on, which would you rather eat? A tasty red crunchy carrot less than a day old, or a limp orange thing going by the name of a carrot that was grown 2,000 miles away and picked by machine a few months ago...
Supermarkets vs. local shops
To many, supermarkets are an integral part of modern-life, but should their expansion be at the cost of local stores? TheSite.org looks at the pros and cons of supermarket shopping.
For supermarkets
Time savers: Let's be honest, life without supermarkets would be total hell. Gone are the days of trawling the high street all day long, and now we can fit shopping into our busy schedules. We're not even restricted by opening hours, with many supermarkets now open 24 hours.
Choice: Supermarkets now offer the choice of up to 40,000 lines - everything from economy to niche products at competitive prices; they provide free car-parking, home deliveries and internet shopping. And you can get supposed seasonal vegetables all year round.
Transport links: There are bus schemes; a number of outlets offer taxi services; and some are investigating outlets on estates, although high crime is putting them off.
Affordable: Supermarkets have reduced the cost of some grocery shopping and made one-time luxuries into basics, which means many of us whose outgoings often exceed their incomings on payday do not starve.
Against supermarkets
Overkill: Supermarket competitiveness can harm local food economies that sustain our market towns and villages, the food producers who supply them, and the people who depend on them. Their monopoly position in the market allows them to dictate how much they pay farmers, while at the same time seeking out cheaper food from abroad.
Exclusive: Not all consumers are in easy reach of a supermarket. Hard as it may be to believe, there are those who have no car, no internet, and whose shopping budgets are too small to qualify for home deliveries.
Unsociable: The glazed expression of a supermarket check-out girl does not offer the social contact and conversation that can be found in a local shop, for some this is there only brush with other people they get each day.
Local shops: When superstores open, small shops close. Not always, but it does happen, especially when ridiculously over-sized stores open on the local shop's doorstep.
Freshness: Local markets and shops tend to stock fresher local produce rather than the standardised symmetrical blander vegetables you will find in supermarkets.
Fixing the local/supermarket divide
The industry has put together a code of practice to monitor the relationship between retailers and suppliers. All supermarkets, where they can, will use local suppliers. But it is paramount that these suppliers comply with appropriate legislation; that the quality of their products is first class and that production is adequate for the stores' needs. The supermarkets have not wiped out the local shops; they just mean that you, the consumer, are not totally dependent on them. If people want to keep their local shops alive and well, shoppers will need to buy more than the odd loaf and a tin of beans from the grocers at the weekend. Even so, it's likely that many will continue to shop at supermarkets because of the convenience and choice.
Article produced by the Choose Action Alliance.
http://www.thesite.org/homelawandmoney/activism/ issues/supermarketsvlocalshops
For supermarkets
Time savers: Let's be honest, life without supermarkets would be total hell. Gone are the days of trawling the high street all day long, and now we can fit shopping into our busy schedules. We're not even restricted by opening hours, with many supermarkets now open 24 hours.
Choice: Supermarkets now offer the choice of up to 40,000 lines - everything from economy to niche products at competitive prices; they provide free car-parking, home deliveries and internet shopping. And you can get supposed seasonal vegetables all year round.
Transport links: There are bus schemes; a number of outlets offer taxi services; and some are investigating outlets on estates, although high crime is putting them off.
Affordable: Supermarkets have reduced the cost of some grocery shopping and made one-time luxuries into basics, which means many of us whose outgoings often exceed their incomings on payday do not starve.
Against supermarkets
Overkill: Supermarket competitiveness can harm local food economies that sustain our market towns and villages, the food producers who supply them, and the people who depend on them. Their monopoly position in the market allows them to dictate how much they pay farmers, while at the same time seeking out cheaper food from abroad.
Exclusive: Not all consumers are in easy reach of a supermarket. Hard as it may be to believe, there are those who have no car, no internet, and whose shopping budgets are too small to qualify for home deliveries.
Unsociable: The glazed expression of a supermarket check-out girl does not offer the social contact and conversation that can be found in a local shop, for some this is there only brush with other people they get each day.
Local shops: When superstores open, small shops close. Not always, but it does happen, especially when ridiculously over-sized stores open on the local shop's doorstep.
Freshness: Local markets and shops tend to stock fresher local produce rather than the standardised symmetrical blander vegetables you will find in supermarkets.
Fixing the local/supermarket divide
The industry has put together a code of practice to monitor the relationship between retailers and suppliers. All supermarkets, where they can, will use local suppliers. But it is paramount that these suppliers comply with appropriate legislation; that the quality of their products is first class and that production is adequate for the stores' needs. The supermarkets have not wiped out the local shops; they just mean that you, the consumer, are not totally dependent on them. If people want to keep their local shops alive and well, shoppers will need to buy more than the odd loaf and a tin of beans from the grocers at the weekend. Even so, it's likely that many will continue to shop at supermarkets because of the convenience and choice.
Article produced by the Choose Action Alliance.
http://www.thesite.org/homelawandmoney/activism/ issues/supermarketsvlocalshops
Seven Steps that could support Sustainable Agriculture in our Community.
1. Initiate or join a POD (Productive, Organic, Diverse) Gardening Group through Sustainable Gardens Australia.
They connect members of the community to meet, talk, inspire, learn, grow food, and share sustainable tips, and local knowledge about gardening and plants. Their aim is to unite local people through their love of gardening, concern for health and wellbeing of the planet, and their willingness to involve themselves and their family in the local community.
http://www.sgaonline.org.au/?p=808
2. Access companion planting charts that list plants that symbiotically grow better together, plants that repel unwanted insects, and plants that attract specific beneficial insects.
3. Join a local seed network.
Their aims are:
4. Investigate buying some chooks to aid in soil aeration, weed and pest control, recycling of food scraps, and best of all produce your own eggs.
5. Join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) group like food connect, or city food growers where seasonal food is sourced from local farmers around Brisbane and distributed to members.
Alternatively you can buy your fruit and vegetables from a farmer’s market. Leaving the middle man out of the process helps small farms become more economically and thus environmentally sustainable, as well as encouraging the return of quality control to the consumer and producer. CSA’s also have the advantage of helping consumers to reconnect with the source of their food.
7. Start or join a Slow Food Convivium.
The word convivium is derived from the latin ‘con’ = with, and ‘vivere’ = to live. This translation highlights the principals of community and sharing that is at the core of Slow Food. Slow Food movement’s philosophy:
o That the food we eat should taste good and be good for us.
o That it should be produced in ways in which animals, people and the environment are respected.
o Producers who grow or make food should be fairly rewarded for their effort.
They connect members of the community to meet, talk, inspire, learn, grow food, and share sustainable tips, and local knowledge about gardening and plants. Their aim is to unite local people through their love of gardening, concern for health and wellbeing of the planet, and their willingness to involve themselves and their family in the local community.
http://www.sgaonline.org.au/?p=808
2. Access companion planting charts that list plants that symbiotically grow better together, plants that repel unwanted insects, and plants that attract specific beneficial insects.
Extensive list:
Plants that repel insects:
Companions for Attracting Specific Beneficial Insects
Their aims are:
o To find, grow and distribute locally adapted seeds, particularly of vegetables and herbs as well as plants that are propagated by tubers, cuttings, rhizomes, bulbs, etc.,
o To nurture community links,
o To adapt new varieties to local conditions,
o To promote the practice of seed saving and the importance of conserving diversity in our food crops, (e.g. to schools)
o To support other LSN’s by sharing knowledge, skills, seeds and planting material
4. Investigate buying some chooks to aid in soil aeration, weed and pest control, recycling of food scraps, and best of all produce your own eggs.
5. Join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) group like food connect, or city food growers where seasonal food is sourced from local farmers around Brisbane and distributed to members.
Alternatively you can buy your fruit and vegetables from a farmer’s market. Leaving the middle man out of the process helps small farms become more economically and thus environmentally sustainable, as well as encouraging the return of quality control to the consumer and producer. CSA’s also have the advantage of helping consumers to reconnect with the source of their food.
7. Start or join a Slow Food Convivium.
The word convivium is derived from the latin ‘con’ = with, and ‘vivere’ = to live. This translation highlights the principals of community and sharing that is at the core of Slow Food. Slow Food movement’s philosophy:
o That the food we eat should taste good and be good for us.
o That it should be produced in ways in which animals, people and the environment are respected.
o Producers who grow or make food should be fairly rewarded for their effort.
Our consumption choices have an impact on the environment.
How do we minimise this impact? By buying locally and sustainably:
• Buy food and products that are produced locally to reduce transportation distance and significantly reduce carbon emissions.
• Eat more fresh whole foods and less highly processed foods that require more energy and water to produce and package
• Eat food that is in season, as this is more likely to be in harmony with the environment and require less energy, fertiliser and water in growing, transportation and refrigeration.
• Grow our own foods or support a community garden
At its roots, sustainable farming benefits the local community, and the local economy. It enriches the soil, protects air and water quality, and minimises energy consumption.
• Buy food and products that are produced locally to reduce transportation distance and significantly reduce carbon emissions.
• Eat more fresh whole foods and less highly processed foods that require more energy and water to produce and package
• Eat food that is in season, as this is more likely to be in harmony with the environment and require less energy, fertiliser and water in growing, transportation and refrigeration.
• Grow our own foods or support a community garden
At its roots, sustainable farming benefits the local community, and the local economy. It enriches the soil, protects air and water quality, and minimises energy consumption.
The Slow Food Movement.
The slow food movement is a not for profit organisation founded in 1986 to counteract fast food, fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions, people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from,how it tastes, and how our food choices affect other people, communities, animals, plants and the environment. It evolved out of a protest led by Carlo Petrini to oppose the development of a Macdonald’s franchise near the Piazza di Spagna. It now has almost 100,000 members in 132 countries. Each branch is called a convivia (Slow food, 2010).
Slow Food envisions a new agricultural system that respects
• local cultural identities,
• the earth's resources,
• sustainable animal husbandry,
• the health of individual consumers,
• and preserves local, regional and national foods and practices that are threatened with extinction (Saville, 2010)
The Organic Food directory outlines that one of the key tenets of Slow Food is the belief in the right to pleasure and consequently the responsibility that comes with that to protect the heritage of food, traditions and culture that makes this pleasure possible.
It also illustrates that an important component of the Slow Food Movement is the commitment to educate children about the origins and taste of food - to help them to have a connection to the food they eat. It aims to help children develop their senses and their appreciation of food and the pleasure of eating as a gastronomic and social event.
What is permaculture?
Wikipedia defines permaculture as an approach to designing build self-sufficient human settlements using agricultural systems that mimic the relationships found in natural ecologies. It involves sustainable land use design, based on ecological and biological principles, often using patterns that occur in nature to maximise effect and minimise work. Permaculture aims to create stable, productive systems that provide for human needs, harmoniously integrating the land with its inhabitants. The ecological processes of plants, animals, their nutrient cycles, climatic factors and weather cycles are all part of the picture. Inhabitants’ needs are provided for using proven technologies for food, energy, shelter and infrastructure. Elements in a system are viewed in relationship to other elements, where the outputs of one element become the inputs of another.
The three ethics of Permaculture outlined in the Crystal Waters website (a permaculture community) are:
We care for the earth
• All living and non-living things; animals, plants, water, land, air.
We care for people
• Promoting self-reliance and community responsibilities.
We disperse that which is surplus to our needs
• Distribution of surplus labour, information, money, skills.
http://crystalwaters.org.au/?page_id=41
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture
What is Biodynamic Farming
Wikipedia explains that Biodynamic farming was initiated in Europe in 1924, following a course of lectures delivered by Rudolf Steiner. The Biodynamic method is based on the understanding that soil, plant, animal and man work together in one agricultural whole. Steiner referred to the soil as a living organism. Biodynamic agriculturalists conceive of the farm as an organically self-contained entity with its own individuality, within which organisms are interdependent. "Emphasis is placed on the integration of crops and livestock, recycling of nutrients, maintenance of soil, and the health and well being of crops and animals; the farmer too is part of the whole."
Regarded by some as the first modern ecological farming system and one of the most sustainable, biodynamic farming has much in common with other organic approaches, by emphasising the use of manures and composts and excluding of the use of artificial chemicals on soil and plants. Methods unique to the biodynamic approach include the use of fermented herbal and mineral preparations as compost additives and field sprays and the use of a sowing and planting calendar that incorporates solar, lunar and other planet cycles.
Biodynamic farms often have a cultural component and encourage local community. Some biodynamic farms use the Community Supported Agriculture model.
http://cityfoodgrowers.com.au/biodynmcs_ovrvw.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodynamic_farming
Regarded by some as the first modern ecological farming system and one of the most sustainable, biodynamic farming has much in common with other organic approaches, by emphasising the use of manures and composts and excluding of the use of artificial chemicals on soil and plants. Methods unique to the biodynamic approach include the use of fermented herbal and mineral preparations as compost additives and field sprays and the use of a sowing and planting calendar that incorporates solar, lunar and other planet cycles.
Biodynamic farms often have a cultural component and encourage local community. Some biodynamic farms use the Community Supported Agriculture model.
http://cityfoodgrowers.com.au/biodynmcs_ovrvw.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodynamic_farming
Mineral depletion of food over time.
Did you know?
“A study published in 2003[viii] looked at the composition of conventionally grown foods in Britain between 1941 and 1991. Over this 50-year period, the foods studied, including vegetables, fruits, meats and dairy products lost an average of 40% of their mineral content. For example:
Carrots Potatoes Meat
Magnesium 75% less 30% less 10% less
Calcium 48% less 35% less 41% less
Iron 46% less 45% less 54% less
Copper 75% less 47% less 24% less
In Britain, the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides increased dramatically after the second world war (after the first food composition table was published in 1941). Hand in hand with increased artificial fertilizer use goes loss of organic matter, humus, and structure in soils.
A study comparing US Department of Agriculture figures concluded that in 2001, fruits and vegetables in the US had only half the level of vitamins they had in 1963.”
[viii] Thomas D, A Study on the Mineral Depletion of the Foods Available to us as a Nation Over the Period 1940-1991, Nutrition and Health, Vol 17, No 2, 2003 (the Journal of the McCarrison Society for Nutrition and Health)
[ix] Faloon, W, Vegetables Without Vitamins, Life Extension Magazine, March 2001.
http://www.bdgrowing.com/default.asp?action=page&catID=12&pageID=31
“A study published in 2003[viii] looked at the composition of conventionally grown foods in Britain between 1941 and 1991. Over this 50-year period, the foods studied, including vegetables, fruits, meats and dairy products lost an average of 40% of their mineral content. For example:
Carrots Potatoes Meat
Magnesium 75% less 30% less 10% less
Calcium 48% less 35% less 41% less
Iron 46% less 45% less 54% less
Copper 75% less 47% less 24% less
In Britain, the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides increased dramatically after the second world war (after the first food composition table was published in 1941). Hand in hand with increased artificial fertilizer use goes loss of organic matter, humus, and structure in soils.
A study comparing US Department of Agriculture figures concluded that in 2001, fruits and vegetables in the US had only half the level of vitamins they had in 1963.”
[viii] Thomas D, A Study on the Mineral Depletion of the Foods Available to us as a Nation Over the Period 1940-1991, Nutrition and Health, Vol 17, No 2, 2003 (the Journal of the McCarrison Society for Nutrition and Health)
[ix] Faloon, W, Vegetables Without Vitamins, Life Extension Magazine, March 2001.
http://www.bdgrowing.com/default.asp?action=page&catID=12&pageID=31
Saturday, 4 September 2010
Art in our community
‘a picture says a thousand words’
Art allows meaning to be communicated visually across different languages and if you look around you will see it everywhere. Art is in the posters used to advertise, on signs and on product labels, on walls in the form of murals, on light signal boxes (children’s art) and even street art such as graffiti. How many times have you taken notice of something because of its powerful images?
Street art is a nuisance to some and a fabulous communication tool to others. Examples of valuable street art can be seen around the world in places like Belfast where people promote their republican or loyalist political beliefs in large scale murals on the side of buildings. British graffiti artists ‘Banksy’ illustrates social issues in satirical graffiti in various places around the world. And of course the Berlin wall with its social, political and artistic expressions of issues, largely in light of the historical events in Germany.
But is art and food sustainability connected?
Fresh produce has been featured in many a historic artwork such as in Cezanne’s many still life paintings of bowls of fruit and of people eating fruit such as in Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida’s ‘Boy Eating Grapes – 1890.
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| Paul Cézanne, Still Life with Apples and Oranges (1899) |
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| Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida, Boy Eating Grapes (1890) |
Several of Vincent van Gogh’s artworks explore the production of food, in particular potatoes, and looks at group of people working together to maintain a crop. In ‘The Potato Eaters’ Vincent illustrates the importance of food in terms communication at a family dinner.
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| Vincent van Gogh, Peasants planting potatoes (1884) |
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| Vincent van Gogh, The Potato Eaters (1885) |
One group of people got together to paint this mural in promotion of a long-term running fruit and vegetable stall.
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| NZ |
Queensland Art Gallery
Using the power of art let’s promote food sustainability in our communities.
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