I chose to dive deep into the realm of soil health and organic agriculture for my food challenge. I wanted to understand a little more of our relationship to food, what is happening to our soils and what it means for our health. Through this educational journey I found two very impactful podcasts that I have to share, a new documentary in the making and started designing my very own community project; taking students to a local organic farm.
This was the first big piece of my learning challenge, yes it is long, but SO WORTH IT.
This was the first podcast I found, and I have been absolutely blown away. I am telling you, if you have a long drive coming up, flight or just want to spend some time learning listen here or find this podcast on the podcast app . Our soils have been completely corrupted by pesticides and fertilizers and it has lead to our health detriment. My view on health and our healthcare system completely changed.Have you ever thought about what causes inflammation or how to ensure positive gut health? I had never even heard of our microbiome but I realize now just how much chemical farming has lead to the detriment of our health and to the expansion of disease. Please listen and you will see what I am talking about.
You have watched the first, now please watch this second one! A year later Zach Bush is back with a stronger message.
This 2nd podcast absolutely changed my entire view on food and essentially my entire worldview. We are entering a dangerous time and it is absolutely crucial to keep our soils healthy in order to be sustainable. We need to get away from chemical farming, stop using roundup and heal our soils through organic methods. These chemicals ruin the soil, producing less yield each year and these chemicals enter our water systems. Our planetary human and non-human health are currently experiencing the consequences of the first rounds of chemical farming from the 80's and is only going to get worse. Skeptical? Please listen and decide for yourself.
Documentary Trailer:
This is a new documentary that I have been following and I hope when this becomes available to view, you take the time to watch. Farmer's across North America are making the shift to organic farming for the sustainability of our planet and the health of our species.
Personal Project:
From this educational journey I was inspired to pass on this message. I decided to undertake a community project of taking elementary school children on a field trip to a local organic farm. I have found a community farming partner called McGrows Farms and Gardens, reached out to some teachers from the community and started building an itinerary for what they can learn about. This will take at minimum a few months to work through but I think it is going to be an impactful experience for the next generation. For information on the local organic farm visit https://www.facebook.com/Mcgrows-farms-and-Gardens-209668219447460/
Overall I have truly found a new passion and can't wait to keep passing along this information and start getting work done on the ground. I still have a lot to learn but my world completely opened up once I started investigating more about our soils.