“In 1996 the FAO reported that the world depends on too few crops and that many thousands of genetic varieties (landraces) have been lost, mainly due to the spread of modern commercial agriculture. The report lists the main causes of plant genetic erosion in 154 countries, and in over 80 of them, 'replacement of local varieties' came top. In maize, for instance, Costa Rica, Chile, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand have documented widespread genetic erosion due to monocropping.
What has been almost entirely overlooked is that throughout that vast continent [of Africa] can be found more than 2000 native grains, roots, fruits and other food plants. These have been feeding people for thousands of years but most are being given no attention whatever today.”
Source: US National Research Council, 1996
Other examples: Amaranth and quinoa -grains that originally came from the Andes and were holy to the Incas of Peru and the Aztecs of Mexico - are being reevaluated. Both are versatile and nutritious. They are also hardy: amaranth thrives in hot climates; quinoa is frost resistant and can be grown as high as 4 000 metres. Many more traditional foods await development and wider use.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
GCKP: Goals & Objectives
My mission, in both culinary and agricultural training to: EDUCATE - INSPIRE - EMPOWER.
To educate communities of the options that exist,
to inspire communities to continue to remain open to trying new practices & foods that may help them reach their goals.
to empower by way of 'how to' or hands-on knowledge to contribute towards self-sufficiency.
It is important to demonstrate by way of example, specifically for those who live with a limited diet due to lack of access to healthy food, illness, allergies and/or intolerances that is it's not a matter of what one can't eat, it's about all the foods that exist in the world we can. This perspective is equally valid within the context of my sustainable agriculture research. It is not a matter of focusing completely on what can't be grown at any specific site or the limitations of the growing environment - but what else exist that can develop successfully within those same conditions.
One of my favourite quotes which inspires this perspective is:
"The law of floatation was not discovered by contemplating the sinking of things, but by contemplating the floating of things which floated naturally, and then intelligently asking why they did so.". - Thomas Troward
One of my goals are to balance a mutually successful and productive relationship with my host in foreign countries:
* by providing no-cost labour hours (working their crops to learn their existing practices)
* where applicable - offering assistance in strengthening their communities using collected sustainable agricultural experience in the areas of integrated pest management, soil testing and fertilization methods, efficiency, cultivar choices and overcoming other challenges - which have been learned/recorded from other growing sites.
* A focus on collecting and growing of traditional, endangered and rare seeds and grains are one way to help restore balance to the damaged caused by the heavily dominant, commercial agriculture industry.
* by gaining experience and knowledge from the cultural perspectives of old-world and indigenous groups which continue to enjoy:
> traditional diets
> sustainable growing practices for different all sorts of produce, including endangered, traditional seeds
> further advance my skills in being able to show people how to prepare natural foods
My research will benefit the global agricultural community from the most far away rural farm lands to the small forgotten sites practicing sustainable urban agriculture in the low-income neighbourhoods throughout America.
To educate communities of the options that exist,
to inspire communities to continue to remain open to trying new practices & foods that may help them reach their goals.
to empower by way of 'how to' or hands-on knowledge to contribute towards self-sufficiency.
It is important to demonstrate by way of example, specifically for those who live with a limited diet due to lack of access to healthy food, illness, allergies and/or intolerances that is it's not a matter of what one can't eat, it's about all the foods that exist in the world we can. This perspective is equally valid within the context of my sustainable agriculture research. It is not a matter of focusing completely on what can't be grown at any specific site or the limitations of the growing environment - but what else exist that can develop successfully within those same conditions.
One of my favourite quotes which inspires this perspective is:
"The law of floatation was not discovered by contemplating the sinking of things, but by contemplating the floating of things which floated naturally, and then intelligently asking why they did so.". - Thomas Troward
One of my goals are to balance a mutually successful and productive relationship with my host in foreign countries:
* by providing no-cost labour hours (working their crops to learn their existing practices)
* where applicable - offering assistance in strengthening their communities using collected sustainable agricultural experience in the areas of integrated pest management, soil testing and fertilization methods, efficiency, cultivar choices and overcoming other challenges - which have been learned/recorded from other growing sites.
* A focus on collecting and growing of traditional, endangered and rare seeds and grains are one way to help restore balance to the damaged caused by the heavily dominant, commercial agriculture industry.
* by gaining experience and knowledge from the cultural perspectives of old-world and indigenous groups which continue to enjoy:
> traditional diets
> sustainable growing practices for different all sorts of produce, including endangered, traditional seeds
> further advance my skills in being able to show people how to prepare natural foods
My research will benefit the global agricultural community from the most far away rural farm lands to the small forgotten sites practicing sustainable urban agriculture in the low-income neighbourhoods throughout America.
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