Food Security: From Farms to Tables, From the US to China
I have always been deeply aware of the types of food I consume, from both a nutritional and an ethical perspective. When I was in middle school, my mother went back to culinary school and obtained a Bachelors degree in Culinary Arts. My mother has always been a foodie; but, after diligently studying food preparation methods, nutrition, and the artistry behind cooking, she took her cooking skills to a whole different level. My mom insisted that my two brothers and I accompany her to the grocery store, where she would show us how to shop for nutritious, fresh food on a budget, and also that we cook meals with her whenever we had the spare time. When I started college and found myself living on my own and cooking for myself for the first time, I was so excited to adopt a vegetarian diet. When I was 15, I remember stumbling across Food Inc, and feeling absolutely disgusted by the prospect of eating innocent animals cruelly commoditized in factory farms. I was young and impressionable, and I sobbed when my parents refused to cook me special meals and accommodate my vegetarian requests. Aided by my mom waving delectable cheeseburgers in front of my face, I soon abandoned my fight. However, this desire still stuck with me, and when I was finally able to make my own choices, I decided to cut meat completely from my diet, in favor of fresh fruits, vegetables, and non-meat protein alternatives. To this day, I still abide by these dietary choices.
To a certain extent, I always overlooked the deep economic privilege inherent in choosing to purchase and consume fresh fruits and vegetables rather than meat, and to identify as someone with an appreciation for good food. I was familiar with an idea of food security in the most basic sense, as I understood that around the world, people did not have enough food to eat. I did not expand my appreciation of the true meaning of food security and its implications until I took SCHC 337: Food and Politics, in my sophomore year. In SCHC 337, one of the main topics we focused on was food security. In SCHC 337, we learned that according to the World Food Summit of 1996, food security is achieved at the individual, household, national, regional, and global levels when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy lifestyle. As per this definition, food security is a larger issue than people not having enough food to survive hunger. Food security is defined by people at various levels lacking agency over their dietary choices, which moves further beyond lack of economic access to food. In this definition of food security, agricultural technology shortfall, governance, climate change, and lack of physical access could also play a role in making individuals and families food insecure. We studied this issue largely in the United States context, and explored multiple branches of the issue, such as food deserts, the SNAPS Program, and more. In one of the most enlightening projects of my college experience, a Food Stamps Challenge, each one of our classmates was challenged to live on a Food Stamps budget for an entire week. Essentially, the total value of everything we consumed for the entire week could not surpass $46 dollars. Through this eye-opening challenge, I was forced to experience just how unattainable and unrealistic a healthy vegetarian diet composed of fresh fruits and vegetables is for families lacking the resources to purchase these foods, a discount grocery store nearby, the time to cook healthy dinners, and more. Overall, SCHC 337 revolutionized my understanding of food security and issues faced by everyday Americans. At the end of the semester, I finished the class feeling much more aware of how issues of food security can affect people close to home. Yet, I left the class with many lingering questions. Namely, I wondered how issues of food insecurity affected people around the world, especially people in China, a country with a high GDP, severe economic inequality, and an immensely different food culture.
Less than six months later, I found myself in China, with the opportunity to explore my unanswered questions firsthand. In China’s Economic Reforms, a class I took in my fall semester, we studied issues relating to food security in the Chinese context. In China, growing environmental and economic concerns are primarily responsible for exacerbating food insecurity. One of our projects for the class was to choose an issue in Chinese society, and to write a paper examining the various causes and consequences of the issue, particularly from an economic standpoint. I chose to research food insecurity, and I wrote a paper to address a question I found to be extremely pertinent and interesting: “How will China continue to feed over one-fifth of the world’s population with less than 10% of the world’s arable land, amidst growing economic and environmental concerns?” In writing my paper for this class, I investigated many of the complexities of food insecurity in China. I discovered that although China’s food production has grown over the past few decades and China has a strong position as a net-exporter of livestock products and processed foods; the growth of the agricultural sector of China’s economy has slowed dramatically in relation to the growth of the secondary and tertiary sectors. China’s economic growth has been strong, but uneven, and a rising income inequality between urban and rural areas of China has exacerbated issues of market stabilization and food price inflation. Additionally, in terms of environmental issues, an area of Chinese soil the size of the country of Belgium is reported to be fallow, due to exposure to heavy metal contaminants and water scarcity, and there are many concerns that toxic soil is spoiling crops and making people sick.
Overall, from writing this paper, I realized that the environment plays an issue in aggravating Chinese food security issues in a way that I believe is challenging for Americans to grasp. As much as we decry the state of our environment, the inability of government agencies and bureaucracies to make a change, and people’s disrespect towards the earth, our issues pale in comparison to those in the Chinese context. In May 2013, excessive levels of cadmium were found in more than 40% of rice sold in Guangzhou. Chinese industries and coal-fired power plants emit millions of tons of pollutants every year. While I was living in Shanghai, I slowly became accustomed to the days were I would walk outside and have a coughing fit, and experience smog so thick that not-so-distant buildings were completely obscured. Thus, having the opportunity to actually experience issues of environmental degradation that fuel food insecurity firsthand, while concurrently researching these issues, was integral in advancing my understanding of how food insecurity manifests in different parts of the world. However, even more important was my experience outside of the classroom, working as a volunteer on an organic farm in small town outside of Chengdu in China’s Sichuan province, through an organization called World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF).
Fanpu Nongchang, or the Farm for a Permanent Life, is located in a small town called Longxing, about an hour outside of Chengdu. A man named Chen Hao and his wife, Sarah, own the organic farm, which grows various fruits and vegetables in fields and through aquaponics systems, raises livestock, and runs a wide variety of community programming. Chen Hao and Sarah lived and worked for Beijing for more than twenty-five years and both had extremely illustrious jobs; however, they decided to drop everything, move across the country to an unfamiliar, rural town, and invest their entire life savings in establishing their own organic farm. A number of factors led them to make the decision that would change their life. Yet, their number one motivation to risk everything was their disillusionment by the pollution, smog, and people’s blasé attitudes towards the earth. In creating Fanpu Nongchang, Chen Hao and Sarah wanted to give themselves a greener existence and reduce their own carbon footprint. Additionally, they aimed to give people in the local community and in the larger city of Chengdu a chance to experience a simpler, more rural lifestyle and to feel more connected to the earth and their food. Chen Hao and Sarah observed a huge disconnect between the people and what they ate, as people did not understand issues related to ethical food consumption and why environmental degradation and China’s stalling agricultural growth are such alarming issues. To solve the problems they observed in Beijing, Chen Hao and Sarah decided to grow or raise everything they consume on the farm, give education seminars to raise awareness about food security and environmental degradation issues, and supply visitors with fresh produce at low prices. Chen Hao and Sarah want to create an atmosphere in which issues of food security will no longer be relevant, as people will respect and love the earth, feel connected to the food they consume, and urge government officials to find a solution to the environmental crisis.
Everyday at Fanpu, I helped with various tasks around the farm, including watering the plants, weeding various gardens, digging out drainage trenches, and caring for the various types of animals on the farm. While volunteering at Fanpu, I developed my own consciousness of how to grow and raise food sustainably and the importance of these kinds of methods. However, for the first time in my life, I felt a proximity to my food. Physically, I was helping to grow and raise all of the food that was sustaining me. Mentally, I was closer to the earth and the food production process than I had ever been in my life, and solutions to issues like food security seemed more tangible than ever before. Through observing Fanpu’s integral role in supplying the local community with fresh produce, meat, and education, and instilling people’s connection to the land, I saw firsthand the extremely beneficial impact of community farms and gardens on solving food security issues. When people have the opportunity to feed themselves or to learn how food is grown, along with having access to healthy, inexpensive, and fresh food, they develop a consciousness about the importance of preserving the earth and prioritizing their own health. Despite the various issues China is facing related to food security and environmental protection, people are developing their own awareness that something must be done to fix these issues and save the earth. Although food security issues look vastly different in the United States, Chen Hao and Sarah’s approach is still extremely comparable to many community garden projects. Overall, the learning I have experienced both inside and outside of the classroom related to food security in the United States and China, and local approaches to these issues, has made me reevaluate the way I envision food and my connection to what I eat, and has made me want to be a part of local solutions to these issues. When I move back to China to teach English after graduation, I want to engage in my local community and school by starting a garden project, and encouraging students to care about the protecting their earth and being closer to their food.
To a certain extent, I always overlooked the deep economic privilege inherent in choosing to purchase and consume fresh fruits and vegetables rather than meat, and to identify as someone with an appreciation for good food. I was familiar with an idea of food security in the most basic sense, as I understood that around the world, people did not have enough food to eat. I did not expand my appreciation of the true meaning of food security and its implications until I took SCHC 337: Food and Politics, in my sophomore year. In SCHC 337, one of the main topics we focused on was food security. In SCHC 337, we learned that according to the World Food Summit of 1996, food security is achieved at the individual, household, national, regional, and global levels when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy lifestyle. As per this definition, food security is a larger issue than people not having enough food to survive hunger. Food security is defined by people at various levels lacking agency over their dietary choices, which moves further beyond lack of economic access to food. In this definition of food security, agricultural technology shortfall, governance, climate change, and lack of physical access could also play a role in making individuals and families food insecure. We studied this issue largely in the United States context, and explored multiple branches of the issue, such as food deserts, the SNAPS Program, and more. In one of the most enlightening projects of my college experience, a Food Stamps Challenge, each one of our classmates was challenged to live on a Food Stamps budget for an entire week. Essentially, the total value of everything we consumed for the entire week could not surpass $46 dollars. Through this eye-opening challenge, I was forced to experience just how unattainable and unrealistic a healthy vegetarian diet composed of fresh fruits and vegetables is for families lacking the resources to purchase these foods, a discount grocery store nearby, the time to cook healthy dinners, and more. Overall, SCHC 337 revolutionized my understanding of food security and issues faced by everyday Americans. At the end of the semester, I finished the class feeling much more aware of how issues of food security can affect people close to home. Yet, I left the class with many lingering questions. Namely, I wondered how issues of food insecurity affected people around the world, especially people in China, a country with a high GDP, severe economic inequality, and an immensely different food culture.
Less than six months later, I found myself in China, with the opportunity to explore my unanswered questions firsthand. In China’s Economic Reforms, a class I took in my fall semester, we studied issues relating to food security in the Chinese context. In China, growing environmental and economic concerns are primarily responsible for exacerbating food insecurity. One of our projects for the class was to choose an issue in Chinese society, and to write a paper examining the various causes and consequences of the issue, particularly from an economic standpoint. I chose to research food insecurity, and I wrote a paper to address a question I found to be extremely pertinent and interesting: “How will China continue to feed over one-fifth of the world’s population with less than 10% of the world’s arable land, amidst growing economic and environmental concerns?” In writing my paper for this class, I investigated many of the complexities of food insecurity in China. I discovered that although China’s food production has grown over the past few decades and China has a strong position as a net-exporter of livestock products and processed foods; the growth of the agricultural sector of China’s economy has slowed dramatically in relation to the growth of the secondary and tertiary sectors. China’s economic growth has been strong, but uneven, and a rising income inequality between urban and rural areas of China has exacerbated issues of market stabilization and food price inflation. Additionally, in terms of environmental issues, an area of Chinese soil the size of the country of Belgium is reported to be fallow, due to exposure to heavy metal contaminants and water scarcity, and there are many concerns that toxic soil is spoiling crops and making people sick.
Overall, from writing this paper, I realized that the environment plays an issue in aggravating Chinese food security issues in a way that I believe is challenging for Americans to grasp. As much as we decry the state of our environment, the inability of government agencies and bureaucracies to make a change, and people’s disrespect towards the earth, our issues pale in comparison to those in the Chinese context. In May 2013, excessive levels of cadmium were found in more than 40% of rice sold in Guangzhou. Chinese industries and coal-fired power plants emit millions of tons of pollutants every year. While I was living in Shanghai, I slowly became accustomed to the days were I would walk outside and have a coughing fit, and experience smog so thick that not-so-distant buildings were completely obscured. Thus, having the opportunity to actually experience issues of environmental degradation that fuel food insecurity firsthand, while concurrently researching these issues, was integral in advancing my understanding of how food insecurity manifests in different parts of the world. However, even more important was my experience outside of the classroom, working as a volunteer on an organic farm in small town outside of Chengdu in China’s Sichuan province, through an organization called World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF).
Fanpu Nongchang, or the Farm for a Permanent Life, is located in a small town called Longxing, about an hour outside of Chengdu. A man named Chen Hao and his wife, Sarah, own the organic farm, which grows various fruits and vegetables in fields and through aquaponics systems, raises livestock, and runs a wide variety of community programming. Chen Hao and Sarah lived and worked for Beijing for more than twenty-five years and both had extremely illustrious jobs; however, they decided to drop everything, move across the country to an unfamiliar, rural town, and invest their entire life savings in establishing their own organic farm. A number of factors led them to make the decision that would change their life. Yet, their number one motivation to risk everything was their disillusionment by the pollution, smog, and people’s blasé attitudes towards the earth. In creating Fanpu Nongchang, Chen Hao and Sarah wanted to give themselves a greener existence and reduce their own carbon footprint. Additionally, they aimed to give people in the local community and in the larger city of Chengdu a chance to experience a simpler, more rural lifestyle and to feel more connected to the earth and their food. Chen Hao and Sarah observed a huge disconnect between the people and what they ate, as people did not understand issues related to ethical food consumption and why environmental degradation and China’s stalling agricultural growth are such alarming issues. To solve the problems they observed in Beijing, Chen Hao and Sarah decided to grow or raise everything they consume on the farm, give education seminars to raise awareness about food security and environmental degradation issues, and supply visitors with fresh produce at low prices. Chen Hao and Sarah want to create an atmosphere in which issues of food security will no longer be relevant, as people will respect and love the earth, feel connected to the food they consume, and urge government officials to find a solution to the environmental crisis.
Everyday at Fanpu, I helped with various tasks around the farm, including watering the plants, weeding various gardens, digging out drainage trenches, and caring for the various types of animals on the farm. While volunteering at Fanpu, I developed my own consciousness of how to grow and raise food sustainably and the importance of these kinds of methods. However, for the first time in my life, I felt a proximity to my food. Physically, I was helping to grow and raise all of the food that was sustaining me. Mentally, I was closer to the earth and the food production process than I had ever been in my life, and solutions to issues like food security seemed more tangible than ever before. Through observing Fanpu’s integral role in supplying the local community with fresh produce, meat, and education, and instilling people’s connection to the land, I saw firsthand the extremely beneficial impact of community farms and gardens on solving food security issues. When people have the opportunity to feed themselves or to learn how food is grown, along with having access to healthy, inexpensive, and fresh food, they develop a consciousness about the importance of preserving the earth and prioritizing their own health. Despite the various issues China is facing related to food security and environmental protection, people are developing their own awareness that something must be done to fix these issues and save the earth. Although food security issues look vastly different in the United States, Chen Hao and Sarah’s approach is still extremely comparable to many community garden projects. Overall, the learning I have experienced both inside and outside of the classroom related to food security in the United States and China, and local approaches to these issues, has made me reevaluate the way I envision food and my connection to what I eat, and has made me want to be a part of local solutions to these issues. When I move back to China to teach English after graduation, I want to engage in my local community and school by starting a garden project, and encouraging students to care about the protecting their earth and being closer to their food.
Using the link above, you can view my journal for the Food Stamps Challenge in SCHC 337: Food in Politics. In this journal, I reflect on what it was like for me to live on a Food Stamps budget for a week, while also maintaining a vegetarian diet. In this reflection, I touch upon issues of food insecurity, and a disconnection between people and the food they consume, which were issues similar to those I explored in the Chinese context as a study abroad student.
Using the link above, you can download my term paper for my China's Economic Reforms class, which I took during the fall semester of my year abroad. In this paper, I discuss China's growing food security concerns, exacerbated by environmental and economic factors. This paper connects to the topics we studied in SCHC 337, along with those issues I experienced directly as a volunteer at Fanpu Nongchang.