Wow, what an experience! I personally have never been to anywhere to like this before but it was definitely a time in my life I will remember for ever. Tuesday September 11th, 2018 was our very first class together and I had to opportunity to meet people from all over the world. I was so excited to start this class with them because I knew I would be learning so much, not only from the places we are going to but also hearing different perspectives and stories from the other students in our class.
For our first class, we headed over to a small organic farm right outside campus. I didn’t know what to expect at first but as soon as we got there you could just tell how much work is put into this beautiful place. Martha, the owner of the farm, introduced herself and gave us a tour of the farm. She explained a little about the business side of things as well, which I thought to be very interesting. She explained the struggles she had been having with the University and how she handles it.
It was so amazing to see all the natural rich colour from this organic farm. I find it amazing how it is completely natural and there is no pesticides being used, as well as synthetically compounded fertilizers, livestock feed additives and growth regulator. Martha explained how important it is to take in this experience and although it may be hard work, the end result is always worth it. She also told us how this farm came to be and all the hard work her and her co-workers had put into it over the past 10 years. The organic farm is a non-profit business were their goal is to introduce people to organic farming and hopefully get them hooked on the delicious tasting foods that are coming from it.
I really like Martha’s approach with regards to not using any harmful chemicals to the environment and also trying not to put money into the farm. By doing this she is saving the environment in her own way and I really appreciate that. “In Canada, 100 million kilograms of pesticides were sold in 2014 – up nearly 15 percent from five years earlier.” (Livesey, 2017) After knowing this information it really makes me think about what I am putting into my body. Martha made me realize how important it is to be aware of what you’re eating so that you live a stronger healthier lifestyle. Using pesticides makes the food last longer and to make it easier to farm or produce food in general. This is why Martha faces a lack of support from the University because they have no interest in using her methods, they seem like they just want to get the job done and not embrace the experience like Martha does.
After hearing from Martha, she put us to work. For the remainder of the class we picked weeds from the garden to make our contribution to the farm. We also had to opportunity to taste the fresh fruits from the farm, and she also encouraged us to attend the farmers market they host on Thursdays. The raspberries were delicious! Overall, I learned a lot about organic farming and the amazing work put into it by many volunteers. Being at the farm gave me an insight of how some of my food is being prepared and taught be to really appreciate what I have and not to take anything for granted. It was an amazing experience that opened the classes eyes to some of the amazing things we get to be apart of in this course!
Reference: Livesey, Bruce. “Big Agro on Campus.” The Walrus, 11 Apr. 2017, thewalrus.ca/big-agro-on-campus/