what if crops grew back every year like your lawn does each spring?

if you’re a farmer, a gardener or a scientist, i know your ears just perked up — but this story isn’t just for you. such an innovation would have an impact on the entire food system, and anyone who eats.

in this episode of the food fix, i will walk listeners through the past, present and future of agriculture all in 14 minutes. i start off explaining the birth of agriculture in the fertile crescent, where humans first began domesticating crops. then i fast forward to the present and explain how our current agricultural way of life is thanks to 10,000 years of breeding. once everyone is caught up, i present the idea of perennial grains.

grains like corn, soy and wheat make up about 50% of every human’s diet. we grow 2.2 billion tons of grains each year to meet that need. and at the end of every season, we rip up those “amber rays of grain” and release all the precious carbon that was being stored in the roots back into the atmosphere. not to mention, the cycle is hard on farmers and the soil.

but what if we could leave grain crops in the ground for a few years? their roots would grow long and deep and the soil microbiome would flourish.

to create such a crop naturally would take thousands of years, but scientists at the land institute have discovered a way to engineer it in just 50.

growing up in northern ghana, kansanga experienced food insecurity early in life. times of scarcity brought famine…and bigger questions. “a couple of kilometers out,” he says “there was a food-secure region with year-round cultivation…” why? how? 

these questions guided his career, which began with the pursuit of finding out why his childhood geographical setting had the recurring issue of hunger. the beginning of the answer was in geography, of which he is now an associate professor at the george washington university. according to kansanga, geography is a tool to think and study across scale. he credits it for allowing him to “contextualize the challenges he observed at home outwardly to national and international dynamics” of global food systems and environmental justice.

as a researcher, kansanga’s work has expanded to analyzing solutions to ecological issues in a contextually relevant manner that encompasses the complexities of communities like his own. his research focus on sustainable agriculture depicts how agriculture is enmeshed with interconnected systems of food security, equity, gender, and other social dynamics. in other words, kansanga’s research is in the growing field of agroecology.

what exactly is “agroecology”?

at its most basic, agroecology is a holistic approach to understanding agriculture within the context of various interacting economic, environmental, and social systems. for kansanga, agroecology emphasizes “reorienting agriculture in an ecologically friendly manner” while maintaining a strong social justice dimension that addresses social inequalities in the food system. it’s an approach that expands beyond academia and forms what the united nations food and agriculture organization describes as a “transdisciplinary field” that “is concurrently a science, a set of practices, and a social movement” composed of 10 key elements. see the fao’s explanatory video here.

the agroecological emphasis on examining social inequalities on a local scale has been especially central to kansanga’s research, where he has found that it helps “create an atmosphere for dialogue at the local level.” this dialogue, kansanga says, often plays a key role in beginning difficult cultural discussions that reckon with themes of gender inequality and traditional family dynamics that play into agricultural systems. often, it comes with engaging communities in critical questions such as:

• does everyone have equal access to the farming process?

• how does gender inequality play out in agricultural communities where women tend to play a peripheral role?

• would food production increase if women had the same access to agricultural resources and processes?

furthermore, agroecology provides a framework for preserving and integrating local knowledge alongside innovative solutions — two components that can, at times, seem at odds with each other. but together, they offer much more, as “traditional systems,” kansanga says, “are the basis of scientific advancements in agriculture.” and given a safe environment where farmers actively collaborate with and contribute to agroecological research, kansanga says that traditional insights meet with scientific knowledge and spur innovation and studies into the scientific background of traditional practices.

for example, for centuries, local farmers in sub-saharan africa would plant in raised mounds of soil with intercropped beans and millet to consolidate nutrients and create a form of what kansanga compares to “instant manure” that increased productivity.

however, as the economic principle of maximizing growing space was popularized, many farmers moved to monoculture row crops that lost the ecological synergies of the traditional mound intercropping system. now, agroecology gives researchers like kansanga the space to study traditional practices and work with farmers to create agroecological systems that are more powerful and resilient. 

why is the community lens of agroecology important?

without the lens of communities, agriculture is understood only through the environmental and economic lenses, which kansanga says is a “limited view of how agriculture should be.” relying on technological solutions based on overlapping economic and environmental interests is like “applying a bandage without addressing structural undertones” that make systems unequal and, therefore, unsustainable.

agroecologists seek to understand how ecologically friendly principles and social justice intersect in a way that draws from the three pillars in the united nations’ understanding of sustainability: economic, ecological, and social. in his research, this unique perspective has allowed kansanga to add more nuance to conversations about sustainable food systems, or “agroecosystems,” in west africa. 

for example, kansanga’s studies include examining the multidimensional impact of africa’s green revolution, which was carried out by the alliance for a green revolution in africa (agra) with the aim of reducing food insecurity and poverty in africa. agra primarily focused on increasing agricultural productivity by expanding smallholder farmer access to mass-production technology like commercial seeds, fertilizers, and irrigation systems. however, agroecologists like kansanga emphasize that agra also had socioeconomic impacts on local farmers that changed the local distribution of wealth, displaced traditional staple crops, altered soil and land quality, and shifted gender dynamics.

under the more comprehensive scope of agroecology, kansanga worked with a team of researchers to uncover how the mechanization of smallholder agriculture in the african green revolution contributed to increased gender inequality in ghana.  local women, their research revealed, were displaced from traditional roles in the local agricultural system as the use of heavy machinery contributed to cutting down the native vitellaria paradoxa, or shea trees. in ghana, where shea processing remains one of the only livelihood domains where women control the income input, the shea trees growing in agricultural fields provided valuable access to livelihood resources and a degree of economic independence.

here, kansanga says agroecology goes beyond other approaches to agriculture – like regenerative agriculture – in that it acknowledges gains in ecological productivity and benefits, but also poses the question: “what about the inequalities that underscore the system?” agroecology argues that “inequalities should also receive attention” in agriculture and provides a framework for a community-oriented approach that encompasses social justice and equity for the most marginalized as vital components of sustainable agriculture.

beyond west africa: where do we go from here?

kansanga hopes that his research is only the beginning of cultivating more support for agroecology in and beyond the region. “africa,” he says, “has a good chance of asking the social inequity question and addressing it first because it is not neck-deep in agricultural modernization.”

unlike much of the global north, africa has what kansanga says is a late-comer advantage where intensive agriculture and heavy mechanization have yet to take hold completely, and there are remnants of traditional practices left. still, he challenges the global north to examine food systems with an agroecological approach that recognizes how their agricultural systems are interconnected with systems of inequality within the global north and to reinforce such systems in the global south. 

on agroecology,  kansanga says, “it’s working,” but its journey towards integration into mainstream consciousness is stymied by challenges of resources and funding. still, agroecology is moving the conversation of agriculture beyond the economy and the environment and back to the communities and people it sustains. it challenges advocates of sustainable agriculture to understand agriculture as more than an economic and ecological issue, but a social justice issue. agroecology offers the opportunity to build valuable communal contexts into a more equitable global food system, and for kansanga, this includes personal contexts as well, because ground zero for agroecology is home.

they now form part of the food sovereignty movement, aiming to increase access to producing, consuming, and preserving cultural ties to vegetables and fruits.

while little research exists on the qtbipoc community specifically, separate data shows that 19% of the lgbt population and 16% of the latinx community in washington d.c was experiencing food insecurity in 2019. meanwhile, the average cost of a meal was $4.09, almost a dollar above the national average. the pandemic has only perpetuated existing structural problems, and the qtbipoc community lacks access to resources like food banks. in addition, these communities often experience discrimination, housing insecurity, and malnutrition, affecting their access to produce and consume healthy foods. 

“it’s not that we didn’t exist. it’s that misgendering happens. the cycle of violence promoted in urban agricultural spaces is rampant. we were just mad, and i said let’s do something about it,” niaupari explained. 

plantita power addresses food insecurity by providing resources and knowledge to grow microgreens. these sustainable plants thrive in urban areas and have small production needs, making them accessible for individuals experiencing housing insecurity or fearing discrimination in community gardens.

however, niaupari and the plantita power team face obstacles like access to soil and space. but they are motivated to empower and alleviate the barriers their community endures, so they create innovative ways to distribute seedlings and grow their presence.

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editor’s note: this short film was produced as part of the planet forward-comcast nbcuniversal sustainable storytelling fellowship. 

newman developed his farm with a vision to provide equitable access to fresh, nutritious food to residents of the washington metro area and other cities in maryland and virginia. it’s a tall order. while newman has access to nearly 2,000 acres, the farm currently operates on 120 acres with a team of 7 and is focused on the production of beef, pork, chicken, and eggs.

newman’s goal of accessible, sustainable food places him at odds with the dominant practices and intellectual framework of both industrial agriculture and small, sustainable farming. in contrast to the factory farms typical of industrial agriculture, his cattle are entirely grass-fed and his pigs forage in managed woodland—creating a double benefit that both minimizes the use of external grain feed and contributes to his development of a food forest. yet, unlike some organic suppliers, he prioritizes accessibility of his food; this year, he launched a food donation program to provide for the hungry in addition to his wealthier customer base. true to his twitter bio, newman’s approach to the business of sustainable farming is “something else”—something outside of existing models. 

broadly speaking, there have been two streams of alternative agriculture: one which seeks to reform the agribusiness industry from within, and one which seeks to challenge it from outside. gunsmoke farms is an example of the former. owned by general mills, gunsmoke’s 34,000 acres in fort pierre, south dakota, supply the needs of the company’s organic products, such as annie’s organic mac & cheese. besides avoiding the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, the initial plan for the farm included the use of cover cropping, no-till planting, and other practices aimed at building soil health and bolstering the surrounding ecosystem. three years later, however, these plans have failed to materialize, leading to the degradation and erosion of soil on the farm, and drawing public criticism.

the second stream of agricultural reform centers on a rejection of big business, and sees the solution as a myriad of small, individual farms serving the needs of their local communities. polyface farms, owned by virginia farmer joel salatin, is a quintessential example. salatin is something of a heavyweight in sustainable farming spheres: he has been hailed as america’s most famous farmer, his 550-acre livestock farm was named the mecca of sustainable agriculture, and he has published 11 books which teach his methods and philosophy.

salatin claims that a farm’s philosophy is just as important as its practices; if anything, it is more important since philosophy forms the root from which practice springs. at polyface, the cows are grass-fed, the pigs forage in the woods, and grain feed for the free-range chickens is locally sourced and non-gmo. according to salatin, “[polyface’s] goals are not about sales; they are about quality.” he writes that the organic label is not comprehensive enough and “does not incentivize anyone to do better than the minimum standards,” leading to what he calls “industrial junk organics.” 

salatin said his vision is “to see a million polyfaces displace all the monsanto and usda demons.” at the same time, he proudly claimed that “polyface has never had a sales target, marketing plan, or business plan,” which reek far too much of profit-oriented farming to him. instead, expansion of his model depends on a two-tiered value shift. first, farmers must make quality their priority. if they do, “customers will come and sales will increase automatically,” he said. at the same time, consumers must consciously choose ethical and environmentally responsible farms. in his words, “get your nose out of people magazine and research and then patronize food and farm organizations that treat their folks with the values you value.”

as a single entity, it is impossible to deny the success of polyface. the farm pulls hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in revenue and is proof that regenerative farming can be financially viable. yet, polyface faces a number of problems when it comes to salatin’s goal of mass replication, problems which are representative of small-farm sustainability as a movement––problems like affordability.

food from polyface is prohibitively expensive. a dozen eggs sell for $6.75; milk at $11.30 to a gallon. for a purely profit-oriented farm, these prices are not a problem. there are a sufficient number of customers willing and wealthy enough to pay a premium for salatin’s “beyond organic” food that his farm can not only survive, but thrive.

yet, newman of sylvanaqua said that the success of sustainable farming in business does not necessarily translate to its success as a movement. if the goal of sustainable farming is to reform the food system entirely, sustainably sourced food must be accessible to everybody, not just a wealthy portion of the market. 

salatin is not alone in naming consumer values as the battlefield of sustainable agriculture. he is joined by figures such as alice waters, champion of slow food, who censured the nation’s “fast food values,” and wendell berry, author and farmer, whose essay the pleasures of eating argued that “[eating] is inescapably an agricultural act, and how we eat determines, to a considerable extent, how the world is used.” in other words, it is consumers who are responsible for the growth of sustainable farming while producers are free from scrutiny.

newman is skeptical of this shame-and-blame tactic. he said that a critique of behavior may change the habits of an audience which can afford to listen, but $11 milk is simply beyond the reach of a minimum or low-wage worker, no matter how strong the “value shift.” newman believes any solution that is centered on altering consumer behavior is doomed to fail—and is either unaware of the realities of poverty and lower-middle income or chooses not to engage with them.

at sylvanaqua, newman is trying to take the best of both small sustainable farms and industrial agribusiness by pairing commitment to ethical and environmental responsibility with efficiency and productivity. he said that only through this balance can sustainable agriculture be successful, and suggested that many of sustainable agriculture’s shortcomings stem from a reactionary mindset.

“part of (the problem) i think is a certain degree of intellectual laziness…big ag is big, so (people think) the solution must be small,” he said. “big ag is integrated, so (people think) the solution must be to not integrate, to disperse, to only focus on the farming. big ag is all about business, so (people think) sustainable ag must be decidedly non-business.”

the issue with this response, newman explained, is that it’s simplistic. in rejecting large agribusiness across-the-board, small farmers may reject not only the flaws, but the traits that made industrial agriculture successful—traits like scale. 

according to the usda, the class of farms making $100,000-$250,000 per year and the class making $500,000 to $1 million each work about 15% of u.s. farmland. the only difference between the two groups is that the average farm in the former category is about 1,000 acres large, while the average in the latter is just short of 2,000. in other words, fewer, larger farms are able to produce more on the same amount of land than smaller, more numerous ones, thus enabling them to sell at cheaper prices. newman believes that in order to compete, sustainable agriculture must embrace the efficiencies of scale rather than salatin’s million-polyface dream.

while newman said that farmers need to adopt business models that boost affordability, he said that price is only one part of a larger problem of accessibility. in his estimation, the strategies that small farmers use for selling and distributing their food are fantastically impractical.

“people use farmers markets which only operate one or two days a week, and usually during the day, when people are working…and god help you if it rains,” he said. pickup programs for community supported agriculture shares often fall victim to the same critique, with the added hurdle that the farmer, not the customer, picks the produce, meaning people may not get either what they need or know how to use. even if farm food is affordable, it may not be available. a local, all-hours supermarket is an easier, more accessible way to get food than the intermittent, and sometimes distant options that farmers have on offer.

acting alone, farmers don’t have the time to sell their food every day of the week, much less for extended hours. and until they do, farmers are limited in the customers they can reach. this problem calls to another tactic from industrial food: vertical integration. not only does this lower the cost of the end product by eliminating middlemen, newman said, it also allows farmers to focus on what they do best, rather than stretching themselves thin and doing everything inadequately. the farm is only one part of the food system, and any successful attempt at reform will have to work on broader scales, he said.

sylvanaqua does not yet embody all of newman’s ideals. yes, the chickens are free-range, the cattle grass-fed, and the pigs forage in silvopasture-managed woodland with trees whose fruit and nuts supplement the pigs’ diets. yet, in terms of scale, sylvanaqua is a far cry from gunsmoke farms, operating at just 120 acres, which is all that current demand warrants. the prices for his products are high—$5.50 for a dozen eggs, $15 for a pound of bacon. not content to remain this way, newman is aggressively pursuing expansion, most recently through sylvanaqua’s mutual aid program.

newman created the program this summer in response to the farm’s shortcomings in affordability and accessibility. the process is this: sylvanaqua’s customers are encouraged to buy mutual aid shares along with their other purchases. the shares are also advertised to the tens of thousands of followers of newman’s social media accounts. this money is used to pay for meat and eggs that go to food aid organizations who provide meals in washington, d.c. and other cities in the region.

“not everybody has a stove, or cookware, or the expertise, or time to cook the food we have,” newman said. “[these] organizations know how to turn our food into something accessible for people.” 

while these organizations are not owned by sylvanaqua, these collaborations demonstrate the benefits of vertical integration. the program is also helping newman to expand his business. 

“it’s really hard and really expensive to break into new geographic markets,” he said, “because it usually starts with three or four people, or it starts with doing a farmer’s market, which are both ways to lose lots of money really quickly. what mutual aid allows us to do is show up to annapolis with $1,000 worth of paid food donations, and… deliver to three or four regular customers in annapolis without losing money [on transportation and time].” the program has provided over $35,000 in food donations since its inception in late june.

yet, newman is by no means blind to the shortcomings of agribusiness. like salatin, he sees the problem as one of philosophy and worldview, something evident in his writing.

“xàskwim (corn) monocultures are not a white invention,” newman wrote. “in fact, my own ancestors planted them. first-contact colonizer accounts describe in detail cornfields that stretched for miles and miles…but these fields weren’t planted every year…(but) with a careful ethic of not taking too much even when a vast monoculture was involved.” 

as newman sees it, big agriculture is not inherently antithetical to sustainability. while the environmental and social problems surrounding the current agricultural system are numerous, it is also necessary to recognize the ways in which it has been successful in bringing food to people. improving food systems requires coupling the best that agribusiness has to offer with people, organizations, and businesses that center people and environment over profit. to reform food, sustainable farming needs to be the new “big ag.”

—

about this series: the planet forward-fao summer storytelling fellows work was sponsored by the north america office of the food and agriculture organization of the united nations (fao), and the fellows were mentored by lisa palmer, gw’s national geographic professor of science communication and author of “hot, hungry planet.”

university of wisconsin life sciences communication emeritus, veteran broadcast journalist and a citizen of mashkiiziibii, or the bad river band of lake superior ojibwe, patty leow spent one summer visiting tribal communities across wisconsin for a book project. she would bring tobacco as an offering to each community, but found herself having to buy american spirit tobacco from the store. 

leow shared the irony of not having access to traditional tobacco while working at a university with a world-renowned college of agriculture with her then-colleague, uw horticulture professor irwin goldman. 

goldman and leow worked with the oneida nation to obtain some traditional seed and began growing ceremonial tobacco at one of uw’s research plots. they invited wunk sheek, a campus org that serves students of indigenous identity, to participate in the initiative as well. 

goldman said inspiration for the inter-tribal seed stewardship initiative grew out of this project. former uw ph.d. candidate and current horticulture faculty associate claire luby was instrumental in pursuing this grant. goldman and luby connected with the ho-chunk nation, assisting them in continuing their heritage corn strains. 

goldman said the project was centered around pollinating these traditional seeds, ensuring the strains remained pure as they grew and making sure all the seeds went back into the ho-chunk community. 

“what i definitely didn’t want was to keep any of the seed ourselves, it didn’t belong to us,” goldman said. “and in the process, teaching whoever wanted to learn from the [the ho-chunk nation] community about how to do the pollination.”

this sharing of knowledge and research that could be used to benefit the broader tribal community became the driving factor behind the inter-tribal seed stewardship initiative. after partnering with dan cornelius of the intertribal agriculture council and the uw law school, jessika greendeer of dream of wild health, rowen white, national leader in the indigenous seed keeping movement– the project began to bloom. 

ultimately, the team created a multifaceted initiative that included; a 9 month seed stewardship training program, the development of hort: 375 seed and food sovereignty in indigenous communities, a two-day ‘tribal farming 101’ workshop and an inter-tribal research garden located in the uw arboretum. they were able to secure funding for this project through the baldwin wisconsin idea grant in 2018. 

in a recent panel hosted by pbs wisconsin, cornelius shared how this project combined both traditional and contemporary agricultural techniques. 

“we’re not totally recreating the historic practices and ways of growing, but bringing some of the seeds back and looking at, how can we use modern equipment to more closely mimic a traditional approach,” cornelius said. 

this project marks a notable shift from research solely centering westernized agriculture, work goldman said should have been started long ago. goldman said as a land-grant, the research uw does is supposed to benefit the broader community. for decades this definition of community was limited to those practicing european-style agriculture. 

this expanded focus including indigenous farming also improves uw’s research, goldman said. many indigenous agricultural practices are actually more sustainable, disturb the soil less and require less inputs than european methods.

“[the] menominee, have a reservation and they have a very famous forest there that they’ve been curating for a long time. in the forest they have these kind of like egg carton indentations… and it turns out that is ancient raised field agriculture that is at least 1,200 years old and what they find in those is the soil after agriculture was better than the soil before agriculture,” goldman said. “imagine that, i mean that is just completely the opposite of modern conventional western agriculture.”

this more comprehensive view of what agriculture is was actually driven largely by students, goldman said. goldman conducted “exit interviews” with outgoing horticulture students, many of whom said they would have enjoyed the inclusion of a more diverse array of perspectives. goldman said integrating indigenous viewpoints and practices into curriculums makes classes both more interesting and “honest.” 

though the two-year grant has ended, many facets of the project have lived on. goldman said information from the seed stewardship training program is currently being developed into workbooks, the arboretum research garden will continue and hort 375 has been developed both into another class, hort 380. some of this curriculum has also been adopted for a first-year interest group, co-led by cornelius. 

the fig, listening to land: indigenous education, language, and foodways, was taught for the first time last fall. it centered hands-on, place-based learning with activities, including braiding traditional corn, preparing wild rice, cooking workshops and a first nations cultural landscape tour of campus. 

cornelius said this approach to learning has far-reaching benefits. 

“how can the university of wisconsin better support native communities in the state and beyond, and in the process how can the university help to support rural communities as well, because a lot of the issues that native nations face are the same issues that a lot of rural communities face,” cornelius said. “having the space on campus for these hands-on outdoor interactive classrooms, it also provides a laboratory.”

though goldman said these efforts are still very much a work in progress, they are already spreading outside the classroom. 

goldman said the uw arboretum has also been rethinking its history. the arboretum has long been lauded as the location of the country’s first restored prairie, a feat largely possible through their use of controlled burning, a practice used by indigenous communities for generations. 

goldman said the arboretum has just recently begun to recognize this history of indigenous communities and prescribed burning, as well as other contributions they have made to modern-day conservation. 

the recognition and integration of indigenous cultivation practices has been a slow process, largely due to decades with no native voices at the table, goldman said. the more indigenous scholars, farmers, leaders and community members are able to work with the university, the better uw’s research and overall education will be. 

“we’re reevaluating what our function is as a land-grant and it’s amazing to me that it’s taken us 150 year plus to recalibrate who we serve and why we do what we do,” goldman said. 

washington d.c. is one such city in the midst of a sustainable transformation. key to the story of d.c.’s food landscape is its legacy of racial oppression and segregation. today, wards 7 and 8 hold a concentrated population of low-income black residents experiencing food insecurity and challenges affording other basic necessities. other types of systemic inequity and oppression are co-contributors to food insecurity, such as a lack of affordable housing, disproportionate travel times for basic commuting and grocery store access, higher rates of unemployment, and less access to financial building resources. dr. sabine o’hara, program director at the university of dc’s causes, concluded that the city’s failure to move away from supply-side solutions has hindered substantive change in these areas, and must be something urban agriculture projects are attentive to as they develop plans for d.c in order to avoid perpetuating harmful systems.

amid increasing policy action supporting urban agriculture, local organizations are rising to specifically ensure that their black communities have access to healthy and fresh produce through innovative methods of farming. dmv urbangreens is a nonprofit production farm located in ward 7 which also runs a mobile planter pilot program in conjunction with dc urbangreens, another urban farm. these transportable planter boxes on wheels enable users to make use of small paved spaces and grow in otherwise impossible locations. their goal is to create a scalable growing model that eventually goes beyond the local community and allows more people to grow food.

for those living in areas without affordable fresh produce options, the opportunity to use the mobile planters offers one way to have a secure source of food. taboris robinson, manager of dmv urbangreens, highlighted the additional goal to shift the culture around food production in the district. he said, “you can kind of put these boxes anywhere, and move them at any time so we’re trying to prove that you know that could be done [anywhere].” his beliefs harken to ideas of black self-reliance seen in scholarship from authors like ashantee reese and historic farms like fannie lou hammer’s freedom farm collective, where black communities took it upon themselves to build networks to care for one another. dmv urbangreens is the latest innovation of self-reliance.

the dmv urbangreens mobile planter boxes also seek to remove middlemen distributors entirely and enable people to grow their own food. black communities have significantly less access to affordable and quality grocery stores making the d.c. food supply chain unreliable for these communities. the mobile planter boxes and garden simultaneously fill the immediate gap in the d.c. food system while providing an alternative to the failing system. in addition to access, the creation of the organization works toward altering the economic landscape to allow the low-income minority community the opportunity to purchase affordable produce. their presence also disrupts consumer purchase patterns, instead of spending money at major chain grocery stores disconnected from the local community, when consumers purchase from mr. robinson they are supporting local business and keeping their money in the community.

the mobile planter boxes are an impressive innovation which are already positively impacting ward 7, but goes beyond just providing food. they offer a vision of a future where d.c. residents aren’t reliant solely on a food system that has failed them. through the scalable model, dmv urbangreens is taking necessary steps toward a just and equitable system for their community and demonstrates that social innovation cannot be separated from technological cultivation innovations. dmv urbangreens is forever changing the food and social landscape of washington d.c.

the agriculture industry contributes $88.3 billion to the state’s economy annually, according to the wisconsin department of agriculture, trade and consumer protection. wisconsin has made a name for itself as america’s dairyland. these days that reputation is suffering as milk prices plummet and dairies close. according to the united states department of agriculture, there were 8,110 wisconsin dairy herds in january 2019, down from 10,541 in january 2014.

cals is working to address this issue by preparing students for the changing industry.

for example, cals’ wisconsin school for beginning dairy and livestock farmers has helped new dairy farmers stay afloat by teaching them how to create business plans and keep their costs low.

wsbdf graduate, andy jaworski said that the school helped him create his first business plan, which he uses to run his dairy farm. jaworski said the goal-setting wsbdf requires is important because it adds practicality to the passion for farming many students have.

“a lot of people have this idea of how they’re going to run this farm—it’s going to be all wonderful and kind of all rainbows,” jaworski said, “but to actually sit down and come up with a business plan… that’s a whole different side.”

richard cates, a farmer and former director of wsbdf, said that the school teaches students goal-setting to help them navigate the business side of farming. the school also trains students for the real world by teaching them how to get bank loans and by critiquing their business plans, according to jaworski.

current wsbdf director nadia alber, said that the school gives students much needed support through connections with mentors and internships. alber said that these connections are important to “be able to survive” in the agriculture industry. these agricultural networking opportunities are also available through uw’s collegiate farm bureau.

jessica wendt, a uw senior majoring in agriculture business management who serves as the collegiate farm bureau president, said that group members attend conferences and tours to learn about the agriculture industry.

these conferences open “different opportunities from seeing different parts of the industry, talking to different people, really starting conversations to find where people are most passionate,” wendt said.

these mentorships are important because, according to alber, wsbdf “can’t teach everything in the classroom.” teaching students about all aspects of agriculture also gives them a wide array of skills and experiences, which, according to wendt, gives them the tools needed to adjust to a changing industry.

one way uw has helped students adjust is through the teaching of management-intensive rotational grazing. wsbdf was the first school in the country to teach managed grazing, according to the wsbdf website. farmers utilizing managed grazing divide their open pastures into smaller paddocks; livestock are then moved from paddock-to-paddock. managed grazing ensures the cattle graze each paddock when the grass is most nutritious and gives the grass time to regrow. managed grazing cuts farmers’ costs by reducing the need for expensive grain-based feeds.

cates said that managed grazing makes sense for new farmers because of its low start-up costs and because it gives them a niche in the commodity market.

cates’ own grass-fed cattle business catered to a market looking for naturally raised beef, and he later taught his students to take advantage of such markets. jaworski, the wsbdf graduate, said that being grass-fed and certified organic helped him find a good market via the organic valley dairy cooperative.

“as i learned about value-added products in the class and that being a strong suit for your business, it was a no-brainer for me to pursue that,” jaworski said.

alber said that looking into niche products and markets is an important part of goal-setting because it helps students think through their business plans before they “get in over their head.”

wsbdf and the collegiate farm bureau also work to spread awareness about agriculture and encourage students to enter the industry. while the dairy industry may not be very lucrative currently, according to jaworski, it is a cyclical business and there are ways for farmers to “stay afloat.” wendt added that there will always be demand for food and those who produce it. 

alber said that wsbdf knows how to prepare students to enter the changing industry.

“they’ve come to the right place… but you have to be innovative in a time like this and there is opportunity in crisis,” alber said, “as long as they have a plan.”

this story is a short compilation of excerpts from presley’s journal during the 1980’s that piece together the harsh reality of living in a food desert in the northern adirondacks of new york. her words uncover the strong connection between a low-income and the chances at a nutritious meal, as she continuously compares her refrigerator to charlotte’s, her affluent best friend.

though this is a fictional story, it is based off of real life circumstances, as many areas in the northern adirondacks remain a classified food desert, which is an area where low-income and marginalized residents struggle to obtain healthy and nutritious food. this can be due to factors such as not owning a car, the lack of existing grocery stores, and poor quality of the fruits and vegetables that are available.

in her journal, she quickly discovers the benefits of a system based in csa. from facilitating a connection with the food you find on your plate and strengthening community ties, all the way to nurturing the earth and decreasing the distance and time between the farm to the table. her persistence and dedication to the mission of feeding the community serves as an inspiration and shines a light on the present-day need to continue moving forward and growing the csa movement.

***

march 3, 1984


the winters here are long and heavy, and by march they feel just about endless. our bodies are tired, deficient of vitamins and minerals, because there is no sun to be seen here in the mountains for months, and my mom’s dinner plates typically lack any color at all. here in the north country, frozen cuisines are accepted as okay and “if it gets the job done, that's good enough.” or at least thats my dad’s mantra. i can't seem to accept it though.

my best friend charlotte lives about 45 minutes away, just one town over. but, whenever i make the trip out to visit her, i feel like i’m on another planet. there's a health food store, and it seems like there is a farmers market perfectly situated on every corner. charlotte's mom makes the most delicious and fulfilling dinners. the plate is always made with just the right amount of color. the darkest collard greens to the brightest, most perfectly ripened tomatoes. after we eat, i feel so energized, it's almost as if i can hear my own body whispering to me, “thank you.”

charlotte doesn't know this, but secretly, i try to plan our hang-outs around meal-times. i feel as if i’m being resourceful. sometimes i sleepover at charlotte's for the entire weekend. this always leaves my mom wondering. rightfully so-- my mom asks me why charlotte never comes to our house, or if i am too embarrassed. honestly, i am. i am afraid we won’t have anything to eat.

it's hard for my parents, they're always working extra shifts, and sometimes the grocery store closes before they get home from work, and since its over seven miles away i can't walk. or when we do get there, the only thing they seem to have is wrapped in plastic or has been trapped in a can for years.

winter is coming to an end soon, and the iga has two rows of cereal, half of them are already expired. the fruit is moldy and the vegetables have been picked way too early. everything seems to be working against my family and a meal filled with nutrition. i can’t seem to understand the unfathomable difference between my refrigerator and charlotte’s.


march 7, 1984


i dream a lot. the journal next to my bed is filled with many of them. i like reading them months later and trying to pick apart the meanings. about half of them are abstract, filled with forest fairies, and the other half are filled with characters from my reality. once, i dreamt of a planet returned to its state before humans of greed and desire took from her. in another dream, my family and i ate the freshest salad with the crispiest pears. my mom naturally dressed the salad with juicy oranges and the spiciest red peppers. my journal after this dream read “how did that food get there? how can that food get here?”

then, i had an idea.


march 17, 1984


in my town we don't have a fancy health food store, but we do have land. we have fertile soil, and a solid rain cycle. and although the winters here are long, i know there are plants that can thrive seasonally. winters can be home to root vegetables and strong leafy greens, like kale and spinach. i want to switch my focus and provide for my family and my community. to the people that work the hardest and receive the least. to the people that deserve nutritious fuel for their bodies and a stronger connection with the earth.

i told my parents about my dreams and the ideas that followed, and to say the least, they looked at me funny. like it was some unfeasible idea that could never be. as if accessible healthy food must remain a luxury. once again, something i will not accept.

so i set out, and i started reading books like “four season harvest” by eliot coleman, where i learned about the possibilities of farming beyond the summer months and discovered new techniques and strategies for growing. i also began visiting farms beyond my town borders. while visiting, i would observe, listen, and ask probably way too many questions, but i don't care because i am determined, and definitely onto something.


march 25, 1984


i finally feel ready to turn this dream into a reality. to be able to provide nutritious, affordable, and accessible food to my community has become my mission. today i went out for a walk, a very long walk. i knocked on the doors of my neighbors and i began to tell them about my idea, and if they wanted to be a part of it. i tried to explain to them the best that i could, how important it is for them to eat from the earth, an idea that believe it or not, seemed very abstract for many.

but it wasn't all doom and gloom and misunderstandings. i got 7 people all from my neighborhood to sign up for a share of my growing this season. since i need money upfront to buy tools, seeds, and soils, you know the whole 9 yards, i requested a donation. for the most part, all 7 people that signed up are really excited and offered me more than i expected. i guess this has been a long time coming.



march 30, 1984


seeds are in, here's to change and to more color on our plates.

walmart, at first, seemed like an interesting place to me – many aisles for various kinds of food, pharmacy items, clothing, and even furniture. it had more than everything a person would need to sustain a life. after frequenting the store a few times, i observed that most of the produce was imported from other countries. 

‘grown in mexico’ read the package. 

it seemed too far-fetched to me at first, knowing that mississippi was historically an agricultural state. perplexed, i spent some time researching about the agriculture sector in mississippi and the united states as a whole. 

the mississippi delta holds some of the most fertile lands in the country for agriculture due to the presence of the mississippi river. it is best suited for crops like beans, whole grains, and the like, that are not only healthy but also sustainable for the environment. instead, the state abundantly cultivates corn and soybeans, crops that wreak havoc on the environment. 

that was where i spotted the problem in the american agricultural system. farmers only want to grow certain crops that are subsidized by the government under the farm bill — corn and soybeans being the two major subsidized crops. there are farmers receiving more than 25 times the average yearly income of a u.s. citizen in farm subsidies. it almost has reached a point where the $867 billion piece of legislation has been developed to create a market for farm millionaires. this is unfathomable for a place like india. 

i still remember riding with my grandfather on the back of his scooter every sunday to the farmers market. there would be seemingly limitless stalls lined up in an unorganized fashion selling all kinds of fruits and vegetables. seeing this, i tried to better understand the apparent non-existence of farmers markets in mississippi towns, which ironically are surrounded by farms, by spending some time talking to the vegetable vendors in my hometown during my visit to india last year. 

“all of the produce is grown on our own lands on the outskirts of the city,” a farmer told me. “we rotate crops throughout the year to remain in business, while also ensuring a regular supply of seasonal foods.” this turns out to not only be beneficial to the land, but also provides more nutritional options for consumers. 

in fact, in a new york times article titled, “millennials ‘make farming sexy’ in africa, where tilling the soil once meant shame,” augustine collins ntim, a ghanaian politician, explains that with increased governmental efforts to make farming modern and lucrative, no maize was imported into the country in 2018 while most produce was sold locally. moreover, they have made it a priority to lure more youth into engaging in agriculture. 

however, this is not completely the case for the united states or india, which provide food for millions each day. due to their large populations they have developed different practices in order to develop food not only for their inhabitants but the world. the united states can benefit from setting up farmers markets like india by redirecting money from the farm bill to help small-scale farmers grow healthier crops. additionally, it can help increase access to whole foods in low income areas, as these populations tend to eat highly processed foods from big (corporate) agriculture, as it is less expensive. some u.s. states, in fact, have successfully utilized this practice. 

rural towns in michigan, for example, have been working on putting healthy foods on local tables for the past few years by organizing farmers markets. according to the 2015 fair food network survey, 90% of rural participants were eating more fruits and vegetables while 63% of vendors reported making more money. this system truly could have a profound impact on hundreds of rural towns in mississippi and around the country in food deserts.

in times, where climate change is more pertinent than ever, certain bold steps aimed towards stasis, harmony, and healing instead of growth and dominance (capitalism) can improve farming practices exponentially, while also being good for the environment. ultimately, it is about transforming mindsets and not saving the taxpayer money. it is about involving youth and not fighting cronyism. it is about moving the planet forward. 

one alternative form of agriculture that is much more sustainable for urban environments is hydroponics. hydroponic agriculture involves growing plants in nutrient-rich water that can be recycled, all with minimal use of soil. at the university of wisconsin – madison a new student organization, free salad, is working to not only create hydroponic systems on campus but also to educate students and get them involved with sustainable agriculture. increasing knowledge and awareness on campus and within the community about the problems and potential solutions within the agriculture industry can lead to a brighter future for not only for ourselves but for the planet as a whole.