During week two and three of the course we have reviewed many other topics from my others classes, such as view the world as a system (globalization) and the Anthropocene. However I believe this speaks to the importance that all social science, and indeed all of the humankind is connect on a global scale, and these connections will only continue to grow and become stronger. It believe it is hard for many people to visualize the world as being connected, focusing more on the individual. I believe this is where we have to start focusing in order to change things. We have to discover what kind of impact we can make, where do we fit in as individuals, and how we can thought our practices and examples have others follow us to help better the world. What is our responsibility to the world, is our coffee or chocolate habit destroying other ecosystems around the word? As the world population increases, how can we keep up, where will the next changes in the system take place? If we add another billion people to the world what is going to have to change in the way our everyday life is as an individual. I am very skeptical that individual action will be enough to make any positive changes, but quite possibly my attitude may be one of the first barriers to change. I believe we have to change the mentality of the average citizen before we can affect any change on the global food system.
For example during lesson 3 while covering commodity chains, my eyes were opened to just how complex our food system is how many people, products, and different things that go into making a single product. Also, I was surprised at the amounts of water that go into producing our foods. Over 1800 gallons of water for 1 pound of beef is insane, in comparison chicken seems more manageable at 470 lbs, and Its starts an interesting train of thought I have never thought to pursue before. Should I eat less beef? The amount of water required to produce vegetables and fruits pales in comparison, and makes a strong case for the reduction of meat consumption. I believe with more education, we can lead the individual to start making personal lifestyle changes that lead into changes in the systems we are connected to. Ultimately making the world a more sustainable place to live.