During my first time in college, I used to work odd jobs to make ends meet. One of those jobs was driving a delivery truck delivering soy bean sprouts. I had no interest in, nor had I ever heard of the term “hydroponics,” until I took a vacation to Disney World last year. Inside Epcot Center is a ride called… Read more »
China is the world’s largest agricultural producer and they are dependent on nitrogen based fertilizer. Reducing the use of fertilizer to minimize the ecological impact, while reducing costs to the farmer, and still producing the greatest yield, seems like common sense. Studies have shown that China uses 30 percent of the world’s fertilizer production, over half of what other countries… Read more »
Effective irrigation is very important to efficient farming. Using too much water can carry off soil nutrients and fertilizer in water runoff. By using only enough water for the crop to grow, less fertilizer can be applied. There are some interesting alternatives to nitrogen based fertilizer being studied now. One of the ones I found most interesting was an experiment… Read more »
Peter Menzel’s photographic essay, Hungry Planet, compares what the typical family eats in different countries around the world. The photos and captions shown allow the reader to see what is in their diet, how much it costs per week, and other hints about lifestyle in that country. I chose to compare Japan, a developed country, with China, a developing country…. Read more »
Don’t tell the professor but I almost fall asleep during every one of her contemplative practice videos. For me, closing my eyes while talking to me in a slow rhythmic tone is the express elevator to dreamland. While falling asleep would no doubt bring much mental relief from my busy day, I found that contemplative practice assignments also have a… Read more »
Today’s consumers are more sensitive to where a product comes from and who is affected during production. Many companies are reluctant to reveal the source of their materials or method of production to maintain a competitive advantage or protect trade secrets. There is a lot of information on the Internet from watchdog groups, but is the information credible? How far… Read more »
This week’s lesson got our feet wet thinking about how food is produced, and naturally I wondered about the food I bought and ate. One food that especially stood out to me was rice, a staple of my diet since I was a child. I thought about where the rice I eat was coming from and how it got to… Read more »