Yo-ho, Yo-Ho a Farmer’s Life for Me!

Week 13
Steph and Katelyn

In Development class this week (11/11/11!!), we headed out to an organic farm about half an hour outside of Windhoek. Upon arriving on the farm, we were given a warm welcome from Manjo Smith, the owner, who gave us all cups of coffee with milk still warm from the cows about fifty yards away. The coffee was meant to wake us all up for the exciting and extremely informative day we had ahead of us!

Next, Manjo gave us a tour of the farm and explained some of the organic farming processes. These processes include using compost rather than store-bought fertilizers for the soil and not using any kind of pesticides on the plants but instead natural microorganisms. Organic farming also involves planting many different kinds of crops to retain biodiversity and allowing the animals to have as much space as possible and not pumping the animals with any kind of hormones as can be the case on some large farms. The purpose is to keep everything as natural and as healthy as possible (Photo 1: Manjo’s dog had a lot of puppies, and Steph loved them all!)

Organic farming is often criticized for being non-sustainable as many believe it is not possible to provide the world enough food without the use of pesticides and monoculture commercial farming. It is argued that science and technology have made food cheaper and more easily accessible. Science has created “improved” seeds and fertilizers that allow plants to keep away pests while growing at a faster rate. Science-based and genetic engineering, as opposed to organic, farming may be a more realistic way to put an end to world hunger. Organic farming slows down the process of food delivery as it takes longer to grow and requires more human maintenance.

Manjo argues, however, that there is already enough food in the world, and that the real problem is the distribution and the politics behind it. Additionally, monoculture commercial farming has its own issues, including inviting in diseases and pests that can destroy an entire single crop population because of the lack of biodiversity. Thus, the more farmers spray, the more they need to spray, according to the film The Future of Food* that Manjo showed us. Additionally, the film mentioned the health effects of pesticides, such as skin irritations and increased allergies, and that they cannot always be washed off as recent technology has allowed for the creation of pesticides through genetic engineering that exist in all of the cells in the crop. Thus, all of the successive generations of the crop then have this pesticide. This creates never-ending health problems as we do not yet know the health implications of some of these pesticides (Photo 2: Getting out hands dirty by putting our newfound knowledge into practice).

Moreover, the prices of organically grown food in some areas of the world (such as the U.S.) are priced higher than the sprayed foods. We asked what Manjo thought of this. She suggested that our perception of food is misguided and we should be spending less money on vacations, gas, entertainment, etc, and more on the food that we put inside our bodies. She also pointed out that the U.S. government, for example, subsidizes the sprayed food, bringing the cost down. If the demand for organically grown food was there, the government could potentially begin to subsidize it, and bring the prices down. The key to organic farming is consumer demand. Organics have not caught on in Namibia yet, and therefore the demand lies mostly with visiting Germans who have a history of farming organically, according to Manjo.

In Namibia, however, the issue isn’t solely cost but also other factors. One of these factors is the lack of awareness of the benefits of organic farming and its purposes. Not all people have access to this information. Additionally, the organic markets are often located within wealthier neighborhoods, making it difficult for some to be aware of their existence. Also, the foods sold at the organic markets are often geared toward German diets as opposed to “traditional” Namibian cuisine.

In areas of the world where organic food prices are higher, cost is the dominant factor in organic’s popularity or lack thereof. In the U.S for example, non-organic and monoculture products are subsidized by the government, making them significantly cheaper than the alternative. Because of this, in stores where these products are sold side-by-side with organic foods, the healthier options appear vastly more expensive. Some people, especially those with families to feed, then often tend to purchase the cheaper products that are available in bulk in order to feed more people for less. It is also customary in the fast-paced culture of the U.S for some people to prefer to eat what’s quick, easy, and filling rather than what’s healthy and safer for consumption. In order to promote an affordable, healthy eating lifestyle, people have to be aware of where their food comes from, ask questions, and make their demand known for non-sprayed food. Perhaps if we could more effectively educate the masses on the risks of mass produced food, we could increase the demand for organic food causing the government to subsidize it and bring down the high costs.

What might be the most effective ways to inform others about the benefits of organic farming? A quandary exists regarding how to spread organic farming on a wider scale. The problem in places such as the US is that there isn’t a high enough demand for organic food in the market, and therefore the government won’t subsidize it. However, if the government doesn’t subsidize it, the prices will remain too high for the average consumer to want to purchase it over the cheaper alternative, keeping the demand down. It is possible that the government has to make the first step. By increasing advertisement and knowledge of the benefits of organic farming versus the negative consequences of the alternative as well as subsidizing the costs, demand would rapidly begin to increase as more people would strive to live this new healthy, affordable lifestyle (Photo 3: Manjo Smith teaching us the organic tricks of the trade out in the vegetable fields!).

In both Namibia and the US, awareness seems to be the most predominant reason organic farming is not as popular as it could be. Many people remain under the assumption that organic farming isn’t as sustainable as it is made out to be, and that in places where people are suffering from hunger it is unrealistic. However, in the long run, organic farming is not only healthier and more easily accessible, but also financially cheaper in many situations: as farmers can reuse their seeds from their previous crops as opposed to have to constantly purchase patented seeds and pesticides from overseas. Many are also completely unaware of health benefits that eating organic has over eating scientifically altered produce. Spreading awareness would ultimately help the organic farm industry grow as people learned the importance of a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.

*Koons, Deborah. The Future of Food. Lily Films, 2004. Film.

Mountainous Questions

Emma Russell and Jodie Buchanan

Week 12 (The South)

This past week we embarked on our final community trip before we depart for Cape Town in. On this trip to Southern Namibia the focus was on our development class; specifically community-based natural resource management and “sustainable” development. We stayed at various campsites, some run by the community and others by the private sector. We also paid a visit to the heart of a community initiative to sell Namibian crafts and painted the walls of a secondary school under renovation along with some of its students. Overall, it was an incredible three days that were full of fun and, as true of any development class, full of questions. While we ruminated over the pros and cons of Namibia’s community-based natural resource management initiatives, our reflections on the trip also fostered some bigger questions that have seemed to permeate the entirety of our experiences with CGE thus far.

The paramount question on our minds that kept resurfacing throughout the weekend was the concept of definition, as in who ultimately defines the things that inform the way development occurs, and the way we live in general. This has been a recurring theme throughout the program as we study things like globalization, colonization, need, and identity. However, this weekend we were able to put it into direct context with what we were experiencing. For example, we first discussed how even defining “sustainable” in terms of development could have such a variety of meanings; it depends on the lens of the individual and what is valued under certain circumstances. For example, at the Brukkaros Community Campsite and the school we visited in Berseba, it was evident that the emphasis was placed on advances that would help to preserve community and education. However, we also visited the Gibeon Folk Arts Center which not only centered on sustaining community, but also on preserving culture through art and the livelihood of the artists who worked there. Our final stop was the Gondwana Kalahari Anib Lodge where the focus was primarily on environment and resources (as it was situated in a National Park) as well as economy through tourism. These different perspectives encouraged us to discern what is most crucial to be sustainable and how that influences the overall development for Namibia in particular.

Another matter that arose yet again on this trip was the land issue troubling Namibia. This is a conflict that has emerged a number of times in several of our classes and it involves the question of whether a redistribution of lands to native Namibian tribes is an appropriate and necessary step towards reconciliation in a post-colonial era. However, as was revealed to us on this trip, the dilemma goes much deeper than it’s already complex nature. When considering this, we were faced again with the concepts of definition and perspective. Who best decides how to respect the land? During our time in the South we did witness action to respect the land by conserving it and its resources; that is, in fact, exactly what the Gondwana Kalahari Anib Lodge intended to do. However, we had to wonder if the best way to respect the land is indeed to return it to those who it was wrongfully taken from under the colonial and apartheid regimes. We concluded that it depends on whom you ask and we were certainly in no position to decide (Photo 1: atop Brukkaros Mountain).

Finally, the enigma of definition took on a more subjective arrangement when we considered the ideal of success. While we have often viewed this throughout the course in terms of broad scale national development markers, we came to realize it could be as personal as selling a craft, painting a school, or climbing a mountain. For example, at the Gibeon Folk Arts Center we spoke with the five craftswomen who head up the entire project. In speaking with them we learned that they only see about 5% of the profits gained by their crafts, further remarking that it is just “not enough”. If one were to consider this from an economic perspective he/she would most likely classify this project as being unsuccessful because the women are not making enough profit for themselves to completely sustain the livelihoods of themselves and their families. However, if one were to define success in terms of employment and empowerment, this is no doubt a highly successful project (Photo 2: Painting the School with Students from Berseba).

At the school we painted in Berseba with the kids, we learned from Petrus, a former educator at the school and chairperson of the Brukkaros Community Campsite, that it had been shut down due to an inability to pay for the astronomical water bill. To the members of the Berseba Community, success was not immediately defined by the number of students going to top universities or the number of championships won in the local sports league, but rather by acquiring basic necessities and getting their buildings in top shape for reopening once those needs are attained.

To us over these three days success came in many forms. It came with climbing several kilometers to the top of Brukkaros Mountain, the mountain that our campsite was built into in Berseba. It was a treacherous hike but the breathtaking view from the top was the most success many of us have felt in some time. Success also came not with the answers we did not formulate, but rather the questions we so genuinely acknowledged on our trip. We look forward to the future of our trip, which will surely only bring more questions such as these, but hopefully continue to provide us with the tools and knowledge necessary to productively and justly consider them (Photo 3: View from Atop).

Occupying Our Last Weeks in Windhoek

Week 11
Dylan and Leah

After three weeks spent in the North and on various trips throughout Southern Africa, our first week back was a bit of a reality check for all of us. This was a rather slow week, with no big trips or events planned. This lull in activity, combined with a long stretch of being out of touch with friends, family, and current events left many of us feeling a bit homesick and isolated from all that is happening at home. For most of us, celebrating Halloween without the pumpkins, fall colors, enthusiasm of friends, and traditions from home, was a very different atmosphere. Similarly, missing out on important events such as the World Series, death of Gaddafi, presidential campaigns, and various other news stories made us realize just how much has been continuing on without us. Simultaneously, the individuals in CGE realized how little time they have left here in Windhoek. While the amount of time we have been here makes us miss our respective homes, it has also given us a new appreciation for the places, people and other details we have become accustomed to about the city in which we have spent the last 2 months.

Along with the various snippets of good and bad news received from friends and family, many of us have been very interested in the Occupy movement going on across the United States, and the world. For many of us, catching up on this movement created a strong sense of solidarity and an interesting new perspective on being an American abroad. Most of our studies here have investigated our role as foreigners in Namibia, and what responsibilities (if any) we have here. However, feelings of solidarity and excitement about the movement at home made many of us for the first time question what our role as Americans abroad ought to be. The discovery of a very small but growing “Occupy Namibia” movement presented an interesting fusion of the solidarity movement in the US and a movement based on issues specific to Namibia that we have been learning about all semester. While we are technically prevented from becoming politically engaged with local protests as CGE students, we have been able to see our role here through a new lens; we are proud of how this aspect of American culture has come to Namibia and simultaneously has remained uniquely Namibian.

For our history class this week, an American named Lily Asrat who has been working in Namibia for several years visited us and was able to provide an interesting perspective on the interconnectedness of American and Namibian history. Through a brief American history lesson, in which many of us were embarrassingly rusty, we discussed the parallels between slavery and Apartheid histories. From there, she was able to engage our class in a very open dialogue about race, racism and inequality in the United States. This discussion also allowed us to reflect on our role specifically as Americans abroad, rather than just as foreigners in Namibia. In many ways we were embarrassed by how fundamentally similar our histories were, and how difficult it is to criticize a system that not only parallels events in our own history, but also one that our government supported in the past. This week gave us the time to reflect on our role as Americans abroad, and to begin assessing how our comfort in this role has changed throughout our time here, with both proud and more shameful moments.