Seasonal Eating: The Big Picture by Kamila Janik

​​Food is something we eat every day and enjoy, but do we ever think about why we have the same foods year-round? Fruits and vegetables can only grow in certain seasons and importing them from different countries makes a dramatic impact on our environment. Soil health is imperative and foundational to growing all our crops, which makes it relevant when we talk about sustainable action in industrial agriculture (FoodPrint, 2019).

Why it matters:

• Monocropping
  • The practice of growing the same crop on the same soil continuously, depleting the soil of nutrients (Foodprint, 2019).
  • Common crops for industrial agriculture: soy, corn, wheat
  • Industrial agriculture negatively impacts soil health and consequently releases carbon and continuously degrades our ozone layer 

 

• Carbon Farming = solution to monocropping because soil holds a tremendous amount of carbon. With composting, it increases the amount of carbon stored in grassland and cropland soils that, in return, increase productivity of crop production as well as water retention 
  • Land management that involves practices to remove CO2 from atmosphere and sequester carbon from the organic matter in the soil (Carbon Cycle Institute, 2019).
  • Benefits include improving soil health, increased water retention, biodiversity and resilience of crop so we can inherently reduce the use of pesticides 

​Climate change is a conversation we’ve been having for decades so it’s imperative to keep in mind what you’re doing on an individual level. A primary thing to be conscious of when shopping for food, your dollars matter. Meaning, whatever you decide to purchase has a purpose, a lineage, a vote. So, if you buy in bulk, local and plant based you are supporting farmers who grow food near you and therefore reduce cost in transportation and fossil fuels. Farmer's markets are a great source to get a glimpse of your local produce and to get involved in your community. 

​​You can also learn to grow food in your own backyard. Gardening is therapeutic and fun to do once you get into the swing of things. You get to go outside, enjoy the sunshine and gain a deeper appreciation of how food gets on your table. Additionally, it benefits your health when you eat food that is at the peak of its harvest because it has the optimal vitamin and minerals inside it.

​Knowing what fruits and vegetables are in season allow you the opportunity to be exposed to foods that you haven’t seen in typical grocery stores. You acquire new vegetable preferences and your dietary patterns expand and encourage community-supported agriculture (Wilkins, 2015). 

All in all, it's important to get to know you community. You attain a deeper connection to the people surrounding you, the food you eat and the appreciation of all the Earth resources. Day after day it becomes more evident to be aware of our affect on the climate and the solutions we can do on an individualistic level. 

Image References (in order):

1. ​https://www.fginsight.com/news/soil-damage-could-make-parts-of-east-anglia-unprofitable-4479 
2. ​http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/09/04/food-deserts-america-naked-truth/ 
3.  ​https://www.northeastnursery.com/blogs/raisedbedgardening
4. https://thexpollinators.com/organization/alemany-farm/
5. Kamila Janik, at Alemany Farms

References:

1. FoodPrint. (2019). "How Industrial Agriculture Affects Our Soil". Retrieved from foodprint.org/issues/how-industrial-agriculture-affects-our-soil/ . 
2. Carbon Cycle Institute. (2019). Carbon Cycle Institute. "Carbon Farming". Retrieved from www.carboncycle.org/carbon-farming/ . 
3. Wolfram, Taylor. (2019, February 15). Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.  "Sustainable Eating". Retrieved from www.eatright.org/health/lifestyle/culture-and-traditions/sustainable-eating . 
4. Seasonal Food Guide. (2019). "Find What's In Season Near You - California". Retrieved from www.seasonalfoodguide.org
5. Wilkins, JL. Farrell, TJ. Rangarajan, A. (2015, September). US National Library of  Medicine. “Linking vegetable preferences, health and local food systems through community-supported agriculture”. Retrieved from ​www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25824468