#3a: Film Series: Program Questions in Scenes and Overview

Week 5

For week 5 I have chosen minutes 16:40-19:00 from Black Coffee, Point of Origin Podcast #28. I have named these minutes “Done Well”. In this time Jeanine Niyonzima-Aroian is discussing her coffee growing business in Burundi which focuses on equality for female workers and fair wages. The coffee is grown and harvested mostly by hand. The story of this scene is one of hope. Coffee production is a male dominated field, Jeanine is doing important work by employing women and treating her employees fairly. A lot of coffee that is sold in the U.S. today is grown by exploited workers and is highly mechanized. Jeanine shows an alternative to this by treating her employees fairly and growing in a more natural way. This scene addresses the program question: Where and how do people raise the foods we are highlighting? By giving an example of a coffee grower who puts an emphasis on sustainability. 

Week 6

For week 6 I have chosen minutes 13:40-15:40 from Delicious Peace Grows in a Ugandan Coffee Bean. I have named this scene “The Big Boys”. In this scene coffee farmers in Uganda explain how when the government opened up the coffee market in the 1990’s, multinational corporations came in and the cooperatives that had previously been in place were not able to compete. This caused the corporate buyers to be the ones who set coffee prices, not the farmers. Coffee prices then fell significantly, making it difficult for farmers to make a living. The story this scene tells is of a strong cooperative coffee producing system that has been taken over by corporations that have driven prices down and made it so farmers no longer have a say in the pricing of coffee and are unable to get the prices they deserve. This scene addresses the program question: What criteria exist for assessing the role of agricultural businesses in building communities through food justice and sustainable practices? The scene addresses this question by showing a community that had a reasonably just production system until it was taken over by corporations that drove down prices.

#3b:(Un)Natural Histories

We have been working with hypothesis by annotating articles. Hypothesis is great for seeing how our classmates are interpreting articles. Below I have posted some of my annotations:

#3c:Regenerative Agriculture

1. Given the temperature niche of Coffea arabica, why is it most often grown in tropical highlands?

 Tropical highlands have a climate that coffee thrives in. Temperatures between 60-70 Fahrenheit, the right amount of annual rain, high humidity, and volcanic soils. 

2. Given projected changes to tropical climates during this century, what impacts will climate change likely have rise in pest and disease pressure on the production of Coffea arabica?

Climate change has been causing increased pest and disease pressure due to an increase in heat and humidity. Extreme weather caused by climate change also causes a decrease in production.

3. For coffee farmers that rely on production of Coffea arabica in high rainfall areas, a simple climate change adaptation strategy would be to replant with Coffea canephora. Given our interest in the ‘taste of place’, what impact would this species switch have for coffee roasters and coffee drinkers?

Coffea Arabica has a fruity and sweet flavor while Coffea canephora has a more bitter and earthy flavor as well as more caffeine.

For the next questions consider our program tagline, “towards agroecological agribusiness?” in relation to our coffee tasting lab conversation with Bob B. and the assigned article Climate change adaptation, coffee, and corporate social responsibility: challenges and opportunities.

4. Define CSR: 

CSR stands for corporate social responsibility. This is regulations that corporations put on themselves to be sustainable/charitable/give back.

5. Give a real or theoretical example of CSR for a coffee roasting business in the global north that aims to improve the socio/economic situation of a specific group of smallholder coffee producers.

The Starbucks foundation has been providing training and financial resources to coffee producing communities. In my opinion they probably aren’t helping much and they do way more harm than good.

6. Define CSV:

CSV stands for creating shared value. This means creating new opportunities/markets for your business.

7. Give a real or theoretical example of CSV for a coffee roasting business in the global north that directly addresses climate change adaptation for a group of smallholder coffee producers through regenerative agriculture practices.

  A theoretical example would be a coffee company changing over to solar power, it is cheaper over the long term for them and makes them look good to customers.

8. Define climate change mitigation.

 Climate change mitigation means trying to stop/slow climate change using more sustainable practices.

9. What types of climate change mitigation activities has the global coffee value chain invested in?

 They have been trying to reduce emissions caused by the coffee industry, grow more shade-grown coffee to slow deforestation, and reduce the amount of water used in coffee growing.

10. Define climate change adaptation.

Climate change adaptation means changing the way you are doing something to account for the challenges that arise due to climate change.

Consider regenerative agriculture practices that directly address climate change adaptation for small-scale producers of Coffea arabica.  

11. What practices can help prevent soil erosion to increase resilience for intense storms?

Planting coffee in a forest or with trees. The long perennial roots from trees and shrubs holds soil in place, preventing erosion and landslides.

12. What practices can help improve soil water holding capacity to increase resiliency for droughts?

 Disturbing the soil as little as possible, adding organic matter to the soil, and keeping the soil covered as much as possible to limit evaporation.

13. What practices can help moderate air temperatures around the coffee plants?

 Growing the plants under a forest canopy or even just having some tree cover keeps the plants from getting too hot.

14. Before you recommend completely covering the coffee plants with shade trees, what problems can intense shade have on coffee diseases and yield?

 Shaded coffee plants stay damp which can be ideal for fungal diseases, shaded coffee also does not have as high yields as coffee grown in the sun.

15. For climate change adaptation in Mesoamerica, why might Coffea arabica growers prefer to switch to growing cacao?

 Cacao can be grown in lower elevations and prefers more sunlight.

16. Whether growing coffee or cacao in mixed agroforestry plantings, explain how climate change will require farmers to adapt the mix of tree species they plant (give two examples from the article The future of coffee and cocoa in a warmer Mesoamercia).

Some of the most popular trees being used as overstory right now will most likely not do well in areas where coffee is grown as climate change progresses. Some fruit trees have seen as much as 50% yield loss in coffee growing areas. Trees grown for timber also have not been doing well in coffee producing areas. To address this problem farmers will have to carefully select trees that can produce well in their area to use as overstory.

One often-mentioned climate change adaptation strategy for tropical farmers is to relocate them to better climates zones to continue growing the same type of crop, e.g. Coffea arabica. Critics of this concept note social and ecological concerns of moving farmers to these imagined other/better places, which in reality are already populated by other farmers or exist in a relatively ‘natural’ state – likely home to indigenous people that practice lower disturbance land management, aka looks wild to foreign eyes.

17. What social conflicts are created by moving people as a climate change adaptation strategy?

 Moving as a response to climate change does nothing to resolve the root of the problem. Eventually the land that people move to will become degradation and harmed by climate change. It seems like an endless cycle that does nothing to help the problem. As well as displacing any people who live on the land farmers want to move to.

18. What consequences to ecosystem services and carbon balance result from converting relatively intact ecosystems to farming systems (yes, even shade-grown coffee)?

 Converting undisturbed land to farmland causes deforestation and loss of species diversity. This causes increased carbon emissions and has a negative impact on the environment.

19. It is fair to argue that coffee agroforestry practices can increase carbon sequestration (climate change mitigation) and help growers adapt to climate change stressors. Write a 1-2 sentence ‘elevator pitch’ to coffee executives for why they should help coffee producers invest in coffee agroforestry practices.

Coffee agroforestry practices are not perfect and still greatly disturb the natural environment and native species. However the alternative of sun grown coffee is so much worse, it completely wipes out the natural landscape and native plants.

Finally, imagine that you have been hired as a consultant to review Starbucks climate change program.

20. Make an argument for why massively increasing their investment to breed good tasting coffee cultivars that are resistant to coffee leaf rust, drought, and higher temperatures would be the single most valuable contribution to smallholder coffee producer sustainability.

Increasing your investment to breed good tasting coffee cultivars that are resistant to coffee leaf rust, drought, and higher temperatures would be a huge step towards producing coffee in a more sustainable way. With our climate rapidly warming and becoming increasingly unpredictable, plants that can withstand these extreme temperatures and unpredictable weather such as droughts will both provide starbucks with a reliable, quality, and much more sustainable source of coffee and help producers make a living sustainably.

21. Make an argument for why Starbucks should increasingly promote chocolate-based beverages and support for coffee producers to transition to cacao production as a way to adapt to climate change while creating shared value between Starbucks and tropical farmers.

Starbucks should begin promoting chocolate-based drinks and support coffee farmers to transition to growing cacao because cacao is better suited for growing conditions that have been brought on by climate change.

#3d: Case Study Tasting Research: Coffee

Bob Benck from Batdorf & Bronson led a tasting this week of B&B Coffee.

#3e: Stuckey’s Taste Book Experiments

Below are the questions from this weeks tasting labs from Barb Stuckey’s book “Taste”

1. What snacks did you choose to bring to the experiments and why?

I brought potato chips and peanuts because I like them.

2. What beverages did you bring to the experiments and why?

I brought Sprite, apple juice, and lemonade because that is what I had in the fridge.

3. What is your favorite snack food? From your own perspective, what is the story of how your favorite snack made it to your hands?

My favorite snack food is Trader Joe’s synergy popcorn which they have tragically discontinued.

1^st Experiment Questions:

4. Please reflect on your experience through this experiment; did you notice any difference in how your mind prepared and received a drink of a strange color? Why do you think that you experienced it this way?

I had someone else dye them for me so I didn’t know which was which. It took a second each time I drank before the flavor came rushing in and I was able to identify it. I think a part of me expected each drink to have a flavor that I associate with the color it was dyed.

5. Why do you think some farmers grow different colors of the same vegetable?

I think It adds variety to a display and people are drawn to different colors.

6. Do you have an example from your own life where the appearance of a food affected your decision of whether or not to buy it?

Last season at one of the farm I worked at we grew these beautiful white and light purple eggplants. I don’t like eggplant very much and normally I would not have brought any home, but they were so pretty I decided I had to try them.

7. If you were to cook and eat an entire meal while being blindfolded for the whole experience, what meal would you choose? Why?

I would choose something simple that I have made many times, like pasta.

2^nd Experiment Questions:

8. Please reflect on your experience through this experiment; did you find it difficult to guess the snacks purely on the sound they make when being chewed?

I found it extremely difficult to guess the snack based on the sound. There are lots of foods that sound similar when you are chewing them.

9. Is there a certain food that you particularly enjoy the sound of (eating, cooking, drying, boiling, etc.)?

I like the sizzling sound of cooking tempeh on a hot pan.

Bonus Question:

10. If you had to choose one of your five senses (sight, smell, hearing, tasting, or touch) to give up every time you ate a meal, which would you choose? Why?

I would give up hearing because it wouldn’t affect the taste of the food.

#3f: Sustainable Entrepreneurship

Group 4(my group) gave our presentation on climate change, sustainability and entrepreneurship. Group 3 also did their presentation on cooperatives.

My Diary Entry For Week 6:

Question #1: Does the cooperative model, in its many forms, inherently encompass sustainability and regenerative agriculture values? Why or why not?

I do not think that the cooperative model inherently encompasses sustainability and regenerative agriculture values. I think that the cooperative model definitely encourages sustainability and regenerative agriculture values, certainly more than conventional grocery stores. Co-op’s may employ better business practices than most, but they are not perfect and are not always sustainable. One thing co-op’s do well is treating their employees fairly. While co-op’s do tend to try to be sustainable, ultimately they need to make money and supply what consumers want, which is not always sustainable.

Question #2: What is the potential for the alternative business model presented last week (cooperatives) for transforming and strengthening our local food and agriculture system in the South Puget Sound area?

There is huge potential for cooperatives to transform and strengthen our local food and agriculture system. Co-ops tend to buy local when they can, this support can strengthen local farms in the area. Having a strong system of co-ops that support local farmers encourages new small farmers to come into the area. Co-op’s also help people feel connected to their farmers and their communities, which encourages people to support local farmers. Community membership in co-ops also strengthens community bonds.

Question #3: How might a worker-owned cooperative model challenge our traditional conceptions of “work”?

Worker-owned cooperatives challenge our traditional concepts of work by giving workers a sense of ownership and responsibility towards the company they work for versus feeling like they have nothing to gain from the company’s success and are just being taken advantage of. As well as a greater sense of involvement in the company, worker-owned cooperative employees are usually compensated fairly for their work and all reap the benefits of success equally, versus a few people in charge seeing all of the rewards.

#3g: Climate and Resilience Event Series/Seminar

This week I have watched the climate resilience Event: Sámi Perspectives on Green Colonialism: Response to Climate Change.

In this talk Ellen Marie (Elle Márjá) Jensen, Ph.D. discusses the Sami people and how colonization and climate change has affected their community. She discusses how colonizers have disrupted and destroyed reindeer habitats. Reindeer are very important to the Sami people. She also discusses the discrimination Sami people face from the governments of Finland, Sweden, and Norway. As well as the other negative impacts climate change has had on the Sami people.

#3h: Foodoir: Your Story of Tasting Place

This quarter I have been reading the foodoir “Farming While Black” by Leah Penniman. This book tells the story of Leah discovering her love of agriculture and starting a farm to feed her community. As well as reflecting on the undervalued achievements of black farmers and helping young black farmers connect with the land. Leah also offers lots of practical farming advice and insights on running a small CSA farm. I have attached some of my favorite quotes below:

“In urban spaces, every square foot of growing space is precious…… Land is our right and fundamental to our survival. For that reason we need to make best use of the space we have.”

Leah Penniman
Farming While Black

This quote stood out to me because this mentality is such a contrast from the ideals of the farms where most of our food is produced. Conventional farms tend to think the way to be successful is to be as big as possible. I really like Leah’s perspective of growing on the space that you have as intensively and with as much thought and care as possible.

“No land-based project is complete without the integration and empowerment of young people. As soon as we gain knowledge for ourselves, it’s incumbent upon us to share it with the next generation. “

Leah Penniman
Farming While Black

“While farming was initially healing for me, for many African heritage people, it is triggering and re-traumatizing. Almost without exception, when I ask black visitors to Soul Fire Farm what they first associate with farming, they respond “slavery” or “plantation”.

Leah Penniman
Farming While Black

#3i: Bibliography 

Penniman, Leah, and Karen Washington. Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2018.

Stuckey, Barb. Taste: Surprising Stories and Science about Why Food Tastes Good. Atria Paperback, 2013.