The World Is Not for Sale: Farmers Against Junk Food (Finished reading)
Hello, everyone! Welcome to my blog. In this post, I will write down some book content that left a strong impression on me.
After reading the book, I became interested in the French word "malbouffe." "Junk food" is the nearest English word. This word has overtones of unhealthy or contaminated food and a sound that provokes a feeling of nausea. According to José, the word could indicate both the standardization of food like McDonald’s and food that endangers health.
As a French learner, this was a very interesting fact.
I was able to learn more about agriculture, mainly intensive farming and sustainable farming.
Intensive farming is a way farmers use chemicals and technology to grow plants and animals. Hormone-treated beef and GM (genetically modified) crops are examples of intensive farming. Hormone-treated beef is from cows that are given hormones to encourage fast weight gain. GM crops are plants that have had their DNA modified. They may be given new traits such as disease resistance and nutritional improvement.
The authors were opposed to this method of farming.
Sustainable farming was developed through farmers' struggles with intensive farming. There was a lot to make better, for example: status and income of farmers; quality of produce; ownership of farms; respect for natural resources; and equality between North and South.
It is hoped to be the future of agriculture, along with multifunctionality and diversity (owning restaurants, etc.).
The book was a little difficult to understand with its uncommon words. It was difficult to think about agricultural problems because they seemed so remote from my life. However, junk foods are seen everywhere, so thanks to the book, I think I should reflect on my diet more often.
I also watched a YouTube video about future farming. Jasmine Holliday, a farming officer at Lake District National Park, explained the farm business and its future plans. Tourism and direct selling are two examples of these activities.
I'm glad you chose such a challenging book and stuck with it, after trying out various books over the course of the semester. I have a strong interest in sustainable farming and would like to engage in subsistence farming when I retire from teaching. It always amazes me that people think that farming is so remote from them, even through they depend on the fruits (and vegetables) of farmers' labors every day. As you learned from the book, the quality of the food we eat, the conditions of farmers, and the state of the soil and environment in and around farms are all intimately intertwined.
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