I’m sitting in the hotel at San Josè, listening to the city sounds of cars and busses. My mind transports me back to the EARTH University campus, where we woke up to crickets and monkeys on a daily basis. I’m longing for the sound of the morning rain pounding on the roof, but sadly our short class at EARTH has come to an end. Throughout our stay, I met students and professors from around the world, each one impressing me more than the last. I had to constantly remind myself that these students were undergraduates, because their research and entrepreneurial projects were so complex, detailed, and successful.
Although somehow, throughout it all, one of the most transformative conversations I had at EARTH started in line for dinner at the cafeteria. Charbel and I met as I filled my glass with blackberry juice, and I awkwardly stumbled through introducing myself in my broken Spanish. I think he could see my struggle, because he responded in English, my relief showing in the relaxing of my face. He told me of his interest in potentially pursing a Masters degree at Chatham, and so I told him to join me and my fellow Chatham students for dinner. We talked about the Food Studies program, my favorite classes, and my research interests. He, like so many of the EARTH students, seemed impressed and intrigued with our program, but I wanted to learn a little bit more about him. Charbel told me about his home in Lebanon, and the opportunities that EARTH has offered him, a smile never breaking from his bearded face.
At EARTH, each fourth-year student must complete a project. This is basically a hands-on research thesis or entrepreneurial project (or in the case of Charbel, a mix of the two). When I asked him about his project, his face lit up and his eyes widened, and before he even started speaking, I could feel the passion he had for his work. Charbel told me about his work to create an organic pesticide for the control of white flies and aphids. The pesticide is made from of a mix of extracts from medicinal plants, hot peppers, and garlic, and he is testing the effectiveness on the white flies in the Yucca fields, and the aphids in the Cacao fields.
While creating an organic pesticide and doing controlled research is remarkable for someone completing an undergraduate degree, I was even more impressed by his philosophies and his knowledge about implications of his work.
“I am not focused on Organic, I am focused on sustainability,” he stated.
I nodded in agreement, and my mind starting turning with questions and statements of my own. Charbel told me that if he was 100% sure about anything with his research, it was that his organic pesticide would not be as effective as the chemicals that farmers are currently using. However, the purpose of his research is not to eradicate chemicals altogether. In tropical agriculture systems, the amount of rain creates a perfect breeding ground for pests and disease, making the use of chemicals customary and necessary for large-scale production. Therefore, Charble’s research on organic pesticides is integral to the lowering of chemical use, and the sustainability of tropical agriculture altogether.
In America, “Organic” is a buzzword, and “chemicals” creates hysteria and panic in the consumer’s mind. The term “Organic’ has become a part of popular media, and the certification eases the public’s mind about what they are putting into their bodies. However, issues such as poor labor conditions, environmental degradation, and the economic externalities of cheap food are issues buried from the average consumer’s conscious. What Charbel is doing is creating a way in which farmers can lower their use of pesticides, create better working conditions, increase their profits, and promote the environmental sustainability of their land. It’s about creating a well-rounded system, closing as many loops as possible, and respecting the natural environment that has graciously lent us its resources.
While supporting a local farmer is (in my opinion) a great way to start impacting our food system, big agriculture is here to stay. So how can we, as agriculture and food studies professionals, work within the system to create a more sustainable, environmentally friendly, and humane way to grow our food? Charbel and his fellow students are being trained with this viewpoint in mind, and as they graduate and go back to their home countries, these philosophies will travel with them. The internationality of EARTH’s student body insists that their knowledge will be sprinkled throughout the world, hopefully creating better agriculture and environmental systems for tomorrow.
Cassandra Malis
Masters Candidate in Food Studies
earthtochatham 