2011 December | Rocky Mountain Woman

Archive for December, 2011

Next Year

Written by Rocky Mountain Woman on December 30, 2011 – 12:17 pm -

It’s difficult to look at the photographs. They are almost stereotypical. An African child sitting in the dust, worn out by despair, painfully thin. The human suffering in Africa is overwhelming. It tugs at our hearts, perhaps inspiring us to open our checkbooks. Hunger is not, however, just an issue in developing countries. It’s a problem the entire planet shares.

According to census data released September 13, 2011, the poverty level in the United States has risen to 15.1%, the highest since 1993. This translates to 46.2 million people living below the poverty line in the United States. The United States Department of Agriculture reports that 14.5% of US households lacked access to adequate food for everyone in the home at some point in 2010. The statistics for global hunger are even more appalling. According to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), the percentage of undernourished people in sub-Saharan Africa was 30% in 2010.

There are many different proposals to alleviate world hunger, but broadly defined there are basically two methods that produce raw food products:

(1) Industrial scale operations typically run by big corporations using expensive machinery and chemicals to produce large amounts of consistent, relatively cheap food.

(2) Small farms typically run by families using labor intensive methods to produce a usually more expensive but superior crop.

Big companies have the capital and the ability to borrow funds to purchase expensive farm equipment and substantial tracts of land that can be used to produce massive crops quickly. In theory this food could feed millions of hungry people. Is large scale agriculture the solution to world hunger? The capacity to produce food does not automatically guarantee access to that food. If a family is living under the poverty level, very little is left to spend on food after basic housing needs have been met. It really doesn’t matter how much food is available for purchase in these situations because there just simply isn’t enough money to buy adequate food.

Paul Collier, Professor of Economics at Oxford University, disagrees. In an article in the New York Times, published April 15, 2008, he argues that even though the family farm is more romantic than a huge conglomerate, the food crisis the world is facing needs to be addressed with technology and innovation, not romanticism. He points out that the US and Europe are “rich enough to afford such folly”, but Africa is not. “In Europe deep-seated fears of science have been manipulated into a ban on both the production and import of genetically modified crops.” This is regrettable in Mr. Collier’s opinion, but not catastrophic in an area of wealth. He states “Africa definitely cannot afford this self-denial. It needs all the help it can possibly get from GM [genetically modified] drought-resistant crops”.

Small scale farming operations don’t have anywhere near the production capacity of their mega sized counterparts. Subsistence farms in developing countries, many of which are run by women, sometimes even fail to meet the needs of the family that runs them. Is it reasonable to believe that small scale farms can produce enough food to feed the rapidly growing world population? Some scientists believe it’s possible. For example, Christos Vasilikiotis, Ph.D, University of California, Berkley, states in his paper on organic farming, “Counter to the widely held belief that industrial agriculture is more efficient and productive, small farms produce far more per acre than large farms.” He points out further that “Even in the United States, the smallest farms, those 27 acres or less, have more than ten times greater dollar output per acre than larger farms

Not all small scale farmers are good stewards of their land and animals. Not all large scale farms have a complete disregard for the environment. What about the safety of our food? Is small scale production less likely to produce food that carries the bacteria that cause food borne illnesses? There are probably as many approaches to food production as there are farms. What is the answer?

Some experts believe that the solution lies in a combination of both ideologies. If large scale agricultural operations were to become more aware of the environmental impact of their activities and more sensitive to the needs of small farmers, perhaps a compromise of sorts can be made. An Oxfam Research report concluded that in order to feed our growing world population, several policies had to be implemented, including encouraging synergy between small farms and large industrial operations. The report also encouraged more support for small farm owners and regulation of large agricultural operators to “enhance social benefits and good environmental stewardship”.

My goal next year is to educate myself in an attempt to understand the complexities of our food supply. I know that the answers to world hunger are complex, but I may be able to identify steps that an individual can take to help in some way. At the very least, if I can understand the issue better, I can avoid being a part of the problem and perhaps maybe even become a part of the solution. I don’t want to look at those pictures any more without trying to help in some way.

Posted in She Loves | 11 Comments »

Working Title – The Silver Queen – Chapter 8 Draft

Written by Rocky Mountain Woman on December 26, 2011 – 9:07 am -

Thank goodness she left when she did because a few days later she went into labor. Her labor this time was short and John, Jr. made his appearance without much bother, yelling for something to eat. A boy! John would be thrilled.

“I can’t tell you how much your help means,” Celeste said to Lucinda after she had rested a few days.

“You can’t leave yet! I haven’t had enough time to hold this little one and we still have some visiting to do.”

Celeste agreed to stay the rest of the week, but found herself missing the girls and anxious for John to see his new son. Early on Sunday morning, she hitched the team to the wagon and made a spot next to her on the seat for John, Jr. As she clucked to the team to get them moving toward home, a sense of unease came over her. She knew that for some reason she needed to get home quickly. She flicked her whip at the surprised horses who quickened their pace

John met her at the door.

“Josephine is sick. Matthew went to Salt Lake to get the camp doctor. It’s bad, honey.”

Celeste handed her son to his father and ran up to their rooms. Josephine was in her crib breathing shallowly. When she picked her up, she couldn’t believe the heat coming from Josephine’s little body. She called downstairs and told John to fill a tub with cold water.

All night she stayed awake holding her little girl, every hour or so she would put Josephine in the cold water to try and bring down her fever. Late the next day, Matthew returned with the camp doctor. He took the baby from Celeste and examined her for quite some time.

“I don’t know what’s wrong, but she seems to have some sort of infection. I’ve got some medicine I can give her, but all we can really do is try and keep her fever down.”

Josephine started coughing the next night. By dawn, she was coughing up blood and by that evening, she was gone. John held Celeste in his arms and they both cried through the night, Celeste cradling their little girl on her lap.

The next morning Matthew appeared with a shovel and quietly started to dig a hole behind the café. Celeste couldn’t find the strength to leave her bed. She didn’t have enough milk for the baby and he cried continuously.

John walked around in a daze. He never spoke and he rarely ate or slept. The café stayed closed. Matthew cared for Amelie, making sure she had something to eat and playing with her while her parents grieved.

Celeste didn’t get out of her bed for weeks. Matthew brought her porridge and practically forced her to drink some water every few hours. Eventually, her milk came back and she could feed little John.

At some point the fog in her brain lifted enough that she remembered she had a newborn to care for and she got herself dressed and cleaned up a bit.

John kissed her early the next morning and said “I need to go back to work.”

She nodded and within an hour he had left for the mine. Matthew left a few days later after he was sure Celeste was eating and able to care for Amelie and Little John.

The days went by so slowly. Grief’s stupor made her clumsy and forgetful. Every morning when the sun came up, Celeste forced her leaden body from her sleepless bed and nursed John, Jr. Then she woke Amelie and fed her, but ate little or nothing herself. The cafe was closed indefinitely.

Lucinda showed up a few days after Matthew left. “I heard the news honey and I came to see what I could do to help.”

Celeste collapsed in her friend’s arms in tears.

“That’s good, just cry it out, it’s all you can do now.”

“I have to stop sometime. I don’t know how to do this, Lucinda. The children need me, but I can’t seem to do anything but cry.”

“Give yourself time. Each week it will get a little easier. I lost my first baby a few months after he was born. It took a year before I could even say his name. Let’s start by getting some food in you, you are skin and bones. Go and draw yourself a tub of warm water and soak while I take care of the children and make some food.”

Lucinda stayed as long as she could, cooking for them, holding Celeste while she cried and drinking wine late into the night with her when she couldn’t sleep.

When she had her wagon packed and was ready to leave she hugged Celeste. “You’ll be fine honey, just take it a day at a time. Try to remember to eat so you have milk for the baby. You are a strong woman, Celeste, you can do this.”

Celeste took Lucinda’s kind words to heart and made an effort to begin living her life again. She opened the cafe for the few men who weren’t up in the mountains. The days became a blur of pain and work. Life goes on even when your heart is broken.

To be continued….

For the beginning of this story, click on the “She Writes” tab on the right…

Posted in She Writes | 5 Comments »

FETA SPINACH OMELETTE

Written by Rocky Mountain Woman on December 14, 2011 – 1:17 pm -

This post is in honor of the letter “f” and part of Jenny Matlock’s Alphabet Thursday. For more fearless “f” posts, please click here http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/

If you have fresh spinach, rinse it thoroughly with hot water and set aside. If not, place a package of frozen spinach in a colander and rinse with hot water until it’s thawed.