Houston, we have lift off...

... Yes, we have lift off! And a problem.

In my previous post about my fair test on rocket I was fairly disappointed with its rate of growth. Things have certainly changed within one week! Though the results are a confronting for a few reasons.

The mainstream is almost three times as big as the organic. The control is doing fairly well considering all I give it is water. Sadly, the organic is looking quite small and undeveloped.

It has really made me think about the demands we make upon the earth. Perhaps rocket should be growing at the pace and rate of the organic plant? I don't have an agriculture background so I am oblivious to what should be happening. This process has made me realise just how uneducated I am about how my food is grown, but it's also challenged me to find out more.

Also, while I've always known that the appearance and size of produce is not a measure of its nutritional value or natural health, the fact that organic can look quite underwhelming for what you are paying really hit home.. I believe that is one of the key reasons mainstream farming methods are preferred over organic and continue to be supported by the majority of food buyers.

I can really see how this would be a valuable inquiry experience for my future students - they will be the ones who will determine the future of food sustainability. Surely, education is one of the most powerful keys to finding a solution to this problem.

Sharing is caring

As part of our project we need to share our findings with our cohort at uni. Today we'll be telling them all the things we have been doing and sharing our blog with them for the first time. It's exciting and a little bit nerve wracking!

Yesterday we made a decision about exactly what our solution to the issue of food sustainability is. We decided that the most important thing is for people to experience a connect with where and how food is grown. So part of the solution is just to share our blog with as many people as possible. The other part is for people to have the same experience that we have had, particularly about growing their own food.

So today we will be handing out little packs of seeds from the Jane St Community Garden at West End. They are packaged in brown paper so everything is recycled and biodegradable. It also has a link to our blog so everyone can find out more about our journey and more importantly, food sustainability.

We'll be encouraging our fellow students to comment on our learning through the blog and share their own journey and connections with growing their food.

Fingers crossed it all goes well!

Hungry Planet: What the World Eats

What does the average family eat each week?

Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio set out to answer this question and present their photographic study of families all around the world in a book called Hungry Planet: What the World Eats.

To look through the gallery in three parts follow these links:

Hungry Planet: What the World Eats Part I
Hungry Planet: What the World Eats Part II
Hungry Planet: What the World Eats Part III

As you look through the galleries ask yourself, what does this tell us about food sustainability and the connection of these people to the land they live on? Imagine the kinds of lives they lead and compare it to your own.