Mount Fuji Exploration

Our Saturday led us south out of Kofu to the area surrounding Mount Fuji. The impact of past eruptions of Mount Fuji on soil was discussed. Due to this much of the soil in the area is classified as Andisols. The first stop was at a cave that was created years ago from lava. Mount Fuji last erupted in 1707 and experts fear an eruption is imminent. From there we made our way to Saiko. There were many shops to explore and they provided the opportunity to grab lunch. 

Following lunch we ventured to the Fujisan Museum. This museum shared the story of Mount Fuji and it's religious roles.There were many interactive displays and we were able to head to the roof top for a great view of the town and surrounding areas. Unfortunately, due to cloud cover we were not able to see the peak of Mount Fuji today. We finished our time in Fujiyoshida City with a stop at a shrine that is key to Mount Fuji.

As we returned to the hotel the Hawkeye students were joined by students from the University of Yamanashi for dinner. Amber and Brad had the opportunity to enjoy a traditional Japanese meal with faculty and administration from the university. We now prep for an early morning train ride bound for Tokyo. 

Egypt Potato Production

Potato production is on the rise in Egypt thanks to a program with Pepsico and USAID. The linked video below provides the story of this project along with the impact that it has had. We invite you to watch the linked video (3.5 minutes) and utilize the discussion points below to guide your conversations around the globe with others.

The Potato Expert

Discussion Points

• Faiza shares, "I advise that education is everything and better than any other thing." How was this the case in this situation? How does this comment apply to your life? How do you define education and what does it look like around the globe?
• What did you notice about agriculture from the video? How is it different and similar to agriculture in your home region?
• What was your big take away from this video? What did you learn that could improve something in your life locally and/or globally?  

#FoodPrize20

 It is World Food Prize week! In past years leaders and experts in agriculture, food, and nutrition from around the globe gather in Des Moines, Iowa (USA) in mid-October. In our current times we are called to gather in a virtual community. This year, like past years, has provided an excellent opportunity to learn from one another and create positive change in the world around us at home and abroad. We encourage you to discuss some of the impactful quotes shared throughout the week, so far, and utilize the discussion points below to guide your conversations with others around the globe. 

Discussion Points

• Of the quotes shared below, which quotes grab your attention and why?
• Identify a quote (or a couple quotes) from below that apply to you currently (or you can relate to). How and why does this quote/quotes apply to you and/or your local community?
• Are there any quotes that you disagree with or would like to challenge further? Explain.
• Pick a quote to explore further. Let the quote lead you to further research. Share your findings with others. 

Translating Climate Science to Action

• "The climate crisis is here right now. It is getting worse. We have the solutions. It is already drastically impacting farmers. You all, particularly the young people, give me hope, that we can and we will solve the climate crisis." Al Gore, Former Vice President of the United States
• "Humans are the mirror image of the land we live upon." Dr. Rattan Lal, Distinguished Professor at The Ohio State University

Carbon Sequestration, Sustainability in Agriculture, and the Rise of Carbon Markets

• "When I harvest, I harvest the crop, I harvest information, and I harvest CO2 from the atmosphere. That is a win-win-win, not just a win-win." Gabriel Carballal, Farmer from Uruguay
• "Farmers are the world's largest group of land stewards." Sally Rockey, Executive Director of Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research

Investment Innovations for Food Systems Transformation

• "I believe that finance and investment has got to come from all sources." Ted McKinney, Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign agricultural Affairs, US Department of Agriculture
• "The people need the planet; the planet doesn't need people." Hillary Barry, Founder and Secretary General, LadyAgri Impact Investment Hub

The Role of Media in Shaping Public Engagement in Food Systems

• "Disseminating science has never been more challenging than in the current landscape." Alex Lamm, Associate Professor at the University of Georgia
• "We are all consumers of information and media and we must train ourselves to distinguish reliable sources from unreliable information and sources." Adam Roberts, Midwest Correspondent with The Economist

Safe, Affordable, Nutritious Food Year Round: Global Aspirations to Local Application for Nutrition

• "In order to feed, in order to produce food, for 10 billion people by 2050...what the world needs is to add an additional 450 million hectares of planting nutrient dense foods and 630 million less hectares of nutrient deficient foods." Pedro Sanchez, 2002 World food Prize Laureate
• "Poor diets are not simply a matter of personal choices. Many people cannot access or afford nutritious food." Renata Micha, Chair of the Independent Expert Group, Global Nutrition Report

Keynote: H.E. Gilbert Houngbo

• "If the women were to have the same productive resources, in agriculture, as men we would have 150 million less people suffering from malnutrition and hunger." H.E. Gilbert Houngbo, President of International Fund for agricultural Development
• "Economic and environmental development must go hand in hand." H.E. Gilbert Houngbo

Remarks from 2020 Laureate

• "Science is useless if it does not serve humanity." Dr. Rattan Lal
• "I believe that helping people, plants, animals, and ecosystems is one and indivisible." Dr. Rattan Lal

Do not let the conversations end here. Jump on social media using #FoodPrize20 to engage further!

Stop Soil Pollution

Soil pollution is a problem across the world. Recently the FAO shared a video providing what can be done to help decrease or stop soil pollution. We encourage you to watch the short video clip and utilize the discussion points below to guide conversations with others around the globe!

7 things you can do to stop soil pollution

Discussion Points

• Do you think soil pollution looks the same around the world (what causes it)? Explain your reasoning.
• Of the seven tactics shared to stop soil pollution which do you think could have the largest positive impact in your local community and also around the globe?
• Which of the seven tactics shared do you believe will be the toughest to implement in your local area and also globally? 
• Can you think of additional ways to decrease or stop soil pollution outside of the seven ideas shared? Explain your thoughts.

World Soil Contamination

Our soil is such a valuable resource that often can go underappreciated. Soil contamination and pollution is a growing problem around the world and may not be from sources that you suspect. This week we share an article from the FAO highlighting this issue and provide discussion points to drive your conversations around the globe.

Increased Soil Contamination Puts Food Safety and Food Security at Risk

Discussion Points

• Why is soil contamination and pollution such a concern worldwide?
• What are the main causes of soil pollution and contamination?
• What can you do personally to help prevent soil pollution and contamination?
• What should be done bigger picture to prevent soil contamination and pollution (county, municipality, state, country, and world levels)?

Intercropping in China

Farming on the steep hills of China can be a challenge and soil erosion is a huge concern. This week we take a closer look at some research to protect the soil while increasing profits at the same time in China. We encourage you to look at the linked article and utilize the discussion points below to guide the conversations in your classrooms and communities around the globe.

Helping Chinese Farmers Tackle Erosion

Discussion Points

• Imagine someone approaches you on the street and has no idea what intercropping is. Explain it to them in a couple sentences.
• What benefits where found utilizing intercropping in China? 
• Of all the benefits listed which do you feel was the most important and why?
• Soil erosion continues to be an issue in China and around the world. What are additional ways that erosion can be reduced in China and globally? Explain how/why your recommendations would be successful.

**Ag Educators: Take the last point a step farther and have students create a plan to reduce erosion in China and present to the class.

Build the Soil

We started off the morning with our great elementary students with our "what we know about agriculture" lesson, but this time shared it with 4th graders. At the end of the lesson they raised the chain above their head while in a circle and stated "Agriculture feeds the world!" in both Creole and English.

Next we had some down time before our afternoon activities so we loaded up and headed to a project where UCI is helping a woman by building a new house. We got to work up a good sweat with some manual labor prepping for the footings of the house. Pick axes and shovels were the tools of choice although a bowl works in a pinch. 

After lunch we continued with English lessons at the elementary, this time working with the 4th graders on English. As we have advanced through the grade levels it has been great to see the development and ability to speak English grow! Following English we made our way to the university to have a discussion on soil nutrition and plant production. Great emphasis was placed on building the soil and its productivity. Many ideas where exchanged and we challenged the Haitian students to pick one of the practices we brainstormed and experiment with it over the next couple months. We are working on a way to share their results to keep up on their progress. 

Following our discussion with agrculture students we moved to a larger classroom so we could combine medical and agriculture students for a presentation by Julie Grunklee on the importance of bringing agriculture and health together. It was great to have participants with Community Health Initiative (CHI) join us for the presentation and the rest of our time in Haiti. At the conclusion of Julie's presentation we made our way to the roof top of the university to change out batteries in our weather station sensors and watch the sun set over the Haiti landscape. 

We enjoyed pizza for dinner before the men's choir from the area joined us to perform many Haitian numbers before inviting us to join them for their final song in English. At the conclusion of the singing we enjoyed a final Coke by our tree out front and reflected on our experiences and got to know the folks from CHI a little better. We prep for a long time of travel over the next day and a half. 

Precision Farming in Haiti

Today was a great day filled with agriculture and education! We started off the day with 5th and 6th graders at the elementary school. We shared a lesson revolving around agriculture awareness. We had the students create a list of agriculture related concepts in Haiti. They compiled a great list that we discussed. We will return tomorrow morning to address questions that arose from this activity and look at things more in depth.

Following our time with the 5th and 6th graders we met up with the university students to head to the irrigation gardens. Once we reached the gardens we had a brief discussion on the importance of soil sampling and recorded where we took samples with GPS receivers in order to return to take samples in the future. We then took a close look at row spacing, plant placement, and germination which led to spectacular discussions. While at the garden we had the opportunity to jump in and assist with transplanting of some leeks. 

Precision farming is alive and well in Haiti! They precisely place bagas (waste from sugar cane) beside each plant for perfect placement of the fertilizer. They, also, use measuring techniques to assure proper placement of each plant in the row. 

After lunch we had the opportunity to work with second graders learning English before we made our way to the university to test the soil samples that we took. We did basic tests for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and pH. We will review these results later in the week with the students. 

Before dinner this evening we took some time to enjoy the company of our hosts with another competitive round of volleyball matches. Following dinner many students from the university came over for an evening of games and social time with our group. We look forward to the great things to come on Wednesday! Be sure to be checking our Facebook and Twitter pages for photos of our experience in Haiti. 

France's Plan for Carbon and Soil

We take a look at an ambitious plan by the French to increase the amount of carbon going into the soil. This has many benefits as noted in the linked article below. Read through the article below and use the discussion points to guide conversations around the globe.

How France Plans to Bury Carbon Emissions

Discussion Points

• What role does soil play with carbon emissions?
• Explain France's plans in regards to carbon and soil? What are their goals?
• Why is it a challenge to raise soil carbon content?
• What are the benefits of carbon rich soils in regards to soil health, plant growth, and the environment?
•  Do you think this is a realistic plan/goal? How would individuals in your home country react to a plan like this?