Why Exactly is Food Important?

The intricacy of brush strokes on a canvas or the gentle sculpting of clay mirrors the art of a chifa chef skillfully preparing a dish. Consisting of a mixture of Chinese cooking styles and ingredients with Peruvian criollo cuisine, chifa is an encapsulation of the history of Chinese immigration in Peru and a symbol of the translation of Chinese culture in Peru. As art, food, in general, represents the sum of a larger history and

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Cultivating the Future

Last spring semester I conducted research on development aid in Uganda, and I went in as a complete skeptic. I read articles and books written by world-renowned economists and political scientists and from there I formed my own opinions.  I decided that the amount of money given to developing countries was not producing any noticeable changes or benefits. These opinions were formed based on my understanding as an outsider viewing what was happening in developing

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Growing the Next Generation: Sustainable Farming and Nutrition for India’s Youth

In 2006, 47% of India’s children under the age of five were underweight.[1] After ten years, the country has seen slow, steady improvements, but the 2.4% annual decline in children who have experienced stunted growth[2] has not been enough to achieve the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals,[3] a set of objectives set forth by the UN in 2000 to decrease poverty and increase health worldwide.  One of these eight goals was to have halved the

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Economics of Sustainable Agriculture

The reliance on sustainable agriculture goes beyond solely providing food and food security as it provides economic stability and growth.  Implementing sustainable practices into the agriculture sector, especially in Wayanad, provides lasting labor opportunities, sufficient income and a better quality of life. The use of pesticides has a deleterious effect on crops and water run-off, leading to health risks. As a small village with little education and with pesticides readily available, Wayanad is highly susceptible

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From Farm to Table: Bringing People Together through Gardening

This summer, I started a small garden in my backyard. After building   a raised bed and planting small seedlings, I anxiously (and impatiently) waited to see signs of growth. I planted red bell peppers, summer squash, zucchini, eggplant, and green beans. Every afternoon, I watered and weeded the bed until one day in July, I began to see some new developments. A small bell pepper was beginning to form on one of the plants! Gardening

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