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| ISSUE NO. 494 |
WE LOVE NOTHING MORE . . .than using the internet as a tool to really, truly connect with other humans. A few weeks ago a newsletter reader reached out with a cultural concern that caught our eye. We hopped on the phone with her to hash it out, and she agreed that the ensuing conversation was worth sharing - it's an issue we've grappled with over the years: In Sam's words... Recently, I was struck by the urge to apply to graduate school – business school, specifically. So, I did what any recovering over-achiever would do: I went to the school’s website and registered to be kept up-to-date about application deadlines, information sessions, and school news. I filled out my name, my address, my date of birth, and my country of citizenship, and then I was asked to specify my Current Employer Industry. The dropdown options read:
And yet, food is fundamental to how we interact with the earth and with one another. Famines bring war, feasts bring people together. And how we produce food is often the single biggest factor affecting the quality of air, water, and soil in a given place. The idea of working in food and agriculture – and applying business acumen, technological improvements, and human-centered design to it – literally did not enter my consciousness until the second semester of my senior year of college, as a result of a survey course called The State of the Planet. My school did, in fact, have a large agriculture program, but it was sequestered far away – both physically and intellectually - from the Engineering School, the School of Arts & Sciences, and, of course, the business school. Young adults are unlikely to take ‘the path less traveled’ if they can’t even see the path. And with the farming population rapidly aging, we need young people in the game more than ever. My questions for the wider GFJ community are:
Sam Garwin ///////// Her arguments struck a chord because we've been in her shoes, wondering why the path that seems obvious to us is discounted, discredited, ignored, or left out of the conversation. In some ways, life is much easier when you declare a profession 'on the list', one that is immediately recognized and understood to be valuable. But Sam brings up the point that it's not just a matter of feeling accepted (although that is a powerful feeling), it's about presenting the field of food and agriculture as the viable option that it is. Having a presence on the drop down menu means the awareness of its viability spreads more rapidly, bringing more people into the fold of food and agriculture. It's one thing to take the road less traveled, and quite another to have to bring your own machete to hack through the weeds and branches and make your own path. We're not aiming to be on the super highway. Our path might always wind or have some bumps, and we recognize the beauty and accomplishment that results. We know the process is worthwhile because challenges can be fun, but we also believe in finding tools to make the process easier, and more communal, for everyone with a passion for what food can do. What do you think? Tay + Dor Co-Founders, Good Food Jobs |
tidbits...what we’re reading / listening to / watching / noticing / thinking about / captivated by this Tuesday… |
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