It was a bright sunny Sunday -- not too warm but just right -- for me anyway <smile>. After some weekend chores, I settled in to an online course that I am late starting -- I'm 2/3 through week one and tomorrow they begin Week 5. It will take some catching up, but so far this is quite fascinating. The course deals with sustainable agricultural intensification -- that may sound like an oxymoron, but up sizing production can be done in sustainable ways for both large and small land holder operations. There are challenges to this process that are explored throughout the course. Technological changes and changes in habits of producers and consumers are at the heart of the discussions. Now this isn't for credit or required for anything other than my own interest. The topics definitely intersect with building food security in the world, an area I have worked in as a community volunteer, a researcher and an educator.
Learning new things, or placing knowledge into new frameworks has always excited me. A good friend once said that I used knowledge acquisition as others use leisure activities. Well, if I spent half of my day off doing this for pleasure, I guess she really was correct <smile>. There are many free and low cost courses available through major educational institutions and they cover all topics one can imagine. It is something that online technology has brought to the fingertips of people around the world -- in large urban centres and smaller isolated communities. It democratizes education by taking distance education to another level. Such courses may serve as templates for future degree granting programs and play into the demands of current and future undergraduate students -- making it easier to access courses on topics of specific interest to the learner rather than forcing them to choose from a pool of topics that may not fully meet their wants and needs. Isn't that cool? Yeah, just me being a nerdy academic. <smile>
Several songs ran through my mind today while working through the background lectures and readings. Songs about farming, fishing and ranching aren't in short supply. I did choose one by an Australian-Canadian singer. The lyrics speak to the current farm income crisis and sprawl seen in our country -- and in many others. Enjoy!
Where a Farm Used to be -- Gord Bamford
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