By Aaron Malone
New Castle, Indiana
Biology
When I decided to study ecology and Spanish in Ecuador, I expected it to be a life-changing experience, but I never expected it to change something as mundane as my grocery shopping.
For the first three months, I took traditional classes, stayed with a host family and conducted field work throughout the county with a group of students. Afterwards, we all began a month-long independent project, which we each designed with help from our advisers.
I came back to Macalester with a renewed dedication to help change agriculture.
—Aaron Malone |
For my project, I went to the small town of Vilcabamba, in Ecuador's southernmost province, to study organic farming. I lived with an organic farmer and studied both farming and the market forces acting on organic foods in the town. I talked to shopkeepers, restaurateurs, farmers and random people on the street.
I met many people in Vilcabamba who were convinced that organic farming was necessary for the health of the community, and who were dedicated to making positive changes. I met people who risked their livelihood by shunning traditional agro-chemical reliance and switching to new organic methods, and people who were willing to spend some extra cents out of their small incomes to buy organic food for their families.
The vision of these people to look beyond themselves to the community and environment was an inspiration to me. I came back to Macalester with a renewed dedication to help change agriculture. For now that means I have joined a local co-op where I volunteer and buy organic food, but who knows where it will lead me after graduation.
|
