The Art of Alternative Agriculture

June 5, 2017, 10:26 am

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It was nearing the end of fall. We were sad yet excited. It was a quiet and warm day. Planting season was coming to an end. On our way to the Maitlands’, we talked about ways we had personally practised alternative agriculture and food sustainability.

 The Maitlands’ are a sweet couple who have a passion for gardening and alternative agriculture. In the past, they had traveled to a few African countries such as Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria, and experienced delicacies from various cultures around the world. When we arrived, they welcomed us with much warmth, tea and some banana bread. The house had a hospitable feel to it. Gardening hadn’t been much on our agendas coming to Canada. One thing for sure is that we had never imagined coming from Africa was that many households in Canada practiced this art. For us we grew up watching our grandparents, parents and other relatives both garden and farm. When planting season came, they had a certain smile we couldn’t quite put our fingers on.  We saw that in the Maitlands’ that day, proud yet humble home gardeners.

Just before we saw the garden we sat to discuss more about their passion for gardening and alternative agriculture. Both of us were just as curious asked what inspired them to start gardening. Mrs. Maitland explained to us how her father before her had studied Agriculture and it was through him that she was inspired to start gardening herself. The Maitland further explained “We also knew that industrialization was coming, so we still wanted to experience good organic food”. That was something we, like many others rarely thought of when we talked about what inspired one to start farming themselves. Indeed, industrialization has had a great impact on our lives in so many ways, even in our food production and consumption. For instance, a trip to the grocery store means more packaged food, such as chips and pre-packaged salads, whereas the opposite means one could pick fresh produce straight from one’s own garden.

“We have been gardening for over some 25 years now” they further observed. They noted that after having done it for so long it somewhat became therapeutic as well as a hobby. We sat there in awe and amazement at how much we were learning from these proud yet humble home gardeners.

Artists they were, as we dove deeper into conversation the Maitland’s mentioned they also took part in other forms of alternative agriculture such as community gardening and various forms of food preservation methods. As they further illuminated their thoughts about Alternative Agriculture, they introduced us to the idea of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) (http://csafarms.ca/what%20are%20CSA%20farms.html) and plot renting. For the Maitlands’ it was at Ignatius (https://ignatiusguelph.ca/ignatius-farm/community-gardens/) that they parttook in community gardening outside their home . “It is also a great way for locals and small scale farmers to interact with their community, while having access to fresh local produce,” Mr. Maitland added.  At Ignatius they were able to rent a piece of land where they could work, grow and eat their own food in addition to their private backyard garden. This not only meant they could save more on food but also plan their menus and meals around their own fresh produce from the gardens. We were both intrigued and we loved the idea of directly taking part in growing and harvesting one’s own food.

Backyard showing the compost container

Once we were done enjoying our snack, the Maitland couple invited us into their backyard garden. We were impressed with the professionalism of their garden. There in the backyard was a small yet functional greenhouse. Mr. Maitland explained to us that that is where they start their seedlings in the spring. Yet there was more, a compost station. This was the most interesting concept about the garden. They used the residue of crops from the harvest as their compost manure. This was done not only as a sustainable practice but as a cheaper alternative (as oppose to store bought manure) for the next planting farming season. The Maitlands’ grew almost everything we could think of a backyard garden could have and more. They grew tomatoes, onions, all kinds of herbs (such as parsley, cilantro and dill), collard greens, carrots even radicchio. We even got to try some of their cherry tomatoes and other herbs straight from the garden.

Compost preparation - leaves

“This year we tried something new” Mrs. Maitland explained. They had never grown okra until just now. To the Maitlands’ (as they had explained) trying out and growing new plants was an exciting challenge. One thing was certain; this challenge was tackled with much grace and ambiance, as they had a successful yield of Okra. They also talked about other challenges they had growing other crops like melons and cantaloupes. “These are quite difficult to grow in the backyard” they explained. Another was corn, as it took up much space so they decided not to grow it.

Flowering okra plant @ Maitlands' backyard

When we finished looking at the garden, we headed to their basement. There they showed us the various ways in which they preserved food. They refrigerated their peppers and other vegetables. They dried or canned their tomatoes, fermented their cabbage and cucumbers and stored their carrots in buckets of soil, all year round until planting season was in full wing once again. “The only things we normally buy are our meat and dairy products and fruits, and maybe a few fresh products such as tomatoes” they explained.

The afternoon was coming to an end, as we got ready to leave the Maitlands’ house, they offered some goodies from their backyard garden and storage. Filled with gratitude, we both headed home that day having learnt more than we had expected to learn. We not only learned just how easy and affordable it can be to have access to healthier and fresh food right in our neighbours’ backyards, but also how it can bring one joy and fulfillment.

We will leave you with a quote from Dr. Lionel Tigers (Professor and Anthropologist)

“Our ancestors were eating meat over 2.5 million years ago. We mainly ate meat, fish, fruits, vegetables and nuts. We have to assume our physiology evolved in association with this diet. The balanced diet for our species was what we could acquire then, not what the government and doctors tell us to eat now.”

Senda Chinganzi & Antonia Ofosu, Research Assistants, ECVOntario.

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Food Banks: Perceptions of an International Student

August 9, 2017, 9:47 am

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Food banks generally provide food to less privileged and disadvantaged individuals in our communities. Food banks were first initiated in the United States of America, however, food banks have grown to become a household name in many communities around the world. The primary purpose of a food bank is to receive and distribute food to reduce or prevent hunger. These fixed ideas were imprinted in my mind after my first exposure to the concept of food banks. Imprinted by whom? Why did I perceive food banks as only a food storage and distribution concept? At the time, there was a dearth in my knowledge about food security and food sovereignty. I only understood food security from the viewpoint of poverty and lack thereof of knowledge which can improve access to nutritious quality meals. After all, why will an individual need to go to a physical location to access free food.

I had moved from Ghana, to this new location which I was excited to integrate into as soon as possible. During my period living in the United States as an international student, I never visited a food bank. However, I would often hear about a call from food banks, for food from community members and students, specifically cans of food and less perishable foods. I would think that this was a well-meaning cause for those who needed food and yet, I was not sold on the idea of eating canned food. I must admit that growing up, I was spoiled by easy access to fresh cooked meals, hot from the pot with no use of a microwave. This was just the norm in my community and my country and it was not because of riches or access to cheap food. I recalled the smell of fresh “light soup” with bay leaves, tomatoes and peppers, and pounded cassava and yams (fufu). I believe I would have almost starved if I had to choose canned food instead of a nice cooked meal. I was still adjusting to life in America and little did I know that on one chilly night in the near future, I would rely on a nice bowl of chicken noodle soup and crackers to help me get over my flu. Since that day, I occasionally purchased some canned soup from the grocery store. Some years down the line, I found that comparable grocery store items could be found in both grocery stores and food banks.

Canned and packed foods

Fast forward into the future, I arrived in Canada a few years later, once again an international student trying to familiarize myself with a North American country. After days of orientations, I learned that a food bank was located somewhere on the university campus. To my surprise, a food bank charge was listed on my student bill. I wondered and said out loud to myself, “why are students paying for the food?” I knew very little about food banks and all I knew were the words “needed” and “free”. A month had gone by and I had still not been to the food bank to see what it was all about. I kept hearing people talk about the food bank but this only surprised me as I expected cans of soup and beans. As an international student, I needed to budget wisely and ensure that I had enough food without breaking the bank. After a few months of spending scarce dollars on food and the thought of shame often accompanied by visits to food banks, I weighed my options. I cared very little about what it meant to visit a food bank. I thought to myself, “why am I spending the salary of one adult person (in Ghana) on just food?” The idea haunted me anytime I went grocery shopping. Also, I never had enough to buy the food products I needed, or access the products I needed. I relied heavily on specific vegetables, fruits and rice, the cheaper ones of course. Even though any choice of food produce was expensive, I was too far away from an “African store” to purchase anything familiar or cheaper. As a matter of fact, food from African stores cost more because of export and storage requirements. As a result, I improvised with the basic and common foods like onions, tomatoes and oranges.

Carrots

Finally, I decided to visit the food bank to save money and access food. I was dumfounded when I arrived at the food bank provided by the university.  Mind you the food bank was a smaller version of what one could find in any Canadian community food bank. I was met by warm greetings from fellow students. One student was stacking both fresh and non-perishable foods, while the other asked if this was my first time so she could sign me up with a membership card. I was expecting to find only pre-packaged bags of canned food ready to hand off to the needy. This was often the condescending and shaming thoughts I had associated with food banks. To my surprise, I found a lively room busy with students (single or with families) from diverse backgrounds, and storage bins filled with a large variety of food produce. In a walk-in room to my left there were two freezers and one fridge filled to the brim with milk and crates of eggs. The freezers contained, fish, chicken, frozen pancakes, frozen vegetables, hamburgers, and the list continuous. In the main open space, bins had been filled with onions, eggplant, coloured peppers, carrots, bananas, apples, oranges potatoes and other fruits and vegetables. 

Frozen Beef

There was a second room with non-perishable breakfast foods, oatmeal and cereal bars. Rice, lentils, cans of soup, tuna, beans, chicken, tomatoes spaghetti, flour and sugar were all available for the taking. I felt as though I was in the wrong place. This was not a food bank, but a mini grocery store that cost almost nothing. Of course, portion sizes had been conveniently provided to ensure that everyone had equal access to the food provided. When I finally recovered from my surprise about the food bank, I noticed a message board with a list of ingredients and recipes provided for interested individuals and families. I wondered to myself “why would someone take the time to make this recipe board and why is it necessary?”  Most importantly, all the ingredients listed could be found in the food bank so the meals were achievable. Contrary to my previous beliefs, my first rational thought about the food bank was that distribution was not the primary goal of this food bank. The administrators set out to provide access to a variety of nutritious meals to all and to ensure that quality food was provided. Two things happened to me that day, first I redefined my conception of food banks and secondly, I wanted to learn more about food banks.  

Lentils and Cereals

I set out to do some research on my own and found that even though Canada is a wealthy country, people are still living in poverty and they still have little access to food. For every 6individuals supported in Canada by food banks, 1 person has a job. This means that not having a stable source of income is not the only reason for a person to visit a food bank. Food banks provide much more than food related support. Corporate and local food bank partners encourage support from able organizations and individuals, collect and provide safe quality food, raise funds to support the cause, provide household products, general skill training and build capacity for community members to make the most of their access to food, while reducing hunger and improving the quality of lives (examples include starting community gardens and developing cooking skills). Food banks are bringing community members together to share a meal and fight for a common worthy cause. So, there is more to food banks! I have benefited from a visit to the food bank! Now, how can I as an individual contribute to this idea that appears to be bigger than just access to food.  I had so much more to learn on this new journey.

Antonia Abena Ofosu, Graduate Student, ECVOntario, Canada

The Assimilated Canadian Diet

November 28, 2017, 6:38 pm

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Canada is often touted as being the world's most multicultural country (Brennan, 2008). Further still, Canada's largest city, Toronto, is touted as the most multicultural metropolis (He et al., 2013). With most Torontonians having been born outside of the country, Toronto may be expected to champion its own culturally diverse food systems, yet against this depiction, Toronto, as with Canada, exhibits food assimilation (Alem et al., 2010). Although commonly associated with the west, the industrial diet has spread globally at the expense of the environment and people’s wellbeing (Aaron, 2014). In Canada, this phenomenon can be seen in the changing dietary habits of many newcomers (Bourdeau, 2010). Culture may be a cause but culture can also be a product. Whether it be out of convenience or affordability, people in an industrialized food environment tend to gravitate towards particular habits (Aaron, 2014).

Although the demand is ripe for a greater choice that better caters to the preferences and ethnocultural diversity of buyers, Canada remains food insecure despite already producing more than enough food. In British Columbia, its government emphasizes locally sourced food yet its legislation maintains export-based agriculture. Instead of cherishing locally grown diversity, access to fresh food options has been impeded by costs, availability, and a restrictive selection (Wittman, 2011). Beyond the inconvenience of lacking choice, there are economic and health issues resulting from this industrial complacency (Filson and Adekunle, 2017). Inadequate access to ethnocultural food can lead individuals, especially lower-income individuals, to seek unhealthier alternatives like processed products and less fresh produce (Bourdeau, 2010). For farmers and the food network abroad, this unmet demand has been a lost opportunity (Wittman, 2011). Adding to this difficulty is that there are often physical and language based barriers preventing immigrants from sharing their knowledge and experiences with others (Bourdeau, 2010; Filson and Adekunle, 2017). Although these problems are particularly problematic for the cultural diversity of markets, it also afflicts individuals that simply want a greater choice when buying groceries, eating out, or whatever the occasion may be (Wittman, 2011).

It is understandable that farmers may have concerns about taking on an unfamiliar crop. While some ethnocultural crops can be grown quite easily in North America, others cannot be viably grown in what is ultimately a foreign environment. Despite Canadian agriculture reaching gains topping any other industry in Canada, farmers have had their revenues squeezed by retailers and suppliers (Wittman, 2011). In addition to competing within the agricultural industry, farmers are now having to compete with developers and aggregate extractors for the same prime agricultural lands (Epp, Drake, & Caldwell, 2017). Farmers have also been given additional operating costs to meet ever-expanding environmental regulations while their incomes have stagnated (OMAFRA, 2016; Statistics Canada, 2014). If the supply is to diversify, it is imperative that these concerns be met through various support mechanisms. By anticipating potential competition between food producers in advance, farmers can make more informed choices while better serving consumers with fresher and more accessible food. The improvement of transportation between supply and demand can alleviate both ends of the food network by further increasing efficiency through a smarter distribution of food availability (Specht et al, 2014). Naturally, some of the demand may be too challenging to satisfyingly meet but in other circumstances, there are opportunities to benefit from. Although more work still needs to be done, there is already a large body of research and instances of people that have taken on such endeavours (Wittman, 2011, Filson and Adekunle, 2017).

When disseminating information to interested parties, it is important to properly communicate considerations regarding how susceptible a crop may be to microclimatic conditions, soil types, pests, diseases, perishability, and other factors. As demand is everchanging and agricultural output varies seasonally and regionally, proper dissemination involves assessing the costs-to-demands over different timescales. One of the biggest challenges in judging demand is the reluctance among consumers to express their desire for ethnocultural food. Many individuals can take it for granted that their preferences are not to be met on the perceived basis of such preferences being economically unfeasible or culturally incompatible (Wittman, 2011). If we are to evaluate unmet demand, this means reaching out to people through social media and cognizant policy initiatives. Whether consultation is top-down, bottom-up, centralized or decentralized affects the outcomes as well (Obregón & Waisbord, 2010). Organizational capacity, like farmers' groups, can be empowered by democratic means so that members feel more compelled to their organization’s efforts (Wittman, 2011). Furthermore, not all of the demand requires stocking retail shelves. Individual and community gardens play an important role in ensuring fresher and more nutritionally fulfilling diets. By empowering people to take advantage of co-operatively managed gardens, this can be especially valuable for urban areas that lack access to affordable fresh produce and individual garden space, yet still have an ample community of willing people (Walter, 2013, Adekunle, Cidro, Filson, 2015).

During my personal struggle of weight gain while growing up, others had simultaneously developed diabetes (Amed et al., 2010). Given how fundamental food is to society, the knock-on effects of healthier foods need to be better highlighted when bringing about change. Although I overcame much of my challenges in part by avoiding the industrial diet, a school mandated food component could have more proactively assisted me and other Canadians, as it does already in various countries (Holdsworth et al., 2012). Rather than an explicit endeavour, food sovereignty represents principles that can take on new meaning as knowledge is better understood and technology advances. By having the Supreme Court of Canada recognize that the Delgamuukw people’s hunting rights extend to modern technology, their food sovereignty was not restricted in time to the technology of signing (Wittman, 2011). As overcoming distance becomes less of a problem in the wake of new technological advances, other considerations could become more prominent for achieving food sovereignty (Specht et al, 2014). Whether it be animal wellbeing, Canadian farmers, migrant workers, or the distribution of agricultural wealth, the lack of food sovereignty afflicts everyone (Wittman, 2011). Furthermore, the reality of overpopulation and ecological changes has since made many of the historically sustainable food systems either no longer possible or grossly unsustainable (Reijnders & Soret, 2003). Ensuring food sovereignty means rethinking the supply chain so that food is treated more as a conscious democratic necessity. If food sovereignty is depleted, the ability of Canadian governments to enact change will also be less viable (Wittman, 2011).

References

Aaron, L. D. (2014). The pumpkin village and the harvest: Utilizing the resources of traditional health beliefs and food practices(Master’s thesis, Northwest University).

Adekunle, B., Cidro, J., Filson, G. C. (2015). The political economy of culturally appropriate foods in Winnipeg: A case of refugee path immigrants (RPI). Winnipeg: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Alem, A., Pain, C., Araya, M., & Hodges, B. D. (2010). Co-creating a psychiatric resident program with Ethiopians, for Ethiopians, in Ethiopia: The Toronto Addis Ababa Psychiatry Project (TAAPP). Academic Psychiatry, 34(6), 424-432.

Amed, S., Dean, H. J., Panagiotopoulos, C., Sellers, E. A., Hadjiyannakis, S., Laubscher, T. A., Dannenbaum, D., Shah, B. R., Booth, G. L., & Hamilton, J. K. (2010). Type 2 diabetes, medication-induced diabetes, and monogenic diabetes in Canadian children. Diabetes Care, 33(4), 786-791.

Bourdeau, V. (2010). Of humans, natures and human nature in the modern food chain (Doctoral dissertation, Concordia University).

Brennan, R. (2008). Out of step. Books Ireland, (306), 227-230. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40406197

Epp, S., Drake, E., & Caldwell, W. (2017). Land use planning and agriculture: Measuring prime agricultural land conversion in Wellington County, Ontario. SURG Journal, 9(2).

Filson, G. C. & Adekunle, B. (2017).  Eat Local, Taste Global: How ethnocultural food reaches our tables.  Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.

He, M. F., Haynes, A., Janis, S., Ward, C., Pantin, M. M., & Mikell, C. (2013). Teaching courageously: In-between contested race, gender, class, and power in the US south. Counterpoints, 412, 109-141.

Holdsworth, M., El Ati, J., Bour, A., Kameli, Y., Derouiche, A., Millstone, E., & Delpeuch, F. (2012). Developing national obesity policy in middle-income countries: A case study from North Africa. Health Policy and Planning, 28(8), 858-870.

Obregón, R., & Waisbord, S. (2010). The complexity of social mobilization in health communication: top-down and bottom-up experiences in polio eradication. Journal of Health Communication, 15(S1), 25-47.

OMAFRA. (2016, February 24^th). Legislation and farming practices. Retrieved from http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/facts/12-027.htm

Reijnders, L., & Soret, S. (2003). Quantification of the environmental impact of different dietary protein choices. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 78(3), 664S-668S.

Specht, K., Siebert, R., Hartmann, I., Freisinger, U. B., Sawicka, M., Werner, A., Thomaier, S., Henckel, D., Walk, H., & Dierich, A. (2014). Urban agriculture of the future: An overview of sustainability aspects of food production in and on buildings. Agriculture and Human Values, 31(1), 33-51.

Statistics Canada. (2014, November). Net farm income: Agriculture economic statistics. Tables 1-1 to 1-6. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/21-010-x/21-010-x2014002-eng.pdf

Walter, P. (2013). Theorising community gardens as pedagogical sites in the food movement. Environmental Education Research, 19(4), 521-539.

Wittman, H. (Ed.). (2011). Food sovereignty in Canada: Creating just and sustainable food systems. Winnipeg: Fernwood Press.


Stuart Filson, Graduate Research Assistant, ECVOntario, SEDRD, Canada

The Culture Knot: Interpreting Somali and European Cuisine in Canada

December 22, 2017, 9:02 pm

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Figure 1: A Canadian garden. Photo by Stuart Filson.

Introduction to food sovereignty

To answer why food is vital to culture may seem simple at first. As the energy of life, food justifies itself to be both indulged and elaborated upon. As people move and resources change, food persists as a constant source of consideration. In turn, cuisine is continually reimagined because food does not exist as a blank slate. Given how fundamental food is to the human experience, it should be no wonder that cuisine follows people as an enduring source of culture.

            It is the relation between cuisine and culture that drew me to explore Somali Canadian food sovereignty. While food sovereignty can encompass many ideas, a general definition holds that food sovereignty is the collective ability of peoples to access culturally discernible food, through socially just and sustainable means (Patel, 2009). Instead of viewing food in a superficial manner, food sovereignty is about empowering peoples’ cultural connections to cuisine (Ambalam, 2014).

Fortunately for Somali Canadian food sovereignty, the aspirations of these goals overlap with other efforts that may not initially seem related to food. By merit of food being fundamental to humanity, many activities link back to food sovereignty issues. The promotion of a socially aware and green economy bolsters the principles of food sovereignty (Ambalam, 2014).

Unravelling Somalia’s cuisine

While I am not Somali myself, I became attracted to Somali food sovereignty because of Somalia’s unique past. Through colonization, several European powers vied for control over Somalia; most notably the nations of Italy and the United Kingdom, but also France to a lesser extent (Zoppi, 2015). After Somalia eventually secured its independence, the regional instabilities from colonization continued to threaten Somalia’s nationhood through disputes over borders and separatist movements. In the time between independence and the 21^st century, Somalia had ongoing conflict with Ethiopia, as the side-switching powers of the United States and Soviet Union used Somalia as a stage for proxy warfare (Aalen, 2014). Consequently, observers have cited Somalia as a failed state, but this term can be overly dismissive without further consideration (Elmi, 2014).

Although Somalia has endured much strife, its cuisine has gone through a great fusion (Abdullahi, 2001). Given the prominence of Somalia’s former occupiers, it is hard to ignore the European influence on Somalia’s cuisine. Whether it be Italy’s pastas, the UK’s comfort foods, or France’s pastries, the Somali people have come to reimagine many formerly European techniques (Abdullahi, 2001). Be it war or colonization though, the irony of these national confrontations is that in spite of conflict, the continued interaction between peoples promotes the exchange of culture, which can bring people closer together.

To the west of Somalia, there is the similarly diverse cuisine of Ethiopia. Despite the tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia, these nations share a lot of food between each other. In both countries, the spongy flatbread, known as injera, is incredibly popular. Injera is great for drawing up sauce and eating with other food. In my experience, while Ethiopian injera reminded me of a soft pita, the Somali injera was much more reminiscent of a crepe. Another difference I found between cuisines was that Ethiopian food is noticeably spicier.

Figure 2: East African inspired food, such as injera, in Guelph, Ontario. Photo by Stuart Filson.

Although culture can move around quite easily, not all aspects of cuisine are readily transferable. Given Somalia’s persistent conflict with neighbouring Ethiopia, known as the birthplace of coffee, as well as Somalia’s long colonization under Italy, I had suspected that Somalis would tend to drink coffee regularly (Daniel, 2016; Zoppi, 2015). However, although reliable statistics on beverage consumption in Somalia are difficult to find, it appears that Somalis drink notably more tea than coffee, but this could be changing with rising global coffee consumption (Hassan-Kadle & Musse, 2017). Nevertheless, however infused Somalia’s cuisine has become, it must be remembered that Somalis’ culture is ultimately defined by Somalis (Abdullahi, 2001).

Somalis beyond Somalia’s borders

While the previous section provides some summary of Somali cuisine for those living within the country’s borders, I was curious about the cuisine of Somalis living elsewhere. When I talked to Somalis whose family was from outside of modern day Somalia, they themselves identified as Somali. This was because they considered their homelands different from the formal boundaries of Somalia.

Coincidentally, in addition to Italy and the UK being notable to Somalia’s history, I happen to be British Italian myself. Unlike Somalia’s notion of nationhood, Italy and the UK are cosmopolitan formations of now subnational city-states and countries (MacDougall, 1999). As former empires, Italy and the UK each covered many regions and many peoples. Even for the citizens originally from far outside of these countries, many of these people still primarily identify with Italy and the UK as their nationalities (Innocenti, 2016).

In contrast to western conceptions of nationality, Somalia’s clan system underlies much of its national kinship (Zoppi, 2015). With or without Somalia, Somalis would endure because formalities do not define Somalis’ homelands, especially given the contentious nature of Somalia’s borders. For these reasons, many Somalis live outside of Somalia for generations yet still identify as Somali, first and foremost.

Canada’s national identity

2017 marked a milestone for Canada as the 150^thanniversary of Confederation. In defining Canada’s national identity, this can lead to many conclusions: Canada is a cultural mosaic to an American melting pot; a former set of colonies to Franglish colonizers; and an inexplicit home to an underappreciated Indigenous diversity. When people discuss Canada, they describe Canada as being young. In contrast, when people describe Italy, they think of the Renaissance, the Roman Empire, and view Italy as being old, but in the past, people did not think of the competing Italian city-states as a singular entity (MacDougall, 1999). Despite the stark differences, people perceive Ancient Rome under Italy’s banner, yet not so for Canada’s long Indigenous past (Johnston, 1994). Whereas Italy has a collective sense of lineage, Canada’s lineage is fragmented. Similarly, people characterize Somalia as fragmented, yet not by national lineage, but by national conflicts over border disputes, clan lines and regional sovereignty (Zoppi, 2015). In comparison, the difficulty of Canada’s lineage is that it is anything but linear.

Although Canadians often compare ourselves to more populated countries, Canada’s population is larger than 80% of all other countries (United Nations, 2017). Geographically, Canada is well over double the combined size of the European Union, the now leaving UK, and the non-EU countries of Norway and Switzerland (Field Listing, 2017). Furthermore, Canada continues being a staple in sports, academia, arts, entertainment and business (Patel, 2016). The humility of the Canadian identity is that Canada could be the most grandiose country in the world, yet Canadians would still focus more on where we can improve rather than where we already excel.

While modest in person, Canadians’ thirst for national fulfilment has made self-promotion Canada’s battle cry on the world stage (Black, 2015; Cotter, 2017). Even in the Canadian flag, its designers did not choose the maple leaf’s 11 points out of symbolism, like the self-expressive American flag, but instead for excelling in being legible during wind tunnel tests (Matheson, 1980). Ever since, Canada’s flag very much succeeded in becoming among the most recognizable flags, despite having only existed since the 1960s (Cotter, 2017). Canada’s national identity is not obstructed from a lack of national recognition or being too young. Given Canada’s enigmatic past, its resulting identity invites individualistic discussion.

My Canadian identity

Although my family has lived in Canada for several generations, I still hold a sense of being an outsider in a country of outsiders. In reflecting upon the Canadian national identity, immigration is inescapable. Many newcomers are excited to be Canadian but do not yet feel that sense of belonging. For many immigrants, especially Somali Canadians, immigration has occurred in waves (Duff & Becker-Zayas, 2017). This was the case for my own ancestry.

I am half Italian, a quarter Swedish and a quarter from the UK (specifically, England, Scotland and Ireland). Although my Italian born grandparents almost exclusively spoke Italian in Toronto, neither myself nor my brothers learned much Italian. For my cultural connection to my Swedish side, my family’s relationship is further distant, yet we still occasionally eat Swedish cuisine. For my UK ancestry, dating back to the 19^th century in Canada, my family has no culturally present connection in our activities, except from some external Canadian influences.

Figure 3: A Canadian landscape in Tiny, Ontario. Photo by Stuart Filson.

Without the active drive or exposure, culture can readily give way to other culture. Further still, many immigrants do not directly immigrate to Canada from one country. Instead, a lot of newcomers have already lived in multiple countries, and so they may feel a different linkage to their place of origin than what others may expect. As a result, culture can be difficult to pinpoint.

Canadian markets

Since 1827, Guelph has been the home to the second longest running farmers’ market in Canada (Basil, 2012). In modern times, Guelph’s Farmers’ Market has become a weekly outlet in which both farmers and resellers have sold produce and other items. Observers have often considered the City of Guelph a mid-sized Southern Ontario city (Census Metropolitan Area: 156,029) (Best, 2013: Statistics Canada, 2017). Guelph is situated an hour’s drive southwest of the Greater Toronto Area, and a twenty-odd minute drive from the over half a million populated Tri-Cities of Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge (Statistics Canada, 2017). While the quaint riverside housing and rural surroundings of Guelph present a small-town charm, the City’s ten-plus storey condos remind by-passers that they are nevertheless within reach of Toronto Land. It is this very juxtaposition of rural and urban that has caused marketing researchers to repeatedly choose Guelph as a representative of Canadians abroad (Cranfield, Henson, & Masakure, 2011).

Having been born and raised in Guelph, I have gone to the Farmers’ Market over the years. While there, you can find a snapshot of farming practices and trends. Onlookers can experience a diversifying market segmentation, emphasized in the popular terms of the day: organic, fair trade, locally grown, GMO free, and so on. As with other western assortments, many of the Market’s crops derive from around the globe. Tomatoes originally came from South America. Corn is from North America. Soya beans are from Asia. Coffee beans are from Africa. However, this is not a wide selection. A very small number of crops dominate western farming. Despite Ontario having more ethnic diversity than much of the rest of Canada, Ontario’s farmers are still predominantly Western European (Smithers & Sethuratnam, 2014).

What is adequate representation?

When shopping for produce beyond the common western options, the question of representation repeatedly occupied my thoughts. In the case of Somalis wanting ingredients and meals in the tradition of Somali cuisine, it can be difficult to tell how much demand there is and how enduring the demand is. Across Canada, farming has experienced aging and diminishing workforces. With proportionately fewer Canadians becoming farmers, it can be difficult to promote domestically grown ethnocultural produce for traditional Somali cuisine (Smithers & Sethuratnam, 2014). Instead, local markets are more likely to grow some of the more prominent crops, like okra. Unfortunately, to only grow a limited selection of traditional Somali ingredients is an incomplete solution.

Figure 4: Somali food in Etobicoke, Ontario. Photo by Stuart Filson.

Excessive importing is bad for the quality of food as well as for social wellbeing. Food presents and individual and communal connection which people cherish. If buying produce was always better, people would have little reason to garden. The various mechanisms of experiencing food highlight the importance of empowering Somali Canadians through different resources. However, rather than seek an all-encompassing solution for Somali Canadian food sovereignty, it is more reasonable to recognize the constraints and work through the priorities to achieve an optimal solution.

Answering Somali Canadian food sovereignty

Few things are as emblematic to culture as cuisine. In Canada, people often treat culture as a recreational experience. Although culture can be very enjoyable, we should take time to reflect on the deeper meanings. Without recognizing the origins of culturally discernible food, we can too easily ignore the value in these activities. By neglecting food sovereignty, we neglect people’s connection to cuisine. In turn, people can quickly turn to the lowest common denominator of an unhealthy, cheap and fast industrialized diet (Ambalam, 2014). In an increasingly globalized world, it is valuable to shift our eating habits away from the unsustainable temptations of the industrialized diet by empowering our relationship with food from the bottom-up (Ambalam, 2014).

From talking to multiple Southern Ontarian individuals that immigrated from not just Somalia, but also Nigeria and Uganda, I heard people express that culture should not be restrictive of cuisine. I had gone in with the assumption that culture was what made traditional Somali food important. However, from these interviews, I became more concerned about other qualities of food: freshness, cost, choice, and more generally, access. Simply put, the people I interviewed wanted the freedom to have food the way they felt. They did not want to be boxed in by either an overly restrictive western selection or a preconceived notion of traditional food.

Without trying to speak for Somali Canadians abroad, I have come to believe that to empower Somali food sovereignty, the word “Somali” should not mean others’ conceptions of Somali culture but should instead represent Somali people and their interests. As I have seen, Somali Canadian food sovereignty is valuable, not simply for cherishing and potentially expanding upon Somali culture. It is through ensuring Somali Canadian food sovereignty that Canadians abroad can benefit from the rich heritage between Somalis and their foods.

References

Aalen, L. (2014). Ethiopian state support to insurgency in Southern Sudan from 1962 to 1983: Local, regional and global connections. Journal of Eastern African Studies, 8(4), 626-641.

Abdullahi, M. D. (2001). Culture and customs of Somalia (Vol. 2). Greenwood Publishing Group.

Ambalam, K. (2014). Food sovereignty in the era of land grabbing: An African perspective. Journal of Sustainable Development, 7(2), 121.

Basil, M. (2012). A history of farmers' markets in Canada. Journal of Historical Research in Marketing, 4(3), 387-407.

Best, A. (2013). Non-Point Source Pollution in Quaternary Glacial Deposits, Guelph, Ontario (Doctoral dissertation).

Black, D. R. (2015). Canada and Africa in the new millennium: The politics of consistent inconsistency. Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press.

Cotter, E. (2017). Being Canadian: Formulating and Branding a National Identity (Doctoral dissertation, Concordia University).

Cranfield, J., Henson, S., & Masakure, O. (2011). Factors affecting the extent to which consumers incorporate functional ingredients into their diets. Journal of Agricultural Economics, 62(2), 375-392.

Daniel, D. (2016). The Comforts of Coffee: The Role of the Coffee Ceremony in Ethiopians' Efforts to Cope with Social Upheaval during the Derg Regime (1974-1991) (Doctoral dissertation, Carleton University Ottawa).

Duff, P. A., & Becker-Zayas, A. (2017). Demographics and heritage languages in Canada. The Routledge Handbook of Heritage Language Education: From Innovation to Program Building, 57.

Elmi, A. A. (2014). Decentralization options for Somalia. The Heritage Institute for Policy Studies.

Field Listing – Area, The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency. Data last updated on July 26, 2017. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2147.html

Hassan-Kadle, M. A., & Musse, A. M. M. (2017). Esophageal carcinoma in Mogadishu, Somalia: A four year retrospective study. European Academic Research, 5(8), 3823-3843.

Innocenti, P. (2016). Migrating Heritage: Experiences of Cultural Networks and Cultural Dialogue in Europe. Routledge.

Johnston, A. J. B. (1994). Toward a new past. Parks Canada, 9, 25-27.

MacDougall, J. (1999). Italian creations: Elaborations of collective identity in Milan, Italy (Doctoral dissertation, Concordia University).

Matheson, J. R. (1980). Canada's Flag: A Search for a Country. Boston, Mass.: GK Hall.

Patel, R. (2009). Food sovereignty. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 36(3), 663-706.

Patel, S. C. (2016). The Politics of Belonging: Cultural Identity Formation among Second Generation Canadians (Master’s thesis, York University).

Smithers, J., & Sethuratnam, S. (2014). New farms and farmers in ethno-cultural communities: Aspirations, barriers and needs. Journal of Rural and Community Development, 8(3).

Statistics Canada. Table 051-0056 - Estimates of population by census metropolitan area, sex and age group for July 1, based on the Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2011, annual (persons), CANSIM (database). (accessed: December 12^th, 2017)

United Nations (2017). World Population Prospects 2017: Publications. Retrieved from https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Publications/

Zoppi, M. (2015). Greater Somalia, the never-ending dream? Contested Somali borders: The power of tradition vs. the tradition of power. Journal of African History, Politics and Society, 1(1), 43-64.

Stuart Filson, Graduate Research Assistant, ECVOntario, SEDRD, University of Guelph

Ethnocultural Food: A Nudge to Integration

March 4, 2018, 6:37 am

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The fundamental role of food is to provide us with the nutrition to keep us alive, however, it is so much more than that to me. It connects me to my heritage and roots. It defines my identity, keeps me associated with my ancestors, influences how I interact with my ethnic community and people from other cultures. It gives me a sense of ownership and pride. This brief review of my personal experience explains why.

As a son of two Somali parents, born and bred in Kenya, food was always a cornerstone in my family and community. In an ordinary day, we would have three main meals and one snack (usually, in the afternoons, between lunch and supper, to be specific). A typical breakfast consisted of three to five pieces of Canjeero (Laxoox) – a fermented pan bread that resembles, but is thinner, than a pancake. This is an all time Somali classic, served in different ways. It is sprinkled with some sugar and drizzled with a little sesame oil or melted ghee and then mashed with black tea; or with goat or camel stew; with tender liver; or with Muqmad (Oodkac) – a deep-fried tiny pieces of jerky-style camel meat cubes. Alternatively, Malawax, crepe-like sweeter, thinner, and oleaginous version, could be served in the place of Canjeero (Laxoox).

Anjeera (Canjeera) served with goat stew and a cup of black tea.

Lunch, commonly, would be a rice cooked with cubes of goat or camel meat, some vegetables, tons of spices and served with banana, fresh slices of lime as well as chili chutney, adding contrasting flavours. On some occasions, Italian pasta could be prepared and served with a spice enhanced camel (goat) stew. A combination of the two dishes (rice and pasta) form unique dish popularly known as Fatareeshin.

Sabaayad (Chapati) – a crispier, East-African version of naan-bread, Muufo -a corn flatbread, or Soor (Ugali as Kenyans would call it) -corn grits - all served with goat/camel stew and banana would also make a great lunch. (The Sabaayad and Muufo could also be served as breakfast). Cambuulo – a mix of corn or rice and azuki beans drizzled with sugar and sesame oil – the popular dish for supper.

Snacks such as Samosas and Mandazi along with sugar-sweetened, black tea spiced with herbs and /or milk is the most common Asaryo – the late afternoon snack session.

Chapati (Sabayaad) served with goat stew.

On Festive events such as weddings and Eid celebration, Halwa – (Confection-like)and Buskut Somali (Cookies), both very sweet, are the main snacks of the day.

Interestingly, due to the pastoral nature of the Somali community, the dishes contain a lot of meat and fewer vegetables. Also, banana is the most consumed fruit and is usually a part of most meals.

 Food adventures and challenges

Towards the end of the summer of 2016, I waved goodbye to my family and took a fourteen-hour long flight to Canada, I was not only feeling mentally prepared for the stressful new challenges but was also confident enough that I would overcome them, settle in like a duck to water and as the plane touched down at Pearson International Airport, I was happy as a lark, looking forward to getting to my new residence, meeting with new friends, and immersing myself in a new culture.

I eventually reached Guelph, my final destination where I will spend the next four years and beyond if possible. The atmosphere was great, it’s still summer and I wasn’t worried about the harsh weather, as it would take another four months before the winter season starts. The people were warm, ever-smiling and helpful. It felt like I was in Disney, a fantasy world.

Nonetheless, that enthusiasm only lasted until I headed to one of the campus cafeterias with the hope of grabbing something to eat. The menu seemed to be completely different and confusing. I couldn’t find any of dishes I was familiar with. Pork, cooked in different styles and with different names was abundantly available, but because of my Islamic beliefs, trying it was off the table. Apart from few items, most of the other meat dishes were not Halal (meat prepared according to Islamic dietary law), or contained mushrooms (Barkin Waraabe, as we would call it in the Somali language), a fungus I regarded as wild, poisonous weed and that I never had the guts to eat them, at least for that day and the subsequent weeks.

The few Halal options were not tasting good either and I had a feeling that they were contaminated with pork. “Is this chicken Halal?” I would always ask and when the server responded in a polite manner “Yes please”, I had my follow up question, “Are you sure?” I was insecure, over-suspicious and fearful.

Food seemed to be pricey and I never understood why four pieces of chicken fingers would cost eight bucks when that same amount of money would feed a family of three people in Kenya, or why people consumed so much pork. I had a legitimate point on the latter though, as I recently learned that according to a survey conducted by Maple Leaf Foods Inc., when presented with the options of bacon and sex, 43% of Canadians say they’d opt for the bacon. It was a real nightmare.

I was however very fortunate to have had very supportive, fantastic new friends who were always ready to take me out and show me the local restaurants, making sure I had my meals every day. They help me integrate and without them, I believe I wouldn’t have made it this far. But despite all their efforts, it was an uphill for me to develop a taste for most of the food. I awkwardly hated almost everything on the menu.

As days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, I slowly adjusted to the system and the frustrations vanished little by little. I started going out alone, appreciating and developing a taste for at least some of the food. I realized that because of the multicultural nature of this country, there were plenty of eatery options for everyone including me.

When all the anxiety were gone and was developing a sense of belonging, I began a mission to experience, learn and discover the lots of different foods across cultures while clutching mine. At first, I hesitated, as it sounded weird and crazy to me, but something inside me was telling me to go for it. So I sketched a new diet routine, ventured away from the meals I already knew, and to new ones. Some of the cuisines like the sushi and teriyaki were exotic and first-timers to my diet. They were however breathtaking.

Meanwhile, I discovered that while the names and the style of cooking differ, most dishes seem to be relatable to those of my home community. For instance, the Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian, and Thai fried rice, the Jollof of West Africa all have some similarity with the Bariis IskuKaris of Somalia. I also noticed that Indian and Mediterranean cuisines had a lot of resemblances to mine especially the numerous spices and herbs used in preparing them and the unique flavors they carry and it is because of these similarities that the Somali restaurants in the Greater Toronto Area such as Xawaash, Hamdi, Istar have mouth-watering Somali-Mediterranean cuisine, a fusion of two cultures, which many say is the best of both of worlds.

Nevertheless, in the mid of my journey, I found out a hidden gem in the northern end of Guelph, an Ethiopian restaurant that serves Injera – a traditional Ethiopian-Eriterian dish that resembles the Somali Laxoox (fermented pancake). This dish reconnected me to my roots, it reminded me of the blessing hands of my mom, and from my first visit, I knew that it would be a special and sacred place to me.

How can I wind up this piece without mentioning my one week as a vegan? First, I have to confess that, before I moved to Canada, I honestly never knew that there were people who abstained from eating animal products. When one of my friends told me that they don't, I thought that they lost their minds, however, after browsing the topic through the internet, I found out what they meant. Believing that I will never know until I try, I went for it. It was the first time that I survived two consecutive days without meat in my diet. It was challenging but ultimately was a great experience.

In short, my journey with food is a real adventure. All the cuisines I have tried so far were apparently inspiring, each with unique flavours and special aromas, with many similarities at the same time, but none, other than Somali cuisine in GTA came with banana in the package, so I had to always take my banana with me because I have a serious love affair with it, similar to what Canadians have with bacon.

Cambuulo ( a mixture of corn and adzuki beans)

Luqman Osman, Undergraduate Research Assistant, ECVOntario, University of Guelph.

How Goats Define Food Sovereignty in East Africa And Beyond

March 28, 2018, 2:46 pm

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“Nani mbuzi?”

“Nani ng’ombe?”

“Nani kuku?”

You’ll regularly hear a server yelling out in a local eatery in Kenya; a whacky way trying to identify who ordered goat meat, who ordered beef and who ordered chicken respectively.

Domesticated goats

Goats are ubiquitous all over East Africa in the urban and rural areas alike. In the urban areas they are considered a menace.  They roam about interfering in the human and vehicular traffic alike. They mingle with the humans in the market places scavenging for something to eat: a discarded cabbage; a fallen carrot stick, you get the idea…. They are like their human counterparts- survivors. Their owners let them loose in the morning to go forage for themselves and later at sun set find their way home.  The demand for goat meat is so high that everyone tries to get a piece of the pie by raising goats whatever way possible to make extra cash.  The problem is some of the people trying to raise goats in the urban areas have no idea how to do it.  Firstly, they are violating town bylaws by raising animals in the town or city without proper shelters and provisions. Second, there isn’t enough pasture in the city for the goats to graze on and thirdly; nobody seems to care for them. They just roam around foraging for themselves. But, when the holidays are approaching, suddenly the owners want to sell them at a much higher price to anyone who’s willing to pay.

My early encounter with goats was very early on when I was a child being raised by my grandparents; I remember when we go to the Boma - the fenced compound where we lived and where there were pens for the animals to spend the night - and there were lots of goats, sheep and cows coming back to the village every evening after a whole day out grazing. I remember when someone was pointing out to me to a huge cloud of dust from a distance and he would say that those were my grandfather’s goats coming home.  I remember not seeing anything but a huge cloud of dust, but I also remember hearing the goats’ bleating and their bleating, with the cows mooing became louder as they came closer to the Manyatta– the maasai boma. I hail from the Maasai community of Kenya. The Maasai are pastoralists. They still move around with their animals searching for pasture albeit with shrinking land now available for pasture and tightening government policies.  Besides, the lands that the Maasai occupy now are harsh arid and semi-arid lands that are not good for agriculture. I remember when I was young boy old enough to take the animals out to graze, I would head out with other older boys for a whole day and I remember enjoying the day out in the wild grazing the animals and learning things from the older boys on how to take care of the animals. That’s when you start noticing the difference in goats, sheep and cows. Not just on their sizes, but on how they graze and their behaviour towards each other and to humans.  The male ‘billygoats’ are bigger.  They stand out- with bigger horns and a tuff of beards under their chin. (That’s where the men’s goatee name comes from.) The other notable thing about billy goats is their unique musky odour and how they constantly get into head-butting fights with other goats. The baby goats are cutest things ever. They have these tiny faces, very friendly and they are always running around and jump on anything.

Goats grazing in an organic farm

Goats are very hardy animals and they are easy to raise if cared for well. They like grazing on shrubs as well as grass. I remember wondering how they were able to pick up the leaves from a thorny Acacia shrub and other shrubs while avoiding all the thorns. Because they feed on different herbs, shrubs and grass they don’t seem to get sick easily like sheep and cows that just feed on grass. This also gives their meat a unique flavour and texture that people seem to like a lot. Goats raised in the urban areas don’t have this unique flavour and that’s why people living in the cities would rather drive few hours out of the city to the Manyattas out in the country in Maasai land to enjoy true authentic goat meat. Goat milk is also a delicacy. Even though the goats raised by the Maasai are mostly for meat, they produce milk, albeit in small amounts.

  

The goat meat – chevon: A delicacy!

Goats are very important to the Maasai and any other communities that raise animals. Every part of the goat is used and the meat can be prepared in so many ways that seems to leave the people wanting more. The hide is usually stretched out on a frame to air-dry it. Once dried, it can be sold to the tannery to be turned into beautiful items. Different parts of the goat can be prepared differently. The ribs and the thighs are usually roasted over fire slowly. This is popularly known as nyama-choma or roasted meat, which can be eaten with any other dish. Most people prefer to eat the nyama-choma with ugali or sima– the popular corn meal. Others prefer it with sliced tomatoes, coriander onions and salt.  You can eat it whichever way you prefer and I can guarantee you that you will still enjoy it and you will be wanting more in a few days. The tripe once cleaned can be boiled then sautéed. The uncooked meat can be preserved by salting, made into strips and hanged to dry or can be smoked. Bones are boiled to make a stock also popularly known as Supu in Swahili. One can choose the drink Supu whichever way they like. Some prefer to add salt and some people prefer it just the way it is with nothing added. The Maasai usually boil some medicinal roots and bucks separately and mix the stock with the medicinal concoction and drink it that way. I remember how bitter it was and how my grandfather would encourage me to keep drinking until I was usually drenched in sweat.

Cooked chevon

Goats have been a great source of food security and sovereignty to many east African communities for millennia. They provide a source of protein, milk, hide and income. Their hardiness makes them even more suitable to the hot and dry climate and long droughts that east Africa sometimes go through. This ensures that families that usually depend on other activities like farming and rearing of other animals like cattle have something to rely on when all others fail.

For the Maasai and the east African communities living abroad the thought of the texture and flavours of goat meat at home brings about memories of good times with family and friends. So, every time we gather we get goat meat and prepare it like we do back home – roasting over fire- aka nyamachoma. The only problem is that the meat of goats raised on grains has a different texture and flavour than those raise on grass and herbs. But the sharing of the goat meat with few drinks and catching up with friends on the on goings in the home country overcomes the flavour and texture issues. The mention of goat meat to me means traditions, sharing and good times with family and friends. It brings about the smells of the Manyatta which I associate with my growing up and taking goats out to graze. I look back to my goat raising days with nostalgia.

Jeremiah Saringe, Guest Contributor, ECVOntario, SEDRD, University of Guelph

Digital Payment, Ethnocultural Food and Alternative Agriculture

June 7, 2018, 10:58 pm

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Information technology has transformed the way we interact with ourselves and preferences. It’s so ubiquitous that stakeholders in the ethnocultural food markets are now catering to the needs of recent immigrants via online platforms such as My chopchop. Customers can order online and the product will be delivered at their doorsteps. Moreover, a few farmers and vendors at the Guelph’s Farmers market are also becoming digital. In the last few months, I have paid for my goat milk using square, a payment platform that is so easy that small businesses can accept payment via a magstripe reader inserted to the phone jack or a cordless peripheral for tapping.

Digital Alternative Agriculture

An environmental and health conscious individual can spend the weekend exploring his/her neighbourhood without compromising the sustainability of the landscape. The day can start with a coffee at Balzac's Coffee which promotes the production of organic, artisanal, and sustainable products. Then one can explore the farmers’ market, paying the local goat farmer using square which strengthens the local economy, reduces transaction costs and ecological footprint. But we still need to do more by learning from China and incorporating digital payments such as Alipay and WeChat pay to the alternative agriculture and ethnocultural food market. Chinese style digital payment requires the use of a smartphone, internet connectivity and a bank account – conditions that already exist in Canada. Even in countries where the internet is not perfect, mobile money is working well. Different variations of mobile payment, handled by telecommunication companies, have revolutionized African countries such as Kenya (Mpesa), Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Ghana.

Balzac'c Coffee Roasters, Guelph.

Digital ecosystem is so pronounce in China that nearly all transactions are done using digital payment in cities like Hangzhou and Shenzhen. Mobile payment does not require a smartphone (mobile phone can also be used). For example Mpesa is used for nearly all transactions in Kenya. It has also made the unbankable to be included in the financial landscape and economically active. Both digital and mobile payments will enhance the ethnocultural market and strengthen the viability of alternative agriculture. Stakeholders can easily transact businesses in rural Ontario with or without the involvement of a regular bank. A typical example of how small businesses are benefiting from digital payment, is the case of my friend in Shanghai who sells cooked African food and receives payment by his customers scanning his Quick Response Code (QR Code) and payment is instantaneous. Digital payment became popular in China in 2015 and he has been using it for business since then. The big players in this sector are Alipay and WeChat pay. He uses digital platforms for all aspects of his business including ordering, delivery and logistics. Logistics companies have their apps for easy transaction and fraud protection. The implementation of these ideas in the ethno cultural market in Canada will strengthen the economy and create job opportunities along the value chain that are consistent with the 21^st century.

Digital payment and electronic agriculture will reduce the power of middlemen and encourage young people to consider agricultural production and marketing as viable entrepreneurial activities. Furthermore, digital payment will serve as an incentive for the development of community shared agriculture (CSA). A CSA is an arrangement that allows community members and farmers to share the risk of agricultural production.

CSA explained

CSA is an alternative agriculture that enhances the collaboration of farmers and consumers. Consumers buy shares from the farmer and the farmer supplies a pre-selected basket of goods based on what is available during the season and produced by the farmer or a group of farmers. To have a better understanding, let’s use the illustration below:

A farming couple in southwestern Ontario bought a 95 acres for vegetables and livestock production in 2009 and the financing of the farm is through CSA with 200 members. This farm has three full time staff and volunteers. The arrangement gives the farmers a reliable stream of income and ability to plan what to grow. The shareholders (subscribers) are updated about the activities on the farm and can contribute their time on the farm in-lieu of specified financial contribution. During the harvest period the shareholders can harvest the produce themselves, pick up their basket of goods at the farm gate or collect at delivery centers in selected towns or cities such as Guelph, London or Cambridge. The couple in this case study has an income of approximately 50,000CAD/annum. Labour is a huge part of the production, because it’s organic, so there is a need for ecological loving consumers to volunteer their time – gardening is therapeutic.

Shareholders of this CSA pay $575 CAD for a 20 week share in the summer. And the basket delivered to consumers is a function of what is available. This farm has successfully grown culturally appropriate vegetables such as Asian greens, spinach and tomatoes and they keep exploring new crops based on shareholders’ preferences. They produce 1200 to 1800 pounds of tomatoes from the greenhouse - no outdoor production of tomatoes. Although, there are capital expenses such as procurement of a tractor and coupled implements, the CSA is bio-dynamic – the farm is its own ecosystem. The planting calendar and land preparation is nature preserving. The sheep on the farm are grass-fed which translates to healthy livestock, no deworming and more omega-3 in the meat produced. Overall, the young owners of the CSA want to continue growing foods and their shareholders are happy with their customer relationship management.

Learning from China

Alternative agriculture, including CSA will benefit from digital wallet (and or mobile pay) by learning from platforms developed by Tencent(WeChat pay) and Alibaba(Alipay). Alibaba has gone a step further with it’s Hema Stores. Shopping behavior is changing as technology platforms suitable for online ordering continue to promote convenience in our global village. In China, the trend is instantaneous shopping based on a social media interaction linked to direct ordering from the producer. Canada has recently stepped up to this reality. For example, a collaboration between Metrolinx and Loblaws will allow commuters to order their groceries online and pick their bag on their way home in any of the few stations where the service is available this spring. I hope we will have a wallet less ethnocultural market in the near future.

The beginning of the future

The future of sustainable agriculture is guaranteed when information technology is blended with agriculture production, preferably organic. Crowdfunding is now used to link middle class people who are interested in farming but don’t have the time and access to farm land. With crowdfunding, ThriveAgric and FarmCrowdy,  co-farmers can buy a maize or any other produce farm in a remote village in Nigeria in a structure that is beneficial to the co-farmers, the tech startup and the local farmers. And very soon crypto-labelling will reduce the asymmetries and opacity in the halal, kosher, organic and alternative agriculture markets.

In a nutshell, digital payment, crowdfunding and other forms of e-agriculture will enhance production via market gardening (growing crops for the alternative market) and marketing through farmers’ markets, farm gate sales, self-harvests by consumers, buying groups, home delivery, and community shared agriculture.

Bamidele Adekunle, ECVOntario, SEDRD, University of Guelph

Autonomous Vehicles and Agri-Food Value Chain

July 7, 2018, 1:58 pm

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Robotaxis, shared autonomous vehicles (AV), will transform the future of international trade especially the agri-food value chain within a country and across borders. In few years, people will board robotaxis by scanning a Quick Response (QR) Code with a standardized app such as Alipay or WeChat pay, or a prepayment through the company website or app. Farmers, processors, and vendors can easily car pool and the delivery of processed and raw foods will be done by stakeholders coming together to work jointly to get to the farm, share delivery like my family friends’ organic coop, and import and export produce together at a reduced rate through profit sharing. This is especially important where freight is transported across borders via land. According to Fagnant and Kockelman, autonomous vehicles may lead to safer roads, reduce traffic congestion, and a maximum of $US4750 societal benefit per AV in a year. The associated costs are liability and privacy concerns.

Autonomous Vehicle

Autonomous vehicles, driverless vehicles, are becoming popular though with reservation from certain quarters on the issue of employment and the limits of automation. In order not to be a laggard, most automobile companies have started working on their AV. Though research and development is at intense level the first set of AV will probably be shared by consumers as ride hailing and ride pooling services – to recoup the cost of production until the innovation becomes cheap to procure. Examples are Waymo’s activities in Phoenix, Arizona, Uber’s in Phoenix and Pittsburgh – though temporarily stalled as result of a fatal accident, Voyage’s services in retirement homes in San Jose, California and Florida. Navya, a French company is already shuttling downtown, Las Vegas. Another French company, Easymile, is operating in 20 countries (Asia Pacific, Middle East, North America, and Europe) with it’s EZ 10 driverless shuttles.

The market has few players so it is oligopolistic and new players may be disinterested because of entry barriers associated with AV. The leader in the market is Waymo, which is active in both hardware and software development. Nvidia, Mobileye are other big players in the hardware sector while Aptiv is a top software developer. The degree of automation varies. Some, for example, Shenzhen Haylion Technologies, have tested only a few kilometers. Players in Sweden, such as Nobina and Ericson, are not completely autonomous because of regulation while Waymo is already using its mini-vans to transport people in Phoenix, Arizona to their daily activities.

Limits of automation

As we explore the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in the mobility of people, we should take in to consideration that people drive for many reasons including their freedom, convenience, as a signaling device and to be respected by their friends and family. Furthermore, AV will create a disruption in the trucking business and enable little or no need for professional drivers. My interactions with several people including students (in business schools and development programs), professionals and, friends come with a little bit of reservation. Concerns include “what will people do?” “Why do we need AV?” “What are the ethical implications?” “You guys are just interested in creating unemployment and underemployment!” I don’t have answers to all these questions, but I am positive we need the disruption to enhance our quality of life and guarantee safety in mobility and specifically the agri-food value chain. Logistics will be enhanced, transaction costs reduced and corruption discouraged. Drones now deliver parcels in villages in China courtesy of JD.comeven though Amazon started the idea but implementation has been delayed. Imagine what will happen if an AV can pick up coffee from Moshi (Tanzania) and transfer the product to Kilimanjaro airport for export to other parts of the world. Traceability will be better because data must be entered correctly before the AV commences the journey. Monitoring will be via satellite and global positioning system (GPS) – very easy nowadays.  Maybe there is an ethical dilemma but we need to advance and create a safety net for the people who will be affected. We should also try to prepare people who might lose their jobs on how they can retrain or acquire appropriate skills as their displacement becomes imminent.  As this sector develops, policy makers need to catch up with workable policies. For example, who should be liable when an accident is caused by an autonomous vehicle? The insurance policies required are an as yet unresolved issue.

Disruption: Niche market

The mobility market is ripe for disruption. Already there are challenges with traffic congestion and pollution in big cities – this is a global phenomenon. When I sweat and I wipe my face with my handkerchief, it’s brown in small cities and towns but black in big cities. To reduce the impact of our lifestyle on climate change, people are already carpooling and using public transit. Based on the recent trend, I think AV will take carpooling and sharing to a more ideal level in terms of ecological footprint. Locally in our alternative food market, friends order online from an organic coop and delivery is to one of the members for distribution or pickup at a selected place. People order for organic food and veggies for delivery on platforms such as my fresh city farms (veggies, organic salad and smoothies and other locally grown produce) and goodfood2u. Efficiency may be enhanced if these organizations have access to AV, they rely on volunteers to reduce cost and not all volunteers are altruistic. The resuscitation of the silk road, also known as the one belt one road (OBOR), coupled with AV will transform the way we order, move and consume agricultural products globally.

Trucking business with AV

Locally, ordering online is growing in the ethnocultural food and alternative agriculture market. The use of AV will strengthen these markets. Furthermore, the use of mobile abattoirs will make slaughtering more appropriate and consistent with the tenets of halal. With mobile abattoirs, animals don’t need to travel and face the associated stress and all activities will be done on the farm. Monitoring is easier. Autonomous (driverless) mobile abattoirs will create an environment where lovers of halal (or kosher) will access their authentic preferred meat. With cross border trade, trade facilitation will be enhanced. This is expected because trade facilitation concepts such as single window, one stop border posts, publication of information about customs, automation, and harmonization of processes and procedureswhich remove non-tariff barriers will be easy to implement with driverless trucks because all the necessary data are inputted and transmitted before the trucks leave the exporting country.

With the introduction of AV community plots owners can share MOIA to their community garden. Waymo can be involved with the delivery of fresh and locally produced fruits and vegetables and Uber and Starsky can scale up and improve their services across borders starting with US, Canada and Mexico.

To conclude, it is important to mention the impact of long distance driving on the health and social life of the drivers. I have interacted with people who asserted that driving a truck leads to health complications later in life often coupled with breakdown of relationships with friends and family members. If this turns out to be true, driverless trucks will enable drivers to spend more time on activities that will increase their life expectancy and strengthen their social interaction.

Bamidele Adekunle, ECVOntario, SEDRD, University of Guelph

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Asymmetric Information in the Halal Food Market - A Research Project

September 16, 2018, 9:19 pm

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Understanding Halal Food: A Glimpse ...

People consume food not only to satisfy hunger but also for cultural, religious and social reasons. In Islam there is an emphasis on cleanliness in both spirit and food (Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, 2011), and eating is viewed as a form of worship (Talib, Hamid, & Chin, 2015). Halal food is based on Islamic dietary law derived from the Quran, Hadith (the practices of the Prophet Mohammad), Ijma (a consensus of legal opinion), and Qiyas (reasoning by analogy) (Regenstein, Chaudry & Regenstein, 2003). Halal goes beyond religious obligation; it is part of the Islamic way of life which includes not only dietary requirements, but also behaviour, speech, dress, and conduct (Talib, Hamid, & Zulfakar, 2015a). Furthermore, observing the tenets of halal can guarantee food safety and serve a business model for the Canadian export market. The benefit of halal notwithstanding, the lack of trust in the market has led to challenges such as authenticity and traceability.  This situation affects the different cultural groups that have migrated to the Canada, especially the Somalis, Syrians, Pakistanis, Afghanis and other Canadians who are in love with the taste of halal meat. Based on this premise, there is a need for policies that will strengthen the value chain of halal food and reduce asymmetric information.

Objectives of the research

The specific objectives of this research are

-To examine the trend in the production, marketing and consumption of halal meat in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

- To develop a conceptual framework which explains the relationship among variables such as trust, food safety, religious affiliation, authenticity, traceability, crypto labelling, government legislation, and consumption with respect to halal meat. 

-To assess the relationship between trust and traceability regarding halal meat.

-To identify the factors that affect asymmetric information in the halal meat sector in the GTA.

    

Anticipated significance and impacts of the proposed work

This study will lead to a better understanding of the halal food landscape, a list of conditions that ensure trust in the sector, demand estimates and policies that strengthens the value chain of the halal meat sector. It will benefit people within and outside the academic sector because it will proffer solutions on how to reduce asymmetric information in the halal and other food sectors. Overall, this study will be participatory and enable community based economic development.

References

Agriculture and Agri-food Canada. (2011, April). Global pathfinder report: halal food trends. Ottawa, ON: Government of Canada. Retrieved from https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/market-prices-and-statistics/food-and-value-added-agriculture-statistics/pubs/halal_market_pathfinder_en.pdf.

Regenstein J. M, Chaudry M. M & C. E. Regenstein (2003) The Kosher and Halal Food Laws. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety 2: 111-127.

Talib, M. S. A., Hamid, A. B. A., & Zulfakar, M. H.  (2015a). Halal supply chain critical success factors: a literature review. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 6(1), 44-71. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.subzero.lib.uoguelph.ca/docview/1661301737?rfr_id=info%3Axri%2Fsid%3Aprimo

Bamidele Adekunle, ECVOntario, SEDRD, University of Guelph

Food Sovereignty & Cryptolabelling - A short Video

October 8, 2018, 4:57 am

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The video below provides a glimpse into the challenges refugee path immigrants face in terms of their food sovereignty:

ECVOntario

Halal Food: Conception, Misconceptions and Certification

January 13, 2019, 9:40 pm

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Halal means permissible in the Islamic religion and it defines what is appropriate for Muslims in their day-to-day activities. Foods that are forbidden include certain animals, alcohol and other intoxicants, blood meal, and meals prepared in ways that negate the tenets of halal.  Most foods are halal except otherwise stated. This article intends to expand our horizon about halal food and resolve some of the misconceptions. It is interesting that many cultures practice food processing methods that resemble the steps in halal even though it is hidden. There are similarities among halal, kosher, and foods that are non-taboo or culturally appropriate in certain cultures.

Halal Akawie cheese, Middle Eastern white brine cheese at Ammar Halal Meats

A percentage of halal

When we started our research about asymmetric information in the halal food market, we thought it will be a straightforward process. We learned that some people consume halal because it is expected of them, but they don’t know the benefits. Others consume presumed halal food without necessarily ascertaining whether the production is consistently halal. It is also important to emphasize that most people are unaware of the health benefits of halal food and the halal requirement that livestock are treated humanely. This assumes that those who produce the halal food follow the stipulated standards. Globally, people try as much as possible to be inclusive by making sure their food is halal. This is an indication of the relevance of the minority rule. The Mutooro people and other sub-groups in Uganda have very few Muslims but they usually invite a Muslim to say a prayer before an animal is slaughtered. This is expected to make ceremonies such as weddings, burials and birthdays inclusive. There is a misconception here because an animal slaughtered by people of the book, Jews, Christians and Muslims, are acceptable as halal (Quran chapter 5, v5; Regenstein, 2003). But since most people are unaware it is better to get a Muslim to slaughter the animal in a humane way.  Commercial meats, especially beef, are slaughtered by Muslims, for example, in Uganda, Kenya, and Nigeria. (It’s a family business and people are taught how to slaughter animals at a very tender age. The process is partly cultural partly halal).

Moreover, the Maasai people ensure that the blood of a slaughtered animal is well drained (consistent with kosher and halal) before they start the skinning, but they drink the blood or process it as seen with the Oromos of East Africa. Blood is not permissible under the tenets of halal. An indication that animals raised on blood meal and slaughter house waste are not halal. It is also interesting that the Ijebu people of western Nigeria will make sure that the animal faces the east before it is slaughtered. They go a step further by adding salt to the throat of the slaughtered to ensure that the animal’s blood is well drained – a step that makes the process closer to kosher in terms of removal of blood. It doesn’t matter what they believe, the common knowledge is that meat processed in this manner tastes better and shelf life is extended.

The standards posited under halal are not entirely peculiar to halal. Some of the standards are like kosher and other cultural taboos worldwide. For example, there is an adage  by the Yorubas of Nigeria and West Africa which states that“Aki ipa igun, a ki i je igun, a ki i fi igun bori” – (one does not kill the vulture; one does not eat the vulture; one does not offer the vulture as a sacrifice to one's head). In the Yoruba culture, vultures are not acceptable as an edible meat. They are also forbidden under the Islamic jurisprudence.

Some misconceptions

There are many health benefits of halal food consumption, but people don’t seem to discern it.  Some animals are prohibited because they are disease vectors, draining of blood will remove toxins, carrions are dangerous to human, intoxicants affect our gumption – negative impact on our judgement, and the process if followed avoid contamination during food production. There are also similarities between halal and kosher although alcohol is forbidden in halal but not under kosher. Grasshopper is the only visible insects permissible in kosher while insects are neutral in halal. Camel is halal but non-kosher. The halal process also stipulates that animals should be treated humanely, slaughtering should not be done in front of other livestock and stress should be reduced to a minimum. Halal is sustainable because livestock are not supposed to be raised on slaughter waste, blood meal or any kind of filthy feed. Hand slaughter is the best, but some scholars allow machine slaughter because of mass production. The issue of stunning is also controversial. Even though some scholars support stunning there are practical challenges with its use in slaughter houses. Some animals are still alive and stunning may not necessarily lead to sudden death. With hand slaughter the cutting of three out of the four passages, carotids, oesophagus, jugular veins, and trachea, of the throat with a sharp knife will lead to sudden death (Regenstein 2003, direct observation).

Asymmetric information

Imperfect information is present in most markets, homogenous or heterogeneous, and that is why people may end up purchasing a “lemon”. It is prevalent because the bad will crowd out the good when sellers have more information than the buyers, especially in the presence of a budget constraint. In other words, cheap becomes expensive in the long run. The level of asymmetric information (LAI), a measure of opacity, can be reduced by moving the market from a state of imperfect information towards perfect information. In the halal food market, the level of asymmetric information can be resolved by adequate consumer education, third party monitoring by certifying bodies regulated by the government, crypto-labelling (authenticity, transparency, and transparency enhanced via blockchain), and workable and desirable regulations that guarantees food safety. 

Lamb Loin Chops at Arabesque Restaurant

As we explore the food market, we have discovered that reduction of LAI translates to authentic food. This implies that opacity and food authenticity are inversely related.Highly opaque "food" may in fact be made up of very little agricultural produce (understood to be the traditional source of food) and contain a high degree of artificial, chemically-modified, processed ingredients which results in an industrial food-like substance or food substitute. Extra-ecological commodities associated with mono-culture, possibly genetically modified and of dubious nutritional value.[1]Opacity is a challenge in the food market including halal because of the points below:

1.      It is difficult to monitor the activities of the producers, processors, and marketers – Moral Hazard.

2.      More complex in big organizations because the interest of the managers (agent) are not necessarily the objectives of the owners (principal) – Principal-Agent Problem.

3.      Low quality foods are cheaper; thus, consumers will buy because of their budget constraints – Adverse Selection.

4.      Logo and the certification process may be compromised – Signalling is not necessarily a panacea.

The power of minority

A farming couple from Windsor, Ontario once told me “Halal is not a niche market because we all eat shawarma”. Some people from non-Muslim backgrounds are willing to pay a premium because of their appreciation of the health benefits of authentic halal food.  Economist Nassim Taleb (e.g. Skin in the Game) also alluded to the fact that halal may become mainstream.  A stubborn minority can make a significant impact and influence the decision of the majority. We have seen cases where party organizers will cook only halal chicken and avoid pork because two out of the twenty people on the guest list eat only halal. It seems there will be an increase in the demand for halal food in the future.

There is an adage in the Yoruba culture that states that “Bi oni ti ri, ola ki ri be, li o mu ki Babalawo ma da Ifa ororun (Today’s situation is not the same as tomorrow, so the Babalawo consults the oracle every five days)”. This indicates that change is the only thing that is constant. Even though the future is difficult to predict, halal food may become mainstream because of our love for shawarma, the minority rule and food safety.  

*Special thanks to Warsame Warsame, Christine Kajumba, Richard Bankole, Jeremiah Saringe, Wondimu Gashaw, and Dan Maitland.

Bibliography:

Regenstein J. M., Chaudry M. M., and Regenstein C. E. (2003). The Kosher and Halal Food Laws. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety 2:111-127.

Taleb, N.N. (2018). Skin in the Game: Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life. New York: Allen Lane.

Bamidele Adekunle, ECVOntario, SEDRD, University of Guelph

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[1]This explanation is based on a comment I received from Dan Maitland the first time he saw the framework.

Nsenene, Uganda’s Healthy Delicacy

February 7, 2019, 12:30 pm

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Have you ever tasted grasshoppers? What!  Grasshoppers! How can you eat insects? The spontaneous response and dramatic facial expression tell it all.  Disgust and queasiness!  I love asking this question, anticipating the usual natural response.  The innocent question that sets the stage for conflicting attitudes, exposing the beauty of cultural diversity.

Oh God, as the weather gets colder, I cuddle in my couch and the craving for those delicious, crunchy, crispy hoppers served with a warm cup of unadulterated warm milk is irresistible.  Nothing at that moment can substitute for my yearning for grasshoppers, not even a hot chocolate from Tim Horton.

“Nsenene”, as commonly referred to in the Ugandan dialects are the long-horned grasshoppers that exist in swarms in Uganda.  Nsenene usually come out at full moon with increased numbers after heavy rains. These grasshoppers therefore swarm in the rainy seasons of April to June with the peak season from November to December. My heightened cravings for these goodies come as no coincidence to the cold months of December.    

Crispy roasted grasshoppers.

The grasshopper tradition in Uganda is older than Uganda.  To appreciate the tradition, the month of November known as “omwezi gwa Musenene, which means the month of grasshoppers, is a reflection of the intimate connection that exists between the people and their grasshoppers.”  A clan named after the grasshoppers, the nsenene clan, is a constant reminder of the importance placed in the grasshoppers.  Unfortunate for this clan, they cannot partake the goodies.

Ugandans consume nsenene as a snack with tea or local beef or as a protein at meals served with a carbohydrate.  The nsenene are cleaned before roasting, a process involving removal of wings and legs.   Once cleaned, the grasshoppers are then roasted with minimal addition of fat since these insects produce their own fat.  To add taste, little salt, onions and spices are added.  Nsenene are rich in protein, fat and fibre making them a cheap but healthy substitute for animal protein especially for the less privileged.

Traditionally, children and women collect nsenene in small numbers for subsistence use.  These grasshoppers are more active at night and are attracted to light making them more active around well-lit areas. The grasshoppers are very easy to collect by quickly grabbing them as they rest on vegetation or fly about.   Originally, families went out to hunt for nsenene at night with a source of light. The commonly used source of light was an improvised light made from elephant grass, “emuuli”. The elephant grass stems were bundled and lit.  These slowly burnt away giving off a bright flame, which attracted the grasshoppers while the smoke from the grass intoxicated the grasshoppers. Others used flashlights or lanterns as a source of light. Women and children collected the grasshoppers.

Whereas grasshopper hunting was an exciting venture for kids, as it enabled them to be out with the older ones at night, for the women it was an opportunity to show their diligence to their husbands.  Husbands expected their wives to collect grasshoppers and in return, the husbands bought their wives a Christmas gift, “gomesi”, a traditional attire worn by women, and Christmas wear for the children. Although the women worked hard to catch the grasshoppers, tradition did not allow women to eat the grasshoppers.  Like most delicious foods, men and boys only, ate grasshoppers. 

Today the grasshopper tradition has taken a completely new turn, with the collection transforming from subsistence to commercial, more men engaged in the business and women claiming their full share of the relishing taste of the grasshoppers. The improved method of grasshopper collection has attributed to this transformation.

Packaged roasted grasshoppers.

Initially children and women ran after the grasshoppers grabbing them as they flew past. This allowed for only a few kilos of grasshoppers caught in a season.  The high demand for grasshoppers has seen an improvement in the methods used to catch the grasshoppers and a hike in the price.  A kilo of grasshoppers goes for about 40,000/= Ugandan shillings an equivalent of US$ 10.76.  Improved methods have seen a move from running after the grasshoppers with emuuli, flashlights and lanterns to use of electric light bulbs as traps. 

Large buckets with light bulbs placed above the buckets to attract the grasshoppers are used as traps for the grasshoppers.  Tapering slippery metal panels are connected to the buckets.  These metal panels allow easy entry of the grasshoppers.  The buckets make it impossible for the grasshoppers to crawl out of the buckets.  Once in the buckets the grasshoppers are unable to fly out due to the slippery nature of the panels. This method has resulted in large catches hence transforming the business from small catches for local markets to commercial grasshopper collection aimed for large markets in the city.  

The lucrative grasshopper business has enabled many families educate their children, build decent homes and buy cars. Grasshoppers have also moved from an evening snack with tea at home to a snack served in bars and eateries in the city. Preservation methods promote the constant supply of the delicacy all year round.  Unfortunately, because of the high prices, grasshopper consumption has moved to the financially privileged leaving the rural poor deprived of the cheap source of protein. Although the grasshopper business is lucrative in Uganda, the focus of this business has remained mainly on the Ugandan market.  Traders have made little effort to penetrate the international market leaving this wonderful snack forgotten on the shelves of the Ugandan market.  Improved processing and package may promote the consumption of the grasshopper on the international market including kosher consumers.       

Today as I sit in the cold of my living room, memories linger of the evening snack in Uganda.  Attempts to bring in some of this wonderful snack have proved fruitless at ports of entry.  I live for that time when the grasshopper packaging industry in Uganda will meet the international standards to enable the free movement of my grasshoppers to Canada.  Till then my question remains . . .

Yes, how many would love to taste these delicious hopping insects!  

Christine Kajumba, Guest Contributor, ECVOntario, SEDRD, University of Guelph.

The Resilience of Somali Bantu: Explained through the lens of food (in)security

February 23, 2019, 9:30 pm

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Jareer Weyneor Somali Bantu, as they are neologized, is a distinct, ethnic minority group in Somalia who are believed to comprise of aboriginals of the horn of Africa and decedents of ex-slaves brought from Southeast Africa. They were treated as outcasts, facing constant discrimination, marginalization dating back through the centuries.

Geographically, they inhabit the most arable and fertile region of Somalia, that is in between the two longest rivers of the country, Jubba and Shabelle, along the banks of these rivers and valleys surrounding them. Towns under this region include Jilib, Jamame, Kamsuma and smaller villages surrounding them. They populate these areas due to the fact that the other Somali groups who are predominantly pastoralists found it inhabitable due to the infestion of disease-carrying bugs such as the tsetse fly that killed many of their livestock especially cattle, goats and sheep. The other reason is that Somali Bantu groups were cultivators and usually grew crops and the conditions in these areas were favourable for their occupations. They are therefore sometimes referred to us the ‘Reer Goleed’which is roughly translated as the people of the bush.

Muufo - flatbread from fermented corn dough

They typically practice mixed farming and grow crops such as corn, several varieties of beans, sorghum, sesame, all at subsistence level. Some also farm vegetables and fruits such as tomatoes, onions, pawpaw, mangoes, and banana.

The traditional dishes of this community contain more grains and vegetables, fresh fish from the rivers and less red meat since they barely rear livestock. One of the popular dishes is Cambulo – A mix of corn, or sorghum and beans, steamed together, drizzled with sugar and sesame oil.

Soor served with fish stew

Another popular dish is Soor (grits), a grounded cornmealthat is boiled in water and allowed to solidify, served with vegetable and/or fish stew. It is a variation of the Italian Polenta, and the Kenyan Ugali.  Muufo, another delicacy of the Somali-Bantus’, is a flatbread made of fermented corn flour dough, baked in a cylindrical-shaped charcoal oven, the Tinaar. The dough is usually stuck to the inside walls of the oven and allowed to bake for some minutes. It is also served with vegetable and/or fish stew.

Fish stew

Plantain is another household side dish among the Somali Bantus. Unlike, the other Somali groups who heavily consume bananas, this community grow and eat plantain prepared in different styles; some roast it, others fry it up and all serve it as a tangy side dish for their grits and cornbread.

While these dishes were traditionally unique for the Somali Bantus, the other Somali groups started appreciating them and, in these days, they are very common householditems for all groups in Somalia.

When the civil war broke out in the early 1990s, the Somali Bantu like the other minority groups were especially vulnerableto attacks, lootings, and rapes as they were easily identifiable due to their distinct physical appearance and dialect. They were, therefore, more negatively affected than many others during the civil war.

As a consequence, many fled to neighbouring countries, especially Kenya, seeking asylum. Many of these settled in Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp, a complex that hosts the largest number of Somali refugees. Dadaab, unlike their previous vicinities, is semi-arid and dry, with inadequate rainfall, hence it is unfavourable for farming. Since there were no water bodies nearby, this also meant that there could be no fishing activities. Those conditions forced them to evolve their diet to whatever was available.

In the camp, apart from the food insecurity and diet challenges, the Somali Bantu group faced regular threats from bandits, as well as continued segregation and marginalization from their fellow Somali refugees. They were subjected to this robbery since they lacked sufficient protection that the other groups enjoyed.

After about a decade of these rampant challenges and persecution, many of them were eventually resettled in the United States. Today, members of this group many of whom reside in Lewiston, Maine, are attempting to revive theirculture and traditional food by creatinga farming and food truck co-operative, where they serve Somali Bantu dishes prepared from harvests picked from their farms.

Luqman Osman, URA, ECVOntario, SEDRD, University of Guelph, Canada

 

Three Strong Women: A story of immigration and its challenges

March 29, 2019, 7:56 pm

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Immigration to a wealthier country offers the lure of a better life which might end up being a façade rather than a reality. As an immigrant, I am thankful for the opportunity of moving to Canada and the lure of a better life has become a reality for me. However, I recently read Three Strong Women and it reminded me that immigration is not always an escape to paradise.

The Journey

The novel begins with the story of Norah, a lawyer and single mother to a young daughter. Norah is a character who carries angst, bitterness, and resentment towards her father. This is why. Norah’s father immigrated to France to study where he met Norah’s mother. Together, they parented two daughters and a son. When Norah’s brother was five years old, her father moved back to Africa with her brother, leaving Norah, her sister, and her mother alone. Norah’s father returned in pursuit of economic opportunities, however, his immigration separated his family causing them immense pain. Norah struggled with the trauma of abandonment and the loss of a sibling. Many families experience this pain when family members migrate to foreign countries and for whatever reason are unable to return to their families. Immigration can be disruptive to the family unit causing lasting emotional and economic damage.

The novel continues with the story of Khady Dhemba, a young widow who was sent off to Europe by her husband’s family to find a distant cousin. Although the author does not disclose the geographic locations, Khady’s excruciating journey most likely resembled the Western Mediterranean route that many refugee migrants follow. With this route, refugees usually pass through Morocco and attempt to climb the Wall of Shame, as it is infamously known. These walls are located in either Melilla or Ceuta- both Spanish enclaves located in Morocco, Northern Africa. In other words, they are constitutionally Spanish but geographically Moroccan (Walls of Shame, 2016). The wall of shame is, in fact, a double six-metre high barbed wire fence in Ceuta and a triple wall in Melilla (Walls of Shame, 2016). In between the parallel fences, there are guards, heat sensors, noise detectors, and infrared cameras monitoring activity between and around the fences to ensure that no refugee makes it through (Walls of Shame, 2016). Khady, like many others, ended up lifeless at the feet of the fence; she never did make it to the distant cousin in France. Khady’s fictional character happens to be the reality of many illegal immigrants who lose their lives on their quest to a better life. Immigrants who lack the knowledge or the financial means to legally migrate find themselves in life-threatening situations in search of the supposed greener pasture.

Fanta, the cousin in France Khady never reached, was born in the Colobane district in Senegal where she lived with her aunt and her uncle in austere conditions. She struggled to receive an education, but eventually became a teacher at the Lycee Mermoz, a school for the children of diplomats and wealthy entrepreneurs. It was at the Lycee Mermoz where she met her husband, a French native. She moved back to France with her husband in hopes of a better life than the one she had known in Africa. She hoped that she would be able to continue her work as a teacher, but to her disappointment, she remained unemployed. French employers would not hire her. That is the unfortunate reality of many educated immigrants, even in Canada. With their degrees and wealth of experience, they drive taxis and clean office buildings, roles that are well below their skill level and professional training. For many individuals, immigration fails to fulfill the expectations and the dreams of a more prosperous life.

Although immigration has the potential to positively change lives, we need to be aware of the challenges it poses. These challenges include difficulty finding culturally appropriate foods which can lead to adverse health implications, a lack of acculturation which can result in social isolation, and the likelihood of underemployment or unemployment which can unfavorably affect economic empowerment. As a country that opens itself up to immigrants, we need to ensure that families are not fractured as a result of immigration as was the case of Norah, that the immigration process is accessible to more disadvantaged individuals so that they don’t have to resort to dangerous means as was the case with Khady, and that migrants can better integrate into the economy once they do immigrate as with Fanta. Let’s make sure that this lure of a better life ends up being a reality for many, rather than the façade it could become for the less fortunate.

References 

NDiaye, M. (2013). Three strong women. London, UK: MacLehose.

Walls of Shame: The Spanish-Moroccan border. (2016). Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/general/2007/11/2008525183732945911.html

Olaitan Ayomide Ogunnote, URA, ECVOntario, SEDRD, University of Guelph

The Canadian Compromise: Immigration and Food Access

June 2, 2019, 3:57 pm

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Over 250,000 immigrants from around the world come to Canada every year seeking a better life which has established our country’s “open arms” attitude. Immigration, or as I like to call it a “new chapter of opportunity” allows families and individuals to live in a country that is safer and more stable than the circumstances they faced back home. Although Canada is trying its best to help settle newcomers, there are still issuesbetween immigration and food access. Factors that have contributed to food insecurity include high immigrant unemployment rates, dilution and misrepresentation of cultural identity, and scarcity.

Immigrants face relatively higher unemployment rates than average which is why they only make up 26 percent of the entire Canadian workforce. This results in financial instability and food insecurity for many immigrant families and individuals. With such low incomes, many immigrants are unable to afford fresh or healthy foods because they are more expensive and are therefore forced to eat unhealthy options such as fast or frozen foods. Food and health are directly related which is why many immigrants face greater diet-related health issues compared to most Canadians. Low paying jobs denies immigrants access to quality foods and fresh ingredients which increases their risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease just to name a few. Paulina Rodriguez who was a graduate from Waterloo in the urban planning program made a very eye-opening statement regarding social justice issues on immigrants and food access. Rodriguez said, “Addressing diet-related health inequalities is a moral imperative, as access to high-quality food is a fundamental human right”. It is almost impossible to balance the costs of day to day life as an immigrant with the costs of healthy eating.

Many immigrants have low incomes and have to sacrifice quality over quantity to survive.

 Immigrants have made Canada the very diverse country that it is today. Although many people from different cultures and ethnicities live in our country, we have not adapted an accurate representation of their foods. Canada offers a variety of options to choose from such as shawarma, sushi, Indian and Mediterranean foods. However, when compared with the traditional cuisine immigrants make back home, our versions of these foods are often comparatively diminished relative to the original food versions. Thus many of these foods are misrepresented and diluted through multiple ingredient substitutions and non-traditional techniques. Authenticity is also a big concern for immigrants as a majority of their cultures are tied to religious beliefs that have specific food requirements such as kosher and halal. Restaurants and grocers in Canada offer little variety of halal and kosher foods which is what immigrants rely on when eating and making traditional dishes. This creates a culture shock for immigrants because they are so used to having these ingredients and foods readily available back home. Immigrants typically would rather adapt and incorporate their cultural identity and traditions rather than conform to the most common Canadian food cultures. It’s important that immigrants continue to keep their cultural identity alive through traditional foods in order to avoid being caught in the melting pot of our country’s food culture. 

Immigrants continue to face limited availability to resources due to scarcity which remains a common issue among specialty and healthy foods across Canada. Farmers’ markets for example, lack cultural diversity because they only grow and sell foods that Canadians usually consume with little regard to immigrant consumption. There are relatively few ethnic supermarkets scattered across Canada and considering over 20 percent of our population consists of immigrants (Statcan, 2016) at least half of the supermarkets should be more ethnically representative. Integration into Canadian communities can be extremely difficult for newcomers because “food plays on identity, highlighting that food is both physical and symbolic: when we eat food, our bodies react to nutrients of the ingredients. At the same time, the food also conveys meaning to ourselves and others about who we are” (Soo, 2010, pg, 1). Lack of availability of cultural foods makes “it difficult for immigrants to feel at home, welcomed, or valued and be able to integrate into and contribute to Canadian society” (Soo, 2010, pg, 2). 

Popular Asian supermarket with only two locations in Canada: North York and London Ontario.

It is imperative that our country address the issues immigrants face when coming to Canada for a better life. Food insecurity continues to be a problem due to high unemployment rates, misrepresentation of cultural traditions, and scarcity in specialty ingredients. Providing greater employment opportunities and training for newcomers will result in a stronger and more diverse representation amongst our country’s food industry. We should also allocate more ethnic supermarkets in geographic areas that have large immigrant communities to decrease scarcity. Lastly, it is vital that we provide greater selection and capacity of halal and kosher foods in grocers and restaurants across Canada.

    

References

Research reveals immigrants' struggle with food access. (2016, October 18). Retrieved from https://uwaterloo.ca/environment/news/research-reveals-immigrants-struggle-food-access

Soo, K. Newcomers and food insecurity: A critical literature review on immigration and food security. (2012). Major Research Paper (MRP), Ryerson University.

Alessandra Larosa-Fox, Research Assistant, ECVOntario, University of Guelph.

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The Logic

June 23, 2019, 3:15 pm

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Electric Vehicles (EV) charging stations and park at the University of Guelph

Imagine a conversation among three individuals about global issues. The three individuals are Dara (intellectual), Ade (futuristic), and Monday (fatalistic).

Dara: Hello friends. I am happy you agreed to meet. It’s been a while – busy attending conferences. I just arrived from a workshop in Kigali.

Monday: No qualms Dara. It has been predetermined that we will meet today.

Ade: By who? Assuming I didn’t schedule it in my calendar, Alexa and Cortana will not remind me. Thanks to artificial intelligence (AI).

Monday: What is AI when everything is based on the intelligence of the developer and the desirability of the data?

Dara: To corroborate your point (Monday), the GPS in my car tells me to turn left when I am supposed to turn right.

Ade: Interesting! I told the Uber driver that drove me here to stop the GPS because it added five kilometres to the journey. I know the way better.

Monday: I once heard that Google’s facial recognition can not differentiate between a cat and a dog.

Ade: They are working on it. Have you heard of Nvidia? Homo Sapiens are intelligent creatures though they want to be Homo Deus as alluded to by Yuval Harari.

Monday: It baffles me how arrogant we have become. How can humans start behaving like the Supreme being? Impossibility!

Dara: I am confused by epistemological and metaphysical reasoning. But for sure we have surpassed our ancestors. As a young man, I never thought we will be able to check email, watch television and video chat with a smart phone, browse the internet in the Amazon jungle, and use autonomous vehicles.

Ade: Yes, the future is here. Whether it is autopilot as asserted by Elon Musk (Tesla) or LIDAR as pushed by Waymo, autonomous vehicles (AV) will work.

Monday: What will people do when cars start driving themselves? And can AV work in Lagos (Nigeria) or Delhi (India)? I don’t understand these inordinate ambitions.

Dara: These are not illusions. AV, digitalization, 5G technology, and the fourth industrial revolution are already a reality. Most devices are digitized, my friends drive electric vehicles (Nissan leaf and Tesla: challenges include wait period after order, lack of infrastructure – charging stations vs petrol stations, and a fully charged Nissan leaf can only travel 150km).

Waymo is ahead in the AV sector with early riders in Phoenix and Chandler, AZ.

And blockchain technology is creeping in …

Ade: Yes, the blockchain. A distributed ledger that is immutable, decentralized, group managed and enhances trust among strangers. It will curtail fraud in many spheres of life.

Monday: The problem with the two of you is that you refuse to look at the downside of all these innovations and the limitations of man.

Dara: Who told you we have limitations?

Monday: We are mortals and we have limits. On another note, what about the sustainability of electric and autonomous vehicles? They both need lithium-ion batteries and the cobalt is from Congo. Do you think it is ethical?

Ade: The electrification of transportation will mitigate climate change. Research is ongoing on how to replace cobalt with other materials. Moreover, stakeholders are working hard on the reduction of conflict minerals from Congo entering the international market.

Wait till we have electric planes. It will happen in our lifetime.

Dara: Ade, just ignore Monday. He is lagging! Remember that today is Friday. On the issue of blockchain, I heard from a Canadian researcher, Adekunle, explaining the concept at my conference in Dar es Salaam few weeks ago.

He alluded to an idea called crypto-labelling – based on blockchain. I did my research and discovered that he published an article about it in 2016.

Ade: I saw the powerpoint presentation via a friend. He linked opacity and food authenticity. The presentation reminded me of the first time I read about opacity in Nassim Taleb’s book.

Monday: Which of his books? I just completed “Skin in the Game”.

Ade: Can’t remember. All I know is that crypto-labelling is a process that will allow consumers to trace, authenticate, and ensure transparency in their food supply and value chain.

Monday: These are not problems of people in rural areas who grow their own food.

Dara: Now that you mentioned food, I remembered a book “How ethnocultural food reaches our tables” on the challenges people face in terms of the procurement of their culturally appropriate food.

Ade: Great book! I learned about farmers market, community shared agriculture, nexus between immigration and food, global food regime, and the definition of food.

Monday: By the way, one of my friends, Wondimu, indicated that the world is a small place for refugees. Maybe availability of appropriate food affects their destination.

Ade: Destination is a function of many variables including employment and availability of public goods.

Monday: And access to credit. So that it will be easy to buy nice cars and a big house.

Dara: Warning – according to Prof. Saringe “You cannot base your retirement on a property”.

Ade: Thanks Dara. I’m paying today. I hope this café accepts WeChat pay (or Alipay).

Monday: I always appreciate spending time with both of you, but some issues are unsolvable.

Dara: Please withdraw that statement. It will affect your locus of control. All challenges are solvable, we only need to be cognizant of context specificity of the phenomenon.

Ade: Furthermore, the future is unpredictable, but planning gives a shock absorber.

Monday: See both of you next month…

By

Bamidele Adekunle @badekunl

June 12, 2019

Mom’s Kitchen

September 16, 2019, 12:15 pm

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I remember Mom’s kitchen, the way it was 20 years ago. The space was not that much, only enough room to hold a medium sized refrigerator, an L-shaped counter top that held the stoves and fitted a small-sized aluminum sink where all household dishes were cleaned, lots of overhead shelves, a grinding machine that uses an installed sharp plates within its grinding box to chop and blend large quantities of food material, stone tablets for manual grinding, and a back door to a tightly packed pantry, built by Dad to hold all the extra kitchen essentials.  This kitchen space became the classroom for my life education, and when I reflect, I am surprised by how much I learned. Respect, loyalty, love, care for myself and others, patience, perseverance, diligence, hard work, name it, my mom taught me all without having to say anything, in her dingy, cramped 2-in-1 kitchen and pantry.

Blood leafy vegetable

I may have been through school several times, but none of the education I have received has been as effective in teaching me life values as was my experience growing up slicing onions and washing dishes for Mom. I am a hard worker, I spend 60 hours every week doing what I do, but I learned all this way back. Mom instructed – chill the drinks, mop the floors, clean the sink, empty the trash, peel the yams, hand-grind the melon seeds, hand-blend the pepper and tomatoes, clean the dishes and dinner table, drop-off items to the family friend 3 miles away, and be back in time to pound the yams. You know how. Dad gets upset when dinner is not served at 6 pm. There were no electrical kitchen machines, so I think back about it now and shudder. What I must complain about today is nothing compared to what I went through in Mom’s kitchen, yet I did them all then cheerfully, sometimes singing along.

My first day in graduate school, the graduate coordinator remarked: “Here we judge students not only from their aptitude and grades, but by the complete and efficient use of all their senses. The ability to use your hands, smell and sight, while not losing track of all that’s going on around you, makes you successful in this field.” * I smiled to myself as I mastered my senses in Mom’s kitchen. I learned to smell the burning soup before it started burning, I knew the amount of salt I was adding by the way it felt between my thumb and index fingers, I could tell the meat was cooked just by looking at it. I remembered Mom making different meals without a cookbook nor recipe to follow, and whenever she repeated the dish, it always tasted exactly like the previous one–so tasty and delicious, I would always ask for more. She managed to pull off this feat with no measuring spoons nor cups, just by the efficient use of all her senses, just as my chemistry graduate counsellor encouraged me to do 20 years later.

Tomatoes

Soyabeans

Twenty years ago, I learned the power of healthy eating. Mom made everything fresh–no processing, no preservatives. We had a house garden where we grew tomatoes, peppers, several herbs and leafy greens like dandelions or wild lettuce, Amaranth (**efo tete), water leaf, basil leaf (**efinrin), bitter leaf (**ewuro), **amunututu, and a host of others. We would pick up quantities required for only one day, and leftovers are usually consumed the next morning for breakfast. I can comfortably say I never had any processed food while living at home. I did not even know what it meant at the time. Our meat was delivered by the butcher as per schedule, fresh from the slaughter house and we would prepare them as soon as they came in, with spices and herbs handpicked from the backyard garden. We had a chicken coop where we raised chickens from where we got a constant supply of fresh eggs. We would have a chicken dinner when we thought one of the chickens was of age and egg production has considerably slowed down. We would slaughter them ourselves, moisten them in boiling water, pluck their feathers, salt them to remove excess blood, and cut them ready for cooking. It was a delicate process with which every family member was part of, and these activities made our family time together even more enjoyable. For my home then, the idea was that it had to be fresh to be healthy, and for a very long time this was the practice.

Later in life, my parents decided to have a reduced meat-based diet, so we sought plant alternatives. Our religious beliefs must have played a role in this decision. As Adventists, we conformed to the Jewish dietary kashrut law and ate kosher foods. Adventists and Jews both believe only certain animals should be eaten and there are strict guidelines according to shechita laws for their slaughter. My parents, however, maintained that flesh was permitted for slaughter and human consumption only after the biblical flood, when all plants, seeds, and herbs had been destroyed by water, and as humans, our original diet must have been strictly plant-based. Mom later invented this delicious meat substitute purely from soybeans, and it tasted even better than regular meat. When my mom realized we all loved the soy meat as we affectionately called it then, she limited the meat deliveries to once a week. Afterwards we made lots of soy variations – soy pancakes, soy buns, soy bread, etc. You see, my Mom was a class apart when it comes to culinary skills, and she always found amazing ways to make our almost plant diet enjoyable. My parents’ diet now has little or no meat, except for the occasional special family get-together moments or when they must entertain guests, and its usually home-raised chicken, freshly slaughtered and cooked. To this day, in their quiet country home, they preserve their backyard garden, now a lot bigger as they work at it full time. During my last visit before finally moving to Canada, I remember getting bananas and pawpaws, a live chicken and fresh eggs, all from their backyard garden.

Pawpaw

Today, food topics have become a mainstay in public attention and discourse. ‘You are what you eat’, we are constantly told. So, popular tags like organic, grass-fed, antibiotic-free, non-GMO, etc. have emerged on our food items. The eggs I buy are organic, free-range, grade A brown eggs raised exclusively from hens that live in an open-concept barn environment where they are free to roam, feed, and nest.’ I have to pay a premium for that fancy tag. The packing goes further to tell me the calories, sodium, and lipid content per egg – phew. My Mom does not know what GMO or lipid means, but she understands that adding chemicals – pesticides, antibiotics, preservatives, or whatever, to food items just messes them up, and messes you up when you consume them. She knew without being an expert on crop genetics that modifying food matter gives them a new identity, and it becomes unpredictable what they will do to the body or the body will do to them. She’s practiced organic consumption for decades before organic foods became so popular. She knows healthy eating can increase life expectancy, maybe that is why at over sixty years, she has enough vitality, freshness, and energy to pass for twenty years younger. And because I would like to have her kind of bubbling health when I get older, perhaps the biggest lesson I should take away from Mom’s kitchen is this – eating healthy means living healthy.

*paraphrased – exact phrase not remembered

**local Yoruba names – The Yoruba are a large national Nigerian group found especially in western/south-western Nigeria and they speak the ‘Yoruba’ language.

Olasunkanmi Olaoye

PhD Student Chemistry, University of Toronto

Guest Contributor, ECVOntario, SEDRD, University of Guelph

Hikma 360: Trailer

November 18, 2019, 1:22 pm

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We believe people should consume safe and appropriate foods and there should be no hidden information in the food market. Based on our pursuit of symmetric information in the halal food market, we have developed an application that will provide information that will help stakeholders understand their food market better.



ECVOntario, SEDRD, University of Guelph

Behind the Aroma - Episode 1 (Breakfast in Africa)

November 25, 2019, 10:16 pm

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Breakfast in Africa - https://radiopublic.com/behind-the-aroma-6Lzn0Q/s1!ded87

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Behind the Aroma - Episode 2 (Camels, Culture and Economics)

December 26, 2019, 5:03 pm

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