Journal Entry For
Project 3 - Interviews
- Our project focusing on rural micro-living is the anti-thesis of other class projects, as it focuses on building community compared to urban micro-living in isolation. Social message is to not to stratify, but instead to intermix people in holistic symbiosis. Working in the farm will give non career farmers awareness, picnic, cook, & see each other (Glenn)
- Farmers markets such as the one in downtown Campbell bring people together, but they are only limited to a few hours, on one day per week. Can you imagine micro markets where the farmers could sell food? (Glenn)
- Cooperation increases resilience and efficiency; eliminates need for duplication of cars, tractors, equipment, allows for communal pooling of resources like electricity, rainwater (Glenn)
- Farmworkers live in deplorable conditions, mainly in containers, packed single family or barracks-style houses, owned by the farmers, and others live in and cars/RVs that they own (Jimenez)
- Farmworkers cook using propane or wood stoves which are prone to accidents and are toxic with the poor ventilation of their dwellings (Jimenez)
- The key to transition from farmworkers to farmers is confidence in their ability to run a business and education on how to farm (Jimenez & Ramirez)
- Land is the biggest issue, the landowners fear losing their workforce and don’t want to lose their land. Meanwhile, the rent for housing is higher the average salary of the farmworkers: rent=$2500*12=$30000/yr, average income $14000-25000/yr (Jimenez)
- Soil health is key to good farming. Advanced industrial agricultural technologies often deplete soil and biodiversity. In the long term, industrial ag is less effective than organic and indigenous farming practices which are regenerative. (Ramirez)
- More people are being diagnosed with autism lately; autistic adults face challenges at work as they excel in routine and can become frustrated once interrupted. Once triggered, it takes a longer time for autistic people to calm down. Autistic nephew enjoys tasks like making boba and cutting fruits and vegetables. (Colin)
- Materials selection for the structures: 1) Current materials can be examined, hint to compare these based on their carbon impact 2) By 2050 there would be new materials, even with an opportunity for organic materials that could be grown by the community itself (Glenn)