Monthly Archives: September 2013

In June, I had the incredible opportunity to take part in UBC’s IHHS 408 course which explores topics in aboriginal public health.  I traveled to Duncan, BC (on Vancouver Island) along with three other student team members, one of which was a sociology student and the other two were medical students.  We stayed with a First Nations host family for the month in order to better immerse ourselves in the community.  I was very eager to take part in this course because I have explored many temporary issues in developing countries such as Tanzania; however, through my studies and explorations in Tanzania, I realized that I do not know enough about current issues in my own country.

Beforehand, I didn’t know that Cowichan has the largest concentration of Aboriginal members is Canada and we were very fortunate that so many people were open to sharing with us many of their stories and traditional customs.  At the beginning of the course, we heard first-hand accounts of the atrocities that some community members horrifically went through in Residential Schools.  Hearing these accounts opened my eyes, as I never truly understood the solemnity of these former government-run schools and the atrocities that many First Nations individuals and communities were forced to go through.  Through hearing these events, one thing that stood out for me was the incredible resiliency and humbleness that the First Nations people posses.  It was certainly very inspiring and an honour to hear these personal stories that these men and women selflessly shared with us.  We also took part in several traditional activities, such as harvesting cedar and going on a medicinal walk outdoors.

We worked in the Ts’ewulhtun Health Clinic for the entirety of the course.  We job shadowed several nurses, dieticians, nutritionists, doctors and sociologists, which was an invaluable experience.  Especially since I aspire eventually working in the healthcare field, it is imperative to learn how to collaboratively dialogue inter-professionally.  We worked on several projects throughout our stay, which ranged from creating an HIV promotional campaign, creating an info sheet for child-developmental milestones, writing a nutritional guide as well as developing a research ethics protocol.

It was incredibly beneficial to take part in an experiential learning course, as there is so much more to learn by witnessing something first-hand than you ever will in a textbook. What I particularly took away from this course is the incredible respect that is given towards Elders in aboriginal communities, something I greatly admire, as too often Elders in the society that I came from are seen as being “outdated”, rather than “wise.”  Furthermore, I learned that wellness stems from broader social constructs and that a collaborative approach towards healthcare is necessary in order to achieve the greatest outcomes. This is certainly a course that I would highly recommend UBC students to take part in.

“Fertilizers and pesticides kill insects quickly but humans slowly.” –A Cuban Farmer

This past May I took part in an international field course that examined sustainable agriculture practices in Cuba.  LFS 302A delved into imperative issues ranging from food sovereignty to intercropping to ecological pest management.  Currently, Cuba faces a considerable task of attempting to be largely self-sufficient with their agricultural production due to a plethora of factors.  These include the current U.S. Embargo and the historical collapse of the Soviet Block in 1991, which acted as a catalyst to a national economic crisis as 85% of Cuba’s imports were suddenly abolished.  However, despite the adversity, Cubans have proved to be incredibly resilient and innovative in their farming practices, which has led the country to become a leading nation that promotes sustainable agricultural practices.

Cuba is a unique country that provides access to housing, free healthcare, education and even a steady food supply to each of its citizens as a result of policies implemented by the socialist government.   Through ration stores (which sell foods that are heavily subsidized) each citizen has access to their basic food needs.  Along with this, Cubans supplement their food intake by visiting state markets, which are also subsidized, as well as farmers markets.  In addition, children receive a guaranteed supply of yogurt and milk during their early years, which is vital in providing imperative physical and cognitive growth during this critical stage of their development.  As a result, rates of extreme poverty are not present in the country as may be elsewhere in other developing nations.

Additionally, Cuba is a highly educated nation.  In fact, despite only possessing 2% of the Latin American population, 11% of Latin American scientists are from Cuba.  This has played a large role in the country’s ability to respond to the obstacles that they have faced in the past towards creating an agroecological, sustainable and efficient farming system.   Moreover, creating agricultural practices that rely on biological management and organic production are incredibly complex; however, due to the high rate of educated individuals, Cubans have been able to tackle these issues upfront with incredible tenacity and success.

It is important to note that Cuba, just like any country, also faces its fair share of challenges.  Specifically, Cubans on average spend 90% of their disposable income on food (though factors such as healthcare and education are taken out of the equation).  Moreover, there is not free press and finding ways to attempt to increase family income can be limited.  Despite this, the country has still chosen to be resilient and provide some of the greatest achievements in the agricultural field.  

Overall, what particularly struck me was witnessing how truly innovative Cuban farmers are.  What’s more, they are not only searching for ways to increase their yields or surpluses.  Rather, Cuban farmers are primarily concerned with finding ways to benefit the environment by creating a system that promotes biodiversity in which they can produce food from within.  For example, we met a Cuban farmer during the course who turned rice husks into organic soil matter.  This paradigm is vastly different to the majority of industrial lenses shaped in developed countries.  Along with the push for an urban agricultural movement and the strong cooperative presence in Cuba, these viewpoints and factors are only a few areas that developed nations such as Canada could beneficially learn from in a reciprocal relationship.

It was certainly an incredible opportunity to witness all of this first-hand in Cuba, as there are particular areas of expertise that can be gained through experiential learning which textbooks simply cannot teach.  As a result, I have returned to Canada with tangible ideas, critical questions and an open mindset with regards to ways in which we can improve our own food production and food sovereignty at home in order to achieve a more sustainable future.