HERRMANSDORFER FARM
FARMING AND PRETZELS
We visited the Herrmansdorfer farm which is an example of a hinterland. A hinterland is another area outside of a city that is used for resources that the city can use. The Herrmansdorfer farm is a hinterland for Munich and provides it with agricultural goods such as pork. We got a chance to see the processes of how these animals are taken care of along with the slaughtering and selling processes. There was also valuable information provided on problems that may arise in the agricultural system which was also helpful information that my group could use in our final project. We concluded the day with pretzel making where I made my little pretzel son, Big Chungus (that's me with him on the left!).
"MAAAAH"
Visiting the Hermannsdorfer Farm gave us a firsthand look into the world of meat production and agriculture. We were able to see how animals can be treated in a way that is more humane than factory farms. Farming has also been traditionally a key line of work in all parts of the world; smaller communities still heavily rely on agriculture.
LOOK AT ALL THESE CHICKENS!
A reality for many farms is that farm workers tend to be immigrants or poorer workers which can result in exploiting these workers. This is the case with Munich and African immigrant farmers who due to Munich's farming actions, African farmers are forced to go outside of the continent to look for better job opportunities. However these better opportunities don't equal better conditions.
Hermannsdorfer Farm is a less industrial farm as it goes for a more traditional farming style. This helps to limit waste and provides animals a more humane living arrangement however this can result in a higher price for the products they create. For instance, the products they sell in the farm's store tend to be more expensive than products created from more factory-like or industrial farms. This is the common dilemma with sustainability because it is a very important concept however it can be more expensive. This results in the action of preserving our planet becoming a luxury rather than a necessary change. People from lower classes can't be active in sustainable choices due to the expenses that may come with it rather that is buying organic produce or having grassfed meat. Although sustainable farming should be encouraged, that doesn't mean that it should be an expensive endeavor to do so. If we can normalize sustainable farming, it would be less of a luxury and more of a required norm.
There is more of a focus on chickens, sheep and pigs at the farm and there is this new perspective of the argument of eating or not eating animals. The reality is that humans are a part of the foodchain and it is natural for animals to eat other animals however it should not be in excess. So humans eating animals isn't the problem, rather the treatment of these animals and how much of the meat is being wasted should be at the forefront of concerns.
The area of where the farm is a hinterland of Munich, which shows how it is possible to use the resource of hinterlands in a more sustainable way. The only issue is figuring out how to make this products of these farms not overpriced and not vulnerable to the abuse of the resources they provide unlike hinterlands in areas such as Mexico or in certain African countries.