Last Day of Italian Summer School Sesh 2

After a failed attempt (for most of us) at getting a good night's sleep the night before our early departure for Rome, the sound of alarms rang through the convent hallways at the crack of dawn on June 17th. A groggy bunch, we hauled our huge suitcases down the convent stairs and threw them in the back of a truck to be loaded onto the bus to Rome. A few of us gathered for last pictures around the convent grounds, but most retreated to the world behind our iPod earbuds and stretched out on the bus for a much needed nap.

Drifting in and out of slumber for the two hour trip, questions ran through our minds... "Did I leave something at the convent?" "Why was Jane's room so much bigger than mine?" and "Wait, this bus is really comfortable. I wonder why we took the Forever Bus on the longer trip?" And suddenly, faster than Marcela could fill a carafe of vino, we were in Rome.

We dropped our suitcases off at the Hotel Santa Prisca and headed to FAO to hear an interesting lecture on the state of women and agriculture.

Some key points I took away from the lecture:

· Constraints on women and agriculture pose real costs – closing the gender gap makes economic sense as women are a key resource in agriculture.

· Women are less likely to be employed, but where they are employed, they’re more likely to be employed in agriculture. When women do own land, they tend to own smaller plots.

· Women farmers produce less than men – lower yields (because they have less access to resources). Women typically produce 20-30 percent less on their farms.

· Closing the gender gap and increasing women’s productivity would increase productivity by 2-4%

· First we must address equality under the law – women don’t have legal rights to own land - Invest in human capital of women and girls.

o Provide public services and technology to free up women’s time – they work longer days than men and they spend a lot of time on unproductive activities – carrying water, firewood, etc.

· Anything related to agriculture will have gender differential impacts

After FAO we headed back to the hotel for a little R&R before (most of us) went to IFAD. As I, and my friend whose name rhymes with Shmockamo, were sleepy bears, we took a respite, but heard glowing reviews of the field trip from our friends and colleagues upon their return.

At around 8 pm that evening we met in the lobby to head out for our last dinner together as a class. We headed to a delicious pizzeria near our hotel called Pizzeria Remo, and after a beer in the park while waiting for our table to be ready, we filed into the crowded (and obviously quite popular) restaurant and took our seats. The pizza was delicious and the red pepper flakes, as some of us learned the hard way, were REALLY spicy. Greg and Stephanie really drove home the lesson for the rest of us, as we watched their noses run down their shirts and their eyes glisten with spicy tears, crying out desperately for milk and mercy.

After dinner Nathan headed home and the rest of us went out to Bar on the Rox for some after dinner dancing and drinks. We really brought the house down with our nearly spot on music video rendition of Britney Spears' "Til the World Ends." Some of the locals looked at us as if we had managed to confirm their obnoxious vision of Americans in a mere 3 and a half minutes, but we wouldn't have had it any other way.

As the excitement from the Britney Spears dance party began to die down, the group of us slowly trickled out of the bar and began the bittersweet walk back to the hotel. Bittersweet because we were happy to rest after such a long day (and dancing like Britney is hard work), but we knew this was the last time we would all be together for a night out in Rome.

I had a wonderful time in summer school in Italy this summer and I wish all of you the best on your future endeavors and world travels. Miss you all!!

Parma...Day 10...and Beth was here!!

After another round of incredible cheese (see nick's Post), it was off to experience another of Parma's most delicious and famous gifts...prosciutto! Langhirano, the "undisputed home of Parma ham" is also home to Italy's Prosciutto di Parma museum. It was here that we had our fill of the best ham in Italy and our last meal with Sabrina, a professor we have all grown to love, respect, and greatly admire. After Rounds and rounds of meat, cheese, lasagna, wine, more meat, more wine, more meat, desert wine, and some very strong liquor (i should probably say liquere), Sabrina left us with some final words of wisdom and was off to change the world. But, we forged on without our fearless leader, a little more somber, and with ham on the brain. Due to safety regulations we spent the rest of the day looking something like a dance troupe circa 1994. It may have been difficult for some to see where all that delicious food we just enjoyed actually came from, but the prosciuttificcio was interesting and very informative thanks to our lovely giude who put up with all of our questions and our failed attempts to hide our shock at the shear number of pig butts throughout the operation. To see the industrialization of a very traditional Parma food helped to put a lot of things in perspective for the class, and luckily we were able to see some great examples of exactly what we had been talking about in class for the past few weeks....you'd think they had planned it that way...or something.

After a quick goodbye to Parma, the one place we all wanted to be was back on the forever bus, with our spirits a little higher than they had been the day before. But, we did what we always do...got a few beers, sang a few songs, and made the best out of our journey back to the one place that felt like home for all of us.

The whole ride back was worth it when we the one person we had been waiting for all month finally graced us with her presence...BETH WAS FINALLY HERE!!! Between our new guest and a delicious meal waiting for us when we arrived, the rest of the night felt was spent telling the same stories and inside jokes that had littered our conversations for weeks. Back at the convent, where the world was a little quieter, the wine was better, and everything was bittersweet as we were nearing the end of our time together.

Andiamo a Roma!

After an eventful evening at the Convent and our last night in Bolsena, we were on a bus to Rome at 7 AM. Fortunately, this particular bus was huge (and was certainly preferable to the “Forever Bus”), so we all got a chance to stretch out, and many of us slept a bit on the two-hour drive. Upon arrival in Rome, we went straight to FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, where we listened to three very interesting presentations about women in agriculture, gender mainstreaming in disaster response, and the Committee for Food Security. Our visit to FAO was a really nice way to clarify and expand on some of the topics from our classes and farm visits. Since we had been focusing on keeping everything local, which was an easy thing to do in and around Bolsena, FAO helped us put our discussions about the gender issues related to food security into a global context.

We walked from FAO to our hotel, the Hotel Santa Prisca in the Testaccio area of Rome. Everyone got settled and grabbed a bite to eat, and around 2:30 we headed up to IFAD to learn about the International Land CoalitionWe heard from three very young members of the ILC team, and it was refreshing to see recent Master’s graduates so involved in such a big project.

The presentation they gave, and the discussions that we had, were fascinating, and most of the class remained really engaged, despite our early and long day. Fortunately, Nathan also had the foresight to bring some “Pocket Espresso” for all of us!

After IFAD, we all went our separate ways to explore Rome for a little while before dinner. Some people went to see La Basilica di San Pietro, some went shopping, and others chose to take a nap. We all met downstairs around 8 PM for dinner and walked to a nearby pizzeria (Remo’s) where we had delicious pizza and a few Morettis. After dinner, Nathan left us to our own devices, so we took off for a nearby bar, On the Rox, where we had a great time dancing!

Everyone came, and it was wonderful to have a chance to all be together one last time! Everyone keep in touch, and good luck to y'all in your future endeavors!

Arrivederci, Bolsena!

Thursday morning began our final day in Bolsena. There was a little bit of sadness in the air as we realized that our journey together was coming to an end. Nathan led the morning class by giving a lecture that tied together all of the concepts that we learned over the last couple weeks. He taught us how to channel our observations through qualitative analysis and how to use the knowledge we acquired to identify and create solutions in sustainable agriculture.



In the afternoon, Nathan took a few of us on a little fieldtrip to a local beer brewery. The owner of the brewery showed us everything, from the smoky malt used in the beer to the massive beer fermenters. His passion for his work was evident in his every thought. What originally began as only a hobby had become his life’s work. When asked what was missing in the business, he immediately responded: a lack of local producers of the ingredients needed for his beer. I saw a recurring theme from class about the continued necessity for locally grown products and the financial and scheduling burdens of transporting goods across countries.



Of course as at the end of every good tour, we got to sample the final product. The brewer shared with us his imperial stout, a recipe that he wrote only once and believed was perfect at conception. We tried some of the stout and had to agree – it was delicious!!



That night we convened at the table for one last meal together in Bolsena. Damiano really outdid himself, and the dinner’s theme was seafood. He made us a wide array of delicious Italian dishes with clams, mussels, and more. He even made fried shrimp and calamari for us New Orleanians!! We talked, we laughed, we sang and played music, we even heard a couple renditions of the Forever Bus Blues. It was the perfect ending to the weeks we shared together in Bolsena.

Day 5 - Under Pressure

The morning began with Greg’s technical, and yet powerfully thoughtful, presentation on the pressure cooker and how it revolutionized the speed of cooking, subsequently freeing 20^th century housewives’ time for otheractivities – like laundry. The carefully illustrated details of the high heat and intensity of the PC’s mechanics were a poignant precursor to the discussions to follow.

While Alex and Maura provided background on the intricacies of the mortar and pestle and its successor, the hammer mill (demonstrating some compelling linkages between women and labor intensive work), our class was joined by the striking guest speaker, Michela Zucca.

With a flowing mane of dark curls and pile of rings on each finger, Michela’s eyes narrowed as the technicalities of the hammer mill were explained. When the presentation ended, she was quick to ask – “Why the hammer mill? Why didn’t you chose something more effective and efficient – like water mills?” Maura’s hackles were raised. Clearly this was a woman with no fear of altercation.

As Alex and Maura returned to their seats, Onita began her presentation on tea, providing an overview on the history of the commodity’s production and chronicles associated with the culture surrounding its consumption.

Finally, it was Michela’s turn to take the stage; her topic – the History of Agriculture: Women’s Place in Prehistorical Societies. Now that may not sound all that interesting to some, but I can safely say, it was one of the most animated presentations I have ever witnessed.

An evident proponent of a militaristic take on the Socratic method, Michela fired out questions – “How old are humans? Huh? Huh? What did they eat? How did they get it? What did they poop?” Looking around the room with her eyebrows raised and her cool eyes lined in sparkly blue eyeliner she was a commanding figure and most of us timidly shrank from her bold questions. Eventually, a few of the braver students offered hesitant suggestions. Almost all were met with a high pitched “What?” and a series of follow up questions to belittle the answer striping it of any legitimacy. This was generally followed, either an emphatic “Bullsh*t” or guttural “Baaah,” strangely evocative of the signature retort of the early Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady.”

Her strategy was unconventional, shocking even, to those of us accustomed to having thoughts heard, and at least respected if not validified. And yet, there was method to her madness. Her message was clear, and in spite of the delivery, or maybe in someways because of her forcefulness, her reasoning sank in.

The earliest prehistoric societies were not hunter gatherers as most of us have been taught – what would they hunt with? Rather, they practiced agriculture. Even as weapons and tools evolved, it was not always the women who gathered and the men who hunted. Archeological evidence points to early women hunters, indicating that in prehistoric times, women and men worked together to provide for themselves and their families.

Michela challenged our preconceptions and stretched the framework of our understanding; some of her ideas were extreme, and her comportment was unquestionably eccentric, and yet she highlighted the value of asking hard questions, and the need to always think critically.

The Chicken and the Egg

In Texas, a few years ago, I visited one of the industrial chicken farms that pump out hundreds of thousands of eggs per day. Equipped with a gas mask, we entered a warehouse where chickens are packed onto an ‘egg-assembly-line’, perching room only. Chickens peck at pellets, which often contain by products of other industrial food chains[1], while a conveyor belt delivers freshly laid eggs to a succession of eyes and arms, some human some mechanical: x-rays, sorters, sprayers, and inspectors until, at the end of the line, Large Grade A eggs are carried off to be delivered to my neighborhood grocery store in a carton with a picture of barnyards and mother hens.

In contrast, our first trip as a class was to a small family farm near Bolsena where beautiful orchards and gardens gave testimony to the passion and care of its owner. No insecticides, no pesticides. Chickens roam freely in a yard guarded by dogs to ensure their safety as they eat grasses and a diet of grains specially designed by a homeopathic veterinarian.

With these contrasting images freshly brought to mind, I went down to one of the small grocery stores in Bolsena (passing at least one small chicken coop on the way) to discover if I could find any locally sourced eggs. In broken Italian I communicated to the woman behind the counter what I was looking for and she shook her head, made the international sign for handcuffs with her wrists crossed in front of her, and said the single word ‘multa’, meaning ‘fine’. Intrigued, I decided to explore the production of eggs to understand the challenges and benefits of small-holder production and why our current system seems to be favoring the industrial farm.

Through observation, desk research, and interviews with a local farmer near Bolsena (Mark [2]) and a food safety representative at Cersal, I’ve found that safety regulations, in an attempt to respond to and regulate industrialized egg production, are also suffocating family scale egg production. As a result, two very different value chains have emerged with a clear market bias toward industrial scale production.

Small scale egg production provides opportunities and challenges to improved food security. In terms of livelihoods, because the smallholder farmer also takes responsibility for the marketing and distribution of the product, a greater percentage of the profits are retained at the household level. On the other hand, eggs are an important low-cost form of protein and many low-income households in the EU heavily depend on the inexpensive eggs delivered through the industrial system to improve their food security.[3] In terms of nutrition, Mark’s eggs are of a superior quality due to a special diet for the chickens, primarily locally sourced, which consists of seven kinds of grains plus grass, seeds, and legumes to ensure eggs are nutritious and packed with omega 3, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and good fats. It is important to note however, that nutritional quality of the egg is dependent on the diet of the chicken and the freshness of the egg and not necessarily a function of the size of the farm.[4] Further, most of the eggs collected are fertilized and thus have a longer shelf-life. In terms of sustainability, a lower concentration of chickens are less likely to get sick and pass diseases, the excrement is directly returned to the land in sustainable quantities, and the majority of both inputs and outputs are procured or distributed locally thus lowering the transport footprint.

According to a source at Cersal, the inherently lower risks associated with smallholder egg production due to the lower concentration of birds has been clearly documented and, therefore, an effort has been made to simplify and minimize safety regulations for smallholder egg producers, who are defined as producers with fewer than 100 laying hens. There is an acknowledgment, however, that small scale, local production, while desirable from a food security perspective is also difficult to regulate. As a result, small farmers must comply with basic registration requirements, ensure traceability of production, and vaccinate chickens. According to Mark, the amount of paperwork required to meet these regulations doubles the amount of time he spends on his small egg production (thus halving his hourly returns). Further, these requirements have had a detrimental impact on older farmers who have little training and/or access to the internet or printer/scanners.

While gender-specific responsibilities on a small scale commercial farm are difficult to generalize and seem to be gains seem to be essentially gender neutral, expanding the opportunities of small scale family farms ensures that a larger proportion of income goes to improving rural household livelihoods and is likely to benefit women. On Mark’s farm, while he and his wife share responsibilities, Mark is primarily occupied with the upkeep of the garden and caring for the animals while his wife runs a guesthouse on the farm and manages the marketing and distribution and financial aspects of their farm. However, non-commercial, family-only coops are often maintained by women and lowering market restrictions at this level is likely to have a stronger impact on women whereas industrial scale production spreads the value of production across a variety of commercial operations, the majority of which are owned, if not operated, by men.

The structure and requirements of the safety regulations are also driving the perpetuation of two very distinct value-chains: the industrial model with thousands of hens and the small-holder model capped at fewer than 100. At the industrial level, price competition and commoditization of the ‘egg’ has led to expanded economies of scale and lowered emphasis on quality. On the other hand, small-holder egg production is driven by quality as a differentiator due to an inability to compete with the industrial model on price. However, the added nutritional value of a locally produced egg, according to Mark, is summed up as follows: “We are made of what we eat and what we drink. Maybe we try to save money by buying cheaper food, but then we spend more on medicine. Health has no price.” The basic value analysis below illustrates the impact of scale on lowering margins and generating profit.[5]

While current safety regulations have created challenges for smallholder farmers, a new regulation banning conventional chicken cages will go into effect in 2012 and is anticipated to create challenges for large scale egg producers and perhaps open up more of the market to smallholers.[4] The figure below shows the dramatic shift anticipated due to the change in legislation. This change, however, is also anticipated to cause European producers to lose market share to internationally sourced eggs that can be used as ingredients in other foods, though not sold raw.

[1] FantasticFarms.com. What do chickens eat? A guide to chicken food. http://www.small-farm-permaculture-and-sustainable-living.com/what_do_chickens_eat.html (accessed Jun 20, 2011)

[2] Names have been changed.

[3] Chippindale, Nick (2010) The 2012 EU ban on conventional cages and its effect. Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust. http://www.nuffieldinternational.org/rep_pdf/1291322756Nick_Chippindale_edited4.pdf

[4] Egg Safety Center, New Federal Guidelines for Food Safety. http://www.eggsafety.org/mediacenter/videos/67-new-federal-guidelines-for-food-safety

[5] Note that for the smallholder, profit is the salary of the farmer whereas for the industrial scale, salaries are factored into the costs of production and post production. The breakdown illustrates a much smaller percentage of the consumer price per egg being paid to the producer.

Day 10 - Morning - Pama me please

Day two of the extended field trip; spirits were high after the first decent night sleep in what felt like years and we were soon all on board forever eva bus.... again. Napping was the theme this morning, which this blogger fully participated in. Awaking

from my slumber I was greeted by scenic views of what appeared to be the angelic rolling foothills of Alps. Unconsciously I began to hum “The sound of Music” How long was I asleep, “Are we in Austria?”“ No man, welcome to Parma."

Parmigiano Reggiano di San Bartolomeo:

The group descended upon this little Parmesan cheese factory with great vigor; opening the doors of the factory revealed four giant cooper cauldrons filled with a yellowish and waxy looking milk with rather large balls of cheese floating in the middle. Smiles were abound.

Our guide explained and demonstrated the first steps of production:

Unpasteurized milk is collected from farmers in surrounding hills

Heat and rennet applied until the giant wheels before us form

Large wheels cut in two and placed in forms with weight added to further drain

Wheels bathed in brine for 30 + days

· After Brining the cheese is stacked in storage for a minimum of 12 months

· Wheels are professionally inspected by lightly hammering and listening to the sound to check for air pockets. Based on the return ping a wheel will be quality graded 1-3 and branded with the Parma seal of approval.

Thoughts and Obs:

Gender roles felt fairly distinct especially in the first copper cauldron room as it was only men working. These men were well built and lifting these wheels appeared to be fairly physically demanding. The wife of the duo stated she was responsible for the business side of things but she was just as knowledgeable about the process as her husband; I have to believe she has gotten her hands cheesy on more than one occasion over the years.

When prices were discussed I was very surprised to learn how little monetary value is added through this process. It was stated that it costs 8 EU per Kilo to produce and current market prices were roughly 12.50 EU per kilo… not exactly a huge net gain especially when considering time of production of at least 13 months. In fact our guide stated that profit was a new phenomenon having only broken even the past seven years. Throw in long hours, lack of vacation and the strains of staying local and organic and this craft certainly appeared to be less desirable than previously imagined.

After the tour we ate cheese, lots of it, from a strata of 3 different ages. While this palette is admittedly lacks refinement, this was by far and away the tastiest Parma to pass my way and the love that was poured into each wheel was evident.

Reflecting on the morning it was clear, as mentioned before, that this trade was not about the Benjamin’s, but a love for the cheese. This factory produces some of Parma’s finest but its owners were not dwelling in expansive villas and driving Maseratis. However it was extremely clear, this was a happy husband, wife and child dwelling in a beautiful hillside home in harmony with nature… sounds like a good life to me.