Season Two: Return to the Pearl of the Indian Ocean

It's that time again! I'm preparing for my field season in Sri Lanka where I will continue the human-elephant conflict project I started last year. But before I dive into describing my summer plans, I should make sure everyone is up to speed. I have spent the past 8 months at home in Avon Lake, OH working a part-time job at a local restaurant, Grilled - owned and operated by Jon Maly. Working in the restaurant industry gave me a new perspective on the U.S. food system. Prior to this position, I had focused my attention on food production, but working as a server gave me insight into the factors that influence how a small restaurant owner selects ingredients; for example, buying organic, local, seasonal produce versus less expensive, lower quality produce that may have traveled half way across the continent or even the globe. Such decisions are rarely founded solely on an owner's personal food beliefs, but instead they are heavily influenced by cost and consumer demand. Due to industrial scale production and government subsidies, mass-produced, processed foods are more affordable than local, organic, or whole foods. If we want restaurants to support local farmers who make an effort to incorporate sustainability into their farming practices, then we need to be willing to pay a little more for higher quality food. Keep in mind, you are what you eat!

On my last day at the restaurant, Jon introduced me a customer, Jan Van Wagner, who is one of the host's of Avon Lake's local TV show 'Jan and Jean on the Scene.' Jon mentioned my upcoming trip to Sri Lanka, which sparked Jan's interest so she invited me to be a guest on her show. You can catch the interview at the following website: http://avonlake.pegcentral.com/player.php?video=4a8fbc4ce077b4d86aeeeb4a9db07506

During my time at home, I also applied to several graduate programs and was accepted into a PhD program in the field of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell, which I begin in August. My advisor is Sunny Power whose research focuses on plant-disease ecology and agroecology. Broadly, my research will focus on the ecological and sociological components of international food systems, and on human-wildlife interactions in agricultural settings. I will be working with a fantastic group of people at Cornell and am eager to begin my graduate career in the fall!

In fact, I am so excited to start the next chapter of my life at Cornell, that I'm visiting the campus right now! I'm spending a week with my friend Colin and exploring the town that will soon be my new home. This trip worked out really well because I was able to meet with Sunny to solidify the field protocol I will follow this summer. Next week I will catch a train to Boston where I will board the first of 3 flights to Sri Lanka. My flight route is slightly different from last year's - this summer I fly from Boston to NYC to Dubai to Colombo. In Colombo I will catch a ride down to Uda Walawe National Park where I will spend 2 months. Last year, Sameera, Tharanga, Kumari and I surveyed over 150 houses bordering the park to collect preliminary data on agricultural practices and to get a sense of the frequency of human-elephant conflict in the region. This summer, my goal is to determine the baseline level of elephant crop damage at farms along the park boundary.

There's a really good chance this summer will be just as exciting and exhilarating as last year, so stay tuned for some epic blog posts! As I was writing this post, I had the idea to end my entries with suggestions for relevant readings or documentaries that you may find interesting.

Today's thought provoking suggestions: The book: "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver
& the youtube video: The Story of Stuff

Enjoy!