Here are student summaries of fall 2024 MCJD dialogical surveys with Willamette Valley farmers and ranchers. Click on any title for details, then return to see all titles.
Opposing Ecotypes but Similar Ideals
Event: Willamette Valley AgricultureInterviewer: Luci
Whom did you interview?
I spoke with both Henry, an Oregon State University Graduate majoring in horticulture, and Aaron, a farm owner in Oregon. Henry works two jobs, one being in nursery management, and he also works for a company that oversees farms in Oregon. Aaron grew up on his family’s farm, and he and his wife decided to start their own farm after learning from their upbringing.
How did your EcoTypes and SDG priorities compare?They filled out the EcoTypes survey together and fell into the Land Stewardship category with an Integral knowledge suffix. This was interesting to me because I initially expected them to fall into this category, but listening to their responses I thought they would be closer to my Earth Action ecotype. We shared many similarities in our approaches and ethical values, and what surprised me the most was how similar we were in prioritizing land for its spiritual value. They mentioned that everyone involved with land takes some spiritual value from it- whether it is important because it is the land their family has been farming for generations, or they have a connection to the cultivation of life, farming must involve some other value than simply profit. Unsurprisingly to me, when it comes to the SDGs they both valued no hunger and decent work and economic growth, given that they work to provide food for the community and the small profit they gain from this job.
What larger MCJD lessons did you learn?I found that while we had thorough conversations and connected on many EcoTypes axis and rationale, we ended up in different categories. I had previously assumed that I would have the least in common with a Land Stewardship EcoType, as it is opposing my ideas in every category, but I found that this difference only prompted more engagement, with both of us working to understand the other. Their value of things like human place over nonhuman place doesn’t mean that they don’t think natural space is important, but their backgrounds give them different ideas of what to prioritize.