In chapter four, we dive into the history of the claim that overpopulation is driving ecological destruction and that we cannot solve climate change and habitat loss without limiting human population growth. We chat about why that's the wrong question, including examples from the non-human world, and further explore what it means to be human, and to build multigenerational food systems. How does community relate to the overpopulation question, and how do we see the relationships between human density and ecological restrain play out in history?

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Welcome to the newest miniseries from the Poor Proles Almanac, The Gastropocene, a collaboration between Andy from the Poor Proles Almanac & Dr. Ayesha Khan, known on social media as @WokeScientist. In this multipart series, we're exploring the relationships between food systems, place, history, and colonization all within the framework of climate change and acceleration. How do these overlap, how do we engage with it comprehensively, and how do we move beyond this current intersection?

This audio series is part of a multi-sensory delivery process in an attempt to bring folks into the dialogue with us, not simply listening or reading our content. The series begins as a zine chapter, available at wokescientist.substack.com which is then extrapolated into meme form on Instagram both @WokeScientist & @PoorprolesAlmanac, and from there we take the feedback received to develop the audio, which is livestreamed on Twitch.tv/poorprolesalmanac where you can join in on the conversation. Building content in this format is complex, nuanced, and allows for a more meaningful discussion around solutions to our current system that any of these formats alone falls short.

Welcome to the newest miniseries from the Poor Proles Almanac, The Gastropocene, a collaboration between Andy from the Poor Proles Almanac & Dr. Ayesha Khan, known on social media as @WokeScientist. In this multipart series, we're exploring the relationships between food systems, place, history, and colonization all within the framework of climate change and acceleration. How do these overlap, how do we engage with it comprehensively, and how do we move beyond this current intersection?

This audio series is part of a multi-sensory delivery process in an attempt to bring folks into the dialogue with us, not simply listening or reading our content. The series begins as a zine chapter, available at wokescientist.substack.com which is then extrapolated into meme form on Instagram both @WokeScientist & @PoorprolesAlmanac, and from there we take the feedback received to develop the audio, which is livestreamed on Twitch.tv/poorprolesalmanac where you can join in on the conversation. Building content in this format is complex, nuanced, and allows for a more meaningful discussion around solutions to our current system that any of these formats alone falls short.

In chapter 3 of the Gastropocene, we dive into the subject of monocrops; where did they come from, how did we get here, and what historical context did they originally occupy. Despite our understanding of monocrops as a reflection of modern agriculture, there's a long and complex history which monocrops existed under. Global capitalism has disconnected this food production system from traditional methods and specific place, and the ramifications of that become evident in the health of the soil and the quality of the food produced from these methods. What are some lessons we can learn, both good and bad, from the way food is grown today, and how can we detangle this knowledge from the capitalist framework it exists within today to understand what food systems could look like in the future?

You can support Dr. Khan on substack and the Poor Proles Almanac on Patreon.com/PoorProlesAlmanac

Welcome to the newest miniseries from the Poor Proles Almanac, The Gastropocene, a collaboration between Andy from the Poor Proles Almanac & Dr. Ayesha Khan, known on social media as @WokeScientist. In this multipart series, we're exploring the relationships between food systems, place, history, and colonization all within the framework of climate change and acceleration. How do these overlap, how do we engage with it comprehensively, and how do we move beyond this current intersection?

This audio series is part of a multi-sensory delivery process in an attempt to bring folks into the dialogue with us, not simply listening or reading our content. The series begins as a zine chapter, available at wokescientist.substack.com which is then extrapolated into meme form on Instagram both @WokeScientist & @PoorprolesAlmanac, and from there we take the feedback received to develop the audio, which is livestreamed on Twitch.tv/poorprolesalmanac where you can join in on the conversation. Building content in this format is complex, nuanced, and allows for a more meaningful discussion around solutions to our current system that any of these formats alone falls short.

In the second chapter of this miniseries, we explore further the limitations of capitalist veganism and apply these same constructs to bigger systems-- climate change and ecology. Is it actually possible to decouple climate change from ecology, and how does carbon emissions effectively commodify climate change to create new markets for capitalist growth? We chat about why carbon has been isolated from ecological destruction in order to keep our economic model moving forward, and why addressing carbon emissions without a larger framework will inevitably be unsuccessful in addressing ecological collapse, which will continue to perpetuate climate change in the same ways veganism falls short of addressing the systemic issues of our food systems.

You can support Dr. Khan on substack and the Poor Proles Almanac on Patreon.com/PoorProlesAlmanac

Sources:

https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/greenhouse-gases

https://atmos.earth/vandana-shiva-wisdom-of-biodiversity/

https://rodaleinstitute.org/education/resources/regenerative-agriculture-and-the-soil-carbon-solution/?fbclid=IwAR1Bvb_2zvdWHIhqw_NjWZuAeEzFaZXsg8IdGHnmsneX3jzpb9RjnhpoNwQ

Peter Gelderloos, "The Solutions are Already Here"

https://www.permaculturenews.org/2017/11/15/the-mindset-of-monoculture/

https://www.unep.org/zh-hans/node/477

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0lCR6De8Mo

https://livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe40s/crops_03.html#:~:text=U.S.%20farmers%20responded%20and%20increased,year%20jump%20of%2077%20percent.

https://gro-intelligence.com/insights/soy-oil-s-share-of-us-crush-profits-rises-amid-increased-demand

https://www.channel.com/en-us/agronomy/nodulation-and-nitrogen-fixation-in-soybean.html#:~:text=What%20is%20Nitrogen%20Fixation%3F,produce%20a%20bushel%20of%20soybeans.&text=Anywhere%20from%2050%2D75%25%20of,usable%20by%20the%20soybean%20plant.

https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2022/06/03/usda-has-provided-700-million-restore-sustainable-fuel-markets-hit

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/farmers-are-facing-a-phosphorus-crisis-the-solution-starts-with-soil

https://artsandsciencereview.ocadu.ca/issue/2020-2021/unsettling-western-veganism

Welcome to the newest miniseries from the Poor Proles Almanac, The Gastropocene, a collaboration between Andy from the Poor Proles Almanac & Dr. Ayesha Khan, known on social media as @WokeScientist. In this multipart series, we're exploring the relationships between food systems, place, history, and colonization all within the framework of climate change and acceleration. How do these overlap, how do we engage with it comprehensively, and how do we move beyond this current intersection?

This audio series is part of a multi-sensory delivery process in an attempt to bring folks into the dialogue with us, not simply listening or reading our content. The series begins as a zine chapter, available at wokescientist.substack.com which is then extrapolated into meme form on Instagram both @WokeScientist & @PoorprolesAlmanac, and from there we take the feedback received to develop the audio, which is livestreamed on Twitch.tv/poorprolesalmanac where you can join in on the conversation. Building content in this format is complex, nuanced, and allows for a more meaningful discussion around solutions to our current system that any of these formats alone falls short.

In the first chapter of this miniseries, we discuss one of the most common solutions espoused on the left, and that is around the idea that a solution to address our current food system problems stems in meat consumption. We must stop eating meat in order to address climate change. But; is this argument framed in real evidence? We discuss soy production, militant veganism, the role of social media in the perpetuation of myths around meat production, and much, much more in this first chapter!

You can support Dr. Khan on substack and the Poor Proles Almanac on Patreon.com/PoorProlesAlmanac

Sources:

http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_soy_report_final_feb_4_2014_1.pdf (page 15 is of particular interest in decoupling soy and meat production)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7721174/ (on soy breeding for oil)

https://www.soyinfocenter.com/HSS/production_and_trade1.php

https://ncsoy.org/media-resources/history-of-soybeans/

https://foodinsight.org/soy-series-part-3-soybean-oil/#:~:text=Soybean%20oil%20is%20used%20in,corn%2C%20safflower%20and%20sunflower%20oils.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9781893997646500226

https://www.worldwildlife.org/industries/soy

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/where_do_all_these_soybeans_go

https://www.allergicliving.com/2010/09/02/the-scoop-on-why-soys-in-so-many-products/