Agriculture Zero

This week we spent a lot of time hands on trying to understand agriculture, ecosystems and living organisms. While interesting it was not completely in my field of interest. I did enjoy the change of environment and got inspired by being in nature again. Finally, the week led to some new insights for my project.

Valldaura Trip

The trip to Valldaura was interesting but for me not relevant to the areas I am currently interested in. I loved the walk up the mountain and learning about different organisms and how they collaborate, but once at the house it was less useful. The physical tasks we did were not as related to my interest as the for example usage of farming and the circularity that can be found in this research area. I enjoyed the day but will most likely not continue with this area in the future.

Creating an Essential Oil

Exploring the process of creating essential oils opened my eyes to science in a new light. It was fascinating to witness firsthand how something I use in my daily life is created. The amount of leaves required to produce such a small quantity of oil was surprising to me. This realization sparked thoughts on the necessity of utilizing these oils, considering the significant resources involved in their production. Next to this, it made me think of the relation between usage and peception. How does someone who isn't in this field experience products. Do they think of what was needed to create it? Also, could a better understanding of where a product comes from and what it truly costs lead to a shift in how people use and value these resources? It's an intriguing prospect, and I find myself thinking of its relevance to my ongoing projects.

Soil Testing

This task was a bit similar for me to the trip to Valldaura. I liked getting my hands dirty and gain a better understanding of the dirt. But am more interested in living organisms. But I did feel that by seeing how soil is composed I could see a unique collaboration that creates the right environment for organisms to thrive.

Seed Analysis + Propagation

The final deliverable of this week was the analysing of a plant species and looking at how it can be propagated. It was fun to do some research and understand how complex it is to grow plants, and how they need ideal circumstances to flourish. My plant was a pepper tree and while not directly related to my interests it was cool to work to build an environment in which this plant can thrive. It reminds me of how a system must work together to flourish. To end the week I planted the seed within an egg container using a mixture of clay, packaged soil and natural soil. The seed was not delicate in terms of temperature, but ideally would range from 15-30 degrees Celsius. As my room at home doesn’t have these temperatures I decided to leave it IAAC next to the heater so that it would stay warm enough.

Reflecting on Agri Zero

This week, we dove into agriculture, ecosystems, and living organisms, providing hands-on experiences. While these topics aren't my primary interest, they offered intriguing insights for my ongoing project.

A theoretical day with Jonathan showcased various agricultural types, like permaculture and microfarms, offering valuable perspectives on their challenges in our society. The Valldaura field trip, while not directly aligned with my interests, had memorable moments during the mountain walk, observing organism collaboration.

Exploring essential oil production highlighted the science behind daily products, sparking questions on resource necessity and the potential impact of understanding a product's true cost. The soil task, though not my main focus, provided insights into the collaboration creating a thriving environment for organisms.

The week's conclusion involved analyzing a plant species for propagation. While not directly related, researching the pepper tree emphasized the complexity of plant growth, reinforcing the importance of collaborative systems for functioning ecosystems.

I think this week has showed me that while I love gardening and walking through nature, as a designer agriculture is not where I want to focus on, as of now. However, I have noticed throughout this week that I am gaining an interest in collaboration with each other and other species to create a safe ecosystem. Next to this, I learned that consumption and its perception could be a potential research area for myself.