Birke Baehr: What's wrong with our food system

譯者: Sunny Kan Ngai Hang 審譯者: Geoff Chen

Hello. My name is Birke Baehr,

你好。我的名字是 Birke Baehr，

and I'm 11 years old.

我已經11 歲。

I came here today to talk about what's wrong with our food system.

我今天來到這裡是為了談論我們的糧食系統究竟出了什麼問題

First of all, I would like to say

首先，我想說

that I'm really amazed at how easily kids are led to believe

這使我很驚奇地發現孩子們是很容易被

all the marketing and advertising

所有的營銷和廣告引導.

on TV, at public schools

在電視上，在公立學校

and pretty much everywhere else you look.

和任何你看得到的地方。

It seems to me like corporations

具規模的公司總是

are always trying to get kids, like me,

試圖讓像我的孩子們

to get their parents to buy stuff

使父母買東西給自己

that really isn't good for us or the planet.

對於我們或者對於環境來說也是不好的.

Little kids, especially,

尤其是小孩子

are attracted by colorful packaging

總是被彩色的包裝

and plastic toys.

和塑膠玩具所吸引

I must admit, I used to be one of them.

我必須承認，我曾經是其中之一。

I also used to think that all of our food

我也常想像，我們所有的食物

came from these happy, little farms

都是來自這些幸福的小農場

where pigs rolled in mud and cows grazed on grass all day.

那裡整天總有些豬滾在泥裡和牛在草地上放牧。

What I discovered was this is not true.

我發現這是不正確的.

I began to look into this stuff

我開始研究這些東西,

on the Internet, in books and in documentary films,

在網路上，在書籍和紀錄片，

in my travels with my family.

在我和我的家人旅行時.

I discovered the dark side of the industrialized food system.

我發現了工業化食品體系黑暗的一面.

First, there's genetically engineered seeds and organisms.

首先有種子和生物基因工程.

That is when a seed is manipulated in a laboratory

這就是當一所實驗室為一顆種子

to do something not intended by nature --

做一些不適合的某些事情--

like taking the DNA of a fish

就像把一條魚的DNA

and putting it into the DNA of a tomato. Yuck.

放入番茄的DNA中--噁心 ！

Don't get me wrong, I like fish and tomatoes,

不要誤會我，我喜歡魚和番茄，

but this is just creepy.

但這是讓人毛骨悚然的。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

The seeds are then planted, then grown.

然後種植種子，它們成長.

The food they produce have been proven

他們生產的食品已被證明

to cause cancer and other problems in lab animals,

會導致實驗室中的動物患上癌症和其他問題.

and people have been eating food produced this way

而人們一直在吃這種生產方式的食品

since the 1990s.

自20世紀 90年代起。

And most folks don't even know they exist.

大多數人甚至不知道它們的存在。

Did you know rats that ate genetically engineered corn

你知道當老鼠吃了基因工程的玉米

had developed signs of liver and kidney toxicity?

便逐漸出現肝、 腎毒性的跡象嗎？

These include kidney inflammation and lesions and increased kidney weight.

這些包括腎臟炎症、病變、和增加腎重量。

Yet almost all the corn we eat

然而我們吃的玉米

has been altered genetically in some way.

的基因都是以某種方式去改變的。

And let me tell you,

讓我告訴你，

corn is in everything.

玉米的一切。

And don't even get me started on the Confined Animal Feeding Operations

但請不要讓我由密閉飼養作業開始.

called CAFOS.

所謂 CAFOS(美國集中動物飼養中心)。

(Laughter)

(笑聲）

Conventional farmers use chemical fertilizers

傳統農民使用的化肥

made from fossil fuels

是由化石燃料的污垢所製成,

that they mix with the dirt to make plants grow.

他們把污垢混合，使植物生長。

They do this because they've stripped the soil from all nutrients

這些行為是因為他們已把土壤中所有的營養

from growing the same crop over and over again.

從一遍又一遍的種植中剝奪殆盡了。

Next, more harmful chemicals are sprayed on fruits and vegetables,

接下來，更多水果和蔬菜被噴上有害化學物質，

like pesticides and herbicides,

如農藥和除草劑，

to kill weeds and bugs.

用於殺死雜草和昆蟲

When it rains, these chemicals seep into the ground,

下雨的時候，這些化學物質會滲入地表,

or run off into our waterways,

流進我們的水道,

poisoning our water too.

污染我們的水源.

Then they irradiate our food, trying to make it last longer,

然後試著讓這些食物長久生輝,

so it can travel thousands of miles

好讓它來到千里之外

from where it's grown to the supermarkets.

的超市出售

So I ask myself,

所以我問自己，

how can I change? How can I change these things?

我可以怎樣改變？我怎樣才能改變這些東西？

This is what I found out.

這是我發現的。

I discovered that there's a movement for a better way.

我發現有一個更好的運作模式。

Now a while back,

現在，前陣子,

I wanted to be an NFL football player.

我想成為一個 NFL(美國欖球聯盟)的運動員。

I decided that I'd rather be an organic farmer instead.

但是現在我寧願成為一個有機的農民。

(Applause)

(掌聲)

Thank you.

多謝

And that way I can have a greater impact on the world.

而且那樣的話我可以對世界產生更大的影響力。

This man, Joel Salatin, they call him a lunatic farmer

這個是 Joel Salatin，人們叫他瘋狂的農夫

because he grows against the system.

因為他是反對這些作物系統的。

Since I'm home-schooled,

由於家裡的薰陶，

I went to go hear him speak one day.

我用了一整天去聽他說話。

This man, this "lunatic farmer,"

這個人,這個瘋狂的農夫

doesn't use any pesticides, herbicides,

不使用任何殺蟲劑、 除草劑

or genetically modified seeds.

或基因改良的種子。

And so for that, he's called crazy by the system.

因此這一點,那些人稱他為瘋子

I want you to know that we can all make a difference

我想讓你們知道誰都可以分別

by making different choices,

提出不同的選擇,

by buying our food directly from local farmers,

通過直接從當地的農民購買食物,

or our neighbors who we know in real life.

或我們的鄰居，認識我們生活的人。

Some people say organic or local food is more expensive,

有些人說有機食品的價格相比當地的食物是較昂貴的，

but is it really?

但是否真的？

With all these things I've been learning about the food system,

我一直在學習有關食品系統中所有的事情,

it seems to me that we can either pay the farmer,

我感覺我們要不是支付給農民

or we can pay the hospital.

不然就是付錢給醫院。

(Applause)

(掌聲)

Now I know definitely which one I would choose.

現在我肯定知道我會選擇哪一個。

I want you to know that there are farms out there --

我想讓你知道，那裡有一些農場 --

like Bill Keener in Sequatchie Cove Farm in Tennessee --

比如 在田納西州 Sequachie Cove Farm 農場的 Bill Keener

whose cows do eat grass

那裡有母牛吃草

and whose pigs do roll in the mud, just like I thought.

就如同我想像中有豬在泥中翻滾

Sometimes I go to Bill's farm and volunteer,

我有時和志願者去比爾的農場，

so I can see up close and personal

因此我可以親眼見到到

where the meat I eat comes from.

我吃的食物是從那裡來的

I want you to know that I believe

我希望你們知道，我相信

kids will eat fresh vegetables and good food

孩子們會選擇吃新鮮的蔬菜和良好的食物

if they know more about it and where it really comes from.

如果他們更了解它是來自哪裡的話。

I want you to know that there are farmers' markets

我希望你知道每個農民在社會中

in every community popping up.

也是有市場的。

I want you to know that me, my brother and sister

我想讓你知道，我和我的弟弟和妹妹

actually like eating baked kale chips.

很喜歡吃烤綠菜片。

I try to share this everywhere I go.

我無論去哪裡也嘗試給別人分享的。

Not too long ago,

不久以前,

my uncle said that he offered my six-year-old cousin cereal.

我的叔叔說他把穀物烤片給我六歲的表弟。

He asked him if he wanted organic Toasted O's

他問, 他是否想要有機烤片

or the sugarcoated flakes --

或是糖衣烤片--

you know, the one with the big striped cartoon character on the front.

你知道，那就是用大條紋卡通人物在前面包裝的。

My little cousin told his dad

我的小表弟對他的爸爸說

that he would rather have the organic Toasted O's cereal

他寧願得到有機穀物烤片，

because Birke said he shouldn't eat sparkly cereal.

這是因為 Birke 說，他不應該吃閃閃發光的烤片。

And that, my friends, is how we can make a difference

然而,大家,我們可以怎樣改變

one kid at a time.

一個孩子的一生.

So next time you're at the grocery store, think local,

所以下次你們光顧雜貨店時,請考慮買本地食材,

choose organic, know your farmer and know your food.

選擇有機，並了解你的農民和你的食物。

Thank you.

多謝

(Applause)

(掌聲)