Musings on sustainable food systems, agriculture vs. agroecology, and more!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6UGYcHSB6q4] Whenever I used to hear about ‘urban farming’, I was a little skeptical, and didn’t know whether to place it in the camp of ‘awesome ideas of tomorrow’ or ‘trend fad of today that won’t last through the next summer’. Why not, I thought, concentrate on fixing the big issues (such as land degradation … Continue reading Rethinking Urbanization
Tart cherries – or, as we say in Germany, Sauerkirschen – have been a steadfast presence during my childhood, featured in cakes, desserts and on my grandparents’ trees. In Canada, Sauerkirschen preserves were one of the things my family would splurge on in La Vieille Europe, the Old Continent specialty store that also imported delicacies … Continue reading The Tart Cherry Revival – Or a Case for Biodiversity
I’ve been a vegetarian for 10 years, out of ethical and increasingly environmental considerations – and we have talked about the environmental impact of livestock production in abundance. However, I realize that the probability of most people switching towards an herbivore lifestyle is rather low, whether they want to maintain protein intake or plainly like … Continue reading Lab-Grown Meat – the Future of Farming?
Yesterday, I went to a talk by a rep of Germanwatch, a German NGO, on European Agricultural Policy and its relationship to climate change. As part of the presentation, the presenter gave a great overview of how European agricultural policy evolved and I thought I’d reproduce it here for all the non-Europeans (and Europeans!) who … Continue reading A Brief History of European Agricultural Policy
This Sunday, if you have an hour, I have a thoroughly interesting report for you to read. The NGO Food and Water Watch just published a document called “Biotech Ambassadors“, in which they analysed the 250,000 U.S. State Department cables that were publicized through Wikileaks (which represented around one tenth of all State Department cables … Continue reading Sunday Read: Biotech Diplomacy
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-zfzT7QfLZc] I found this video and poem via Ali Ansary’s blog and just couldn’t resist to share it… Anybody thinking about becoming fruitarians?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VObLitSe3K0&feature=player_embedded] Listen to Fred Kirschenmann explain how soil is actually a community of life that is vital for all our food. As he quotes Wes Jackson, since we are so dependent on soil for our life and eventually return to soil, we are simply stop-overs between soil and soil. I can only recommend this really … Continue reading Soil Is Not Dirt!
I am a podcast addict, and am continuously scouting for new podcasts to listen to on the train, on a run, while I am cooking, or – my favorite – to make a cleaning spree a little more bearable. I thought I’d share some of my new discoveries from time to time, especially since it … Continue reading Podcast Pleasure: Slate's Table To Farm
Yesterday, the New York Times ran an article called “The Health Toll of Immigration” which looked into scientific research regarding the link between immigration to the USA and health changes. Their conclusion – in an ironic twist, moving to the United States might raise your general standard of living, but shorten your life expectancy.
I first heard of the ‘Buycott App‘ via Global Food Politics, where Noah Zerbe highlighted the ease of it, as well as potential drawbacks. Now, it has made the news again for its immense popularity: according to this article, it was downloaded by so many consumers interested in making conscientious shopping decisions that it crashed … Continue reading 'Buycott': The App So Popular It Crashes Site