Musings on sustainable food systems, agriculture vs. agroecology, and more!
This is a great argument against the technology-driven, big-ag “food security” approach which focuses on the “need to feed the world” through more and flashier technological inventions. It addresses what I have been thinking about a lot lately: “Technology, we’re promised, is fast and easy. Which is good because, as it happens, we also don’t … Continue reading When it comes to food, technology won’t save us
I first stumbled over Ensia when it was literally just being established, bookmarked it, and inevitably forgot about it for a couple of months. As I was doing some housekeeping in my overflowing “Blog”-related bookmark category, I decided to check it out again and was delighted by the set-up and the high-quality content. The site is … Continue reading Ensia – A New E-Magazine for Pleasurable Perusing
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=6gUnXpBMfyI] We live in a world with a wealth of information at our fingertips, and more and more frequently even extraordinary ways in which this information can be presented. Case in point is this video: it showcases data gathered by satellites on the “greenness” of our planet from 2012 to 2013. Check it out and … Continue reading Our Green Planet
Remember the controversy surrounding the World Food Prize recipients this year? In his column, Mark Bittman of the New York Times provides a great list of alternative people that would deserve the prize because of their involvement in agroecology and sustainable production methods. Amongst his nominees: Vandana Shiva, Olivier de Schutter and Miguel Altieri – all … Continue reading The True Deservers of A Food Prize – Reblog
You may have heard by now that the US Farm Bill has spectacularly failed in the House of Representatives, making it the first time in at least 40 years that a Farm Bill was voted down in the House. The $500 billion bill was voted down with 234 to 195 votes, leaving lawmakers baffled and farmers … Continue reading What Future for the Farm Bill?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yocja_N5s1I&list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9] We are so consumed with our current system and possible improvements that we tend to forget that humans were not always agriculturalists. Why did they turn away from foraging and herding and start to grow crops? This hilarious video might not give all the answers, but definitely asks the right questions and is extremely … Continue reading Why Did Agriculture Even Start?
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/59404290] I was fortunate enough to attend a talk by Vandana Shiva the other day. If you haven’t heard about her, make sure to check out her initiative Navdanya, a network of seed banks, farm schools and across India – she has become somewhat of an icon of the anti-GMO movement in the wake … Continue reading Vandana Shiva – A Figure As Inspirational as Controversial
Have you ever heard of the World Food Prize? It is supposed to be an alternative ‘Nobel Prize for Agriculture’ that honors “outstanding individuals who have made vital contributions to improving the quality, quantity or availability of food throughout the world“. The 2013 laureates have just been announced, and have caused a splash – since … Continue reading The World Food Prize Winners 2013 – Anybody Surprised?
In a last-push effort before his term ends at the end of the year, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is attempting to make the city just one more bit sustainable – by introducing food waste recycling and composting programs that could eventually become mandatory for New Yorkers. According to the New York Times, “food … Continue reading Bloomberg Aims to Tackle "New York City’s Final Recycling Frontier"
I am a huge learning addict. Case in point – this blog, which gives me a good reason to go and do hours (sometimes) of research on things such as flood prevention or in vitro meat. Another favorite tool of mine to add to my knowledge and understanding of the world around me are MOOCs. … Continue reading Summer Learnin': Sustainability of Food Systems