Musings on sustainable food systems, agriculture vs. agroecology, and more!
Today the recipients of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences were announced – three American professors that did important work on predicting stock and bond market prices. While that all sounds fascinating (I’m only partially being ironic here), it drew my attention to a question – what is the importance of agricultural and environmental … Continue reading On (Alternative) Nobel Prizes
Today, I have two very different, but yet similar videos on our food system for you. I am curious about your impressions and reactions. The first is an art installation called “Sirens of the Lambs” by the street artist Banksy, also known for his socio-critical and beautiful graffiti art. He has a slaughterhouse delivery truck … Continue reading Videos For Thought
Happy Saturday! While environmental management had never been the forte of the Soviet Union, its collapse had even more dire environmental consequences, with the abandonment of mineral and chemical factories and the shirking of responsibilities for clean-ups, and the subsequent development of the oil and gas sector by oligarchs that now constitute one of the … Continue reading Weekend Reads – Post-Soviet Contributions to Fight Climate Change
I love information that is being visualized, and this is a particularly interesting assembly of stats on corn production in the US, including its use in ethanol. Also the “ethanol supply” curve shows the huge impact that policies (such as mandatory renewable fuel use) can have on food systems. All the more important to get … Continue reading Fields of Gold: Changes in the US Corn Industry
Breaking news – the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Services (FSIS) just issued a public health alert for chicken produced on a Californian farm that has caused 278 outbreaks of salmonella in 18 states. According to their website, the outbreak is continuing. While their announcement also refers to an investigation done by the Center for Disease … Continue reading Salmonella Outbreak During US Government Shutdown Shows Importance of … Government.
One of the classes I am taking at the moment is all about marketing environmentally and socially responsible behavior of firms to consumers, and promoting sustainable products in general. One case study that came up which I found thought-provoking was about choice-editing – how much choice should we give consumers, really? We know that consumers … Continue reading How Much Choice Should Consumers Have?
I was recently interviewed by the lovely people at Euroculterer Magazine, a publication created by the students of the Erasmus Mundus program in Euroculture. They asked some fun questions, including about how the blog started – feel free to check it out and head over to their blog to show them some love!
This little seed catalog has a message for you… … that rings as true today as it did in 1918. Somebody that took it to heart: the former president of Trader Joe’s, who is about to open a store called Daily Table where nutritious products on the verge of expiring will be sold at low … Continue reading Advice from the Past
It’s a dreary day here in Uppsala, perfect for spending the day catching up on work, news and listening to podcasts. If the same can be said for your current location, I have a suggestion for you! Planet Money just rebroadcast a really interesting podcast on the reality of dairy farming in the US. They … Continue reading A US Dairy Farm in the Global Economy
When I was grocery shopping yesterday evening, I came across this little symbol in the middle of the cereal aisle: Yup, not only does my grocery store offer free wifi (perfect for those of us without 3G networks to look up the recipes we wanted to make and the requisite ingredients), it also encourages shoppers … Continue reading Swedish Supermarkets – And Pastry Appreciation Days