Switzerland Hosts a Cow Marathon – and other Fun Facts about Swiss Agriculture

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=G0pNrX_95Ok] “We prefer to work with nature. And you can taste that.” That’s the motto of Swiss organic farmers, and the reason they are hosting a cow marathon as of May 27th. Its purpose: to show that cows from organic farms in Switzerland get to walk around in nature a ton. Thus, 10 contenders will … Continue reading Switzerland Hosts a Cow Marathon – and other Fun Facts about Swiss Agriculture

Cuba At The Crossroads

Cuba is such a funny case: according to this article, agroecological farming principles are the norm, more than half of its farms use organic production methods, and it is a leader in urban agriculture – but yet, most of these developments are less the result of a coordinated policy shift than a survival mechanism that … Continue reading Cuba At The Crossroads

Research Breakthrough: Less Inputs = More Yields?!

“The food crisis can only be conquered with even greater intensification.” “A new ‘Green Revolution’ to match that of South-East Asia is needed to improve yields further.” “Organic farming is a cute idea, but it will never replicate the yields of conventional agri-business.” Who hasn’t heard those arguments? And felt defeated by the challenge to … Continue reading Research Breakthrough: Less Inputs = More Yields?!

Vietnam: Where Land-Grabbing goes Local

Recently, whenever you hear about land grabbing, it’s almost automatically linked to foreign direct investment of either big companies or foreign government  enterprises that want to secure their own food security. Over the condemnation of the “neo-colonial” foreigners, it’s easy to forget that land grabbing can happen just as easily within countries, setting up urban … Continue reading Vietnam: Where Land-Grabbing goes Local

The Safe Space for Food and Climate

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjtIl5B1zXI] This is an interesting take on the interplay between food production and climate change. The video defines a ‘safe space’ defined by the boundaries on how much food we need, how much food we can produce at given levels of climate change, and how that increased food production will further affect climate change.

A Genius Idea for Gender, Climate Change Resilience and Food Security

Yesterday I went to a really inspiring event put on by the GIZ under the topic of “Gender, Climate Change and Food Security”, which highlighted different aspects of how gender (in)equality can be highlighted in climate change negotiations and how women are affected by the challenges of adapting rural self-sufficient farming communities to the future … Continue reading A Genius Idea for Gender, Climate Change Resilience and Food Security