Musings on sustainable food systems, agriculture vs. agroecology, and more!
And the plot thickens… When I published my story on the flies and the pineapples the other week, I got a couple of fascinating follow-ups from people that know way more about the industry than me. In addition, I’ve been working more on the topic as well, adding to my knowledge of the production methods and problems … Continue reading Digging Deeper into the Pineapple Paradox
… how would you finish that joke? Unfortunately, for Costa Rican farmers, this issue is no laughing matter. Rather, it’s a conflict that pitches two of the largest agricultural communities of the country against each other in a perpetual feud. It’s the yeoman-versus-rancher battle you’ve never heard of. But new technologies might offer a solution … Continue reading A Pineapple, A Cow and Thousands of Flies Meet in Costa Rica…
“To be honest, organic coffee could become a dying breed in Costa Rica.” Leland Westie and I stare at each other, neither of us quite sure how to continue the conversation. Westie seems startled by his own frankness. After a long pause, he qualifies his statement with an apologetic smile: “I mean, I hope it will … Continue reading Organic Coffee in Costa Rica: A Battle of David vs. Goliath?
Hey little blog, I missed you! I swear I’ve been writing, too, just for different purposes, and then there was the weekend at the beach and the arts festival… Regularly scheduled content should be back soon. Plus, I’m taking “Writing for the Web” and “Community Journalism” MOOCs at the moment, which should help make future … Continue reading Updates from Coffee Country
Imagine what I ran into today in a Costa Rican cafeteria… … taking the coconut water craze to the next level! Speaking of the foodieism that is oh-so-perfectly reflected in real-coconut-coconut-water – have you ever wanted to see virtually all big food and ag writers of the USA speak about their passion? Give you reading … Continue reading An Edible Education – Class Is In Session!
Hey there… Long time no see! I just emerged from an intense phase of seminars – trainings – packing – moving – and vacationing (it’s a hard life) and am writing to you, not from Brussels or Germany, but from San Jose, Costa Rica! I will be staying here for at least 4 months to … Continue reading Hello From A New Continent!
Hey hey hey! Long time no news, eh? Sorry for that. The last week was pretty intense, but now it’s Friday and I was at a lunch conference again, which means I have interesting thoughts to report 🙂 The talk was titled “Best practices in engaging with the agricultural private sector in ACP [African, Caribbean, and … Continue reading Guess What – The Private Sector Can Help Itself!
Another day, another lunch seminar. This time, though, with scientists! They presented a project called “RurbanAfrica“. The research questions included the following: Will agricultural modernization stimulate rural income generation? Is rural-urban migration a major development challenge? What is the relationship between rural-city connections and poverty dynamics? They have only just started their project, and thus presented … Continue reading Rurban Africa: Challenges in Modernization
Philanthropy is an interesting concept. Here is one person, or a board of people, with more money to distribute than small nations have budgets. If they choose to concentrate on a topic, their impact can be immense and drive research, NGO actions and government policies in the direction of their liking because of the financial … Continue reading Who Gets The Money? On Helping Africa To Feed Itself – in the US.
As I was standing up from my desk yesterday at noon, took a stretch and packed my sandwich in my bag, I was so excited to get outside and see something different. I’d seen that Via Campesina Europe was organizing a “Farm in the City” event on Place Luxembourg, one of the main squares at … Continue reading A Farm In The City: Via Campesina Event Review
