Musings on sustainable food systems, agriculture vs. agroecology, and more!
I was going to write this up as well, but saw Noah already did a superb job on it – so, apparently climate change WILL affect food supplies in big ways until 2050. Lots of work cut out for us in the food policy business!
Ok, first watch this video: What’s your first reaction? “Wow, that’s quite a good investment. Just increasing fruit and veg consumption would save $11 trillion? Let’s fund fruit and vegetable growers!” Want to know my first reaction? “How the hell did they come up with those numbers?!” See, I’m all about eating healthier and supporting … Continue reading An Apple A Day Is Worth $11 Trillion? An Economist's Concern about the Union of Concerned Scientists' Math
What does a day in your life look like? Getting up, brushing your teeth, breakfast, off to work, maybe go to the gym on your way home to justify the indulgences at the dinner party this weekend? What do you worry about? I’m sure about important things, but let me hazard a guess that it … Continue reading A Life In the Day of a Ugandan Woman Farmer
Since World Food Day happened recently, I was surprised to learn that the USA celebrate their own Food Day today! Maybe it’s similar to the difference between the Canadian and American Thanksgiving, or between European and North American daylight savings time? I guess globalization has its limits. 🙂 Still, why not celebrate twice? Happy Food Day! … Continue reading US Food Day – How Food Literate Are You?
This Wall Street journal article raised an interesting point about what Michael Pollan called “the most sustainable meat” – venison or wild such as deer. Apparently, until now it is prohibited for American wild game hunters to sell the meat of the animals they shoot on the commercial market. Instead, they use it themselves, donate … Continue reading Open Minds for Sustainable Meats?
… And if you want to think about food specifically today, check out this food photography project that has made its rounds round the Internet for a while and which pictures what an average weekly grocery trip looks like for families around the world. Definitely a case where a picture says more than a thousand … Continue reading Happy World Food Day!
Hey from Malmö! I am on a whirlwind trip around Southern Sweden and Denmark, so i might check in less frequently, but still wanted to share this NYTimes op-Ed by Mark Bittman on how to feed the world, in which he only requires three pages to roll up the entire debate about quantity vs. distribution … Continue reading How To Feed The World
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