Musings on sustainable food systems, agriculture vs. agroecology, and more!
Remember the failure of the Farm Bill in the U.S. House of Representatives? And the uncertainty of the way forward? Two weeks ago, I wrote: “Fiscal conservatives are suggesting to split the bill in two, thereby divorcing the historically-married issues of farm support and food stamp programs. However, the combination of these two in one bill has … Continue reading The Food Bill Divorce
With the controversy around the Food Prize, and Food Security Conference after Food Security Conference being sponsored by large seed and food corporations, it is interesting to consider how the market power of some large enterprises can influence the academic debate and shape public policy discourse. Dr Margaret Chan, the Director-General of the World Health … Continue reading Of Market Power, Models and Policy Analysis
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
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CLWRclarri0#!] Have you ever wondered how cities today, and in the past, are provided with the immense amounts of food they need to feed their inhabitants? Carolyn Steel gives a fascinating overview on the interrelations of food and urbanity and the possibility of creating a proper ‘sitopia‘, a food place. I particularly like the last … Continue reading The History of How Food Shaped Cities
This morning, I found an exciting piece of news in my inbox: “Connecticut Passes Nation’s First GMO Labeling Law“! That should be a cause of celebration, especially after the industry-financed defeat of a similar law in the California polls. However, wait until you hear all the stipulations attached to the bill. The main big catch: … Continue reading GMO Labeling Laws: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
I first heard of the ‘Buycott App‘ via Global Food Politics, where Noah Zerbe highlighted the ease of it, as well as potential drawbacks. Now, it has made the news again for its immense popularity: according to this article, it was downloaded by so many consumers interested in making conscientious shopping decisions that it crashed … Continue reading 'Buycott': The App So Popular It Crashes Site
One of the first writers that got me (as so many others, I presume) interested in food politics was Michael Pollan. His book “In Defense of Food” , along with “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and “A Botany of Desire”, really flipped the switch in my mind on what kind of politics I wanted to specialize in. Well, today … Continue reading The Biography of a Cow
In preparation for my Ethics in Food Production exam today, I went over the ‘Shared Value Approach‘, a new concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) pioneered in 2011. It has been hugely successful with multinational companies, since it highlights the business perspective while acknowledging the linkages between corporate practices, social conditions and environmental concerns. According … Continue reading 'Shared Value' in Cocoa – The Way Forward?
Last time I was talking about Labeling Fables I floated the idea of unveiling some of the most prominent labels so you know what you are buying in the grocery store. Well, here is installment #1: Starting with one of the most famous labels around: Fairtrade. Chances are, you know it stands for fair trade … Continue reading Labels Unveiled: Fairtrade
This Al Jazeera opinion piece by UN University research associate Kei Otsuki draws a compelling picture about how Brazil has established itself as a role model in becoming one of the first (so-called) developing countries to create a sustainable and local food procurement system for its schools. In doing so, it has met four internationally-set … Continue reading The Path to Local Food in Brazil's Schools