Musings on sustainable food systems, agriculture vs. agroecology, and more!
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
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?
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
I have to confess that I have been wary of the term “efficiency” in agriculture, since in my mind it is inexorably linked to consolidation, economies of scale leading to factory farming and mono-cultures, and cost-cutting measures that might ignore social and environmental externalities. However, my seminar yesterday made me rethink and re-evaluate – to … Continue reading Does Efficiency Equal Sustainability?
Given that I am living in Europe right now and haven’t been a resident of the US for more than 17 years, it seems I am posting disproportionately about US politics, doesn’t it? Well, my apologies to my European readers, I will try to balance it in the future – however, right now there are … Continue reading The US Government Shutdown and Its Impacts on Food Policy
Remember my last post that was defending genetic engineering when done right? Well, as you know I try to keep my blog as impartial as possible and look at things from multiple perspectives, which is why this post is all about the potential consequences of genetic engineering done wrong. In particular, I have two articles … Continue reading Sunday Reads – The Glyphosate Debate and "Agent Orange Corn"
… in the truest sense of the word. This Ensia article is about a married couple whose relationship is all about sustainable agriculture – one of them is a plant geneticist and the other a farmer that leads UC Davis’ student organic farm. Now they have written a book together on how their individual disciplines … Continue reading When Genetic Engineering Marries Organic Farming…
Add a new chapter to the US Farm Bill debate – which seems to further complicate the prospect of ever coming to a conclusion. After the huge disagreements between the Republican-dominated House and Democrat-dominated Senate on the nutrition program versus subsidy expenditures and the consequent divorce of the two issues in legislation, the House has … Continue reading "The Most Heartless Bill"