This is a great example for the fact that not all livestock is created equal – and that extensification, not intensification, of livestock production could address future land, climate and food issues concurrently.
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
Fishy: EU Ministers and Parliament Fight over Discard Ban Policy
It is always fascinating to see how closely our study topics are related to current policy discussions. In one of our classes, we talked in-depth about fishing quotas and their adverse effects, including discards – this is the part of a fishing vessel’s haul that is a) not profitable enough (being too small and young, … Continue reading Fishy: EU Ministers and Parliament Fight over Discard Ban Policy
Meatless Monday – A Success Story?
As the Coursera course “Introduction to the U.S. Food System” draws to a close (so sad, it was great!), the staff highlighted a great initiative in their last set of lectures – the story behind Meatless Monday!
Even one meatle…
Even one meatless day a week – a Meatless Monday, which is what we do in our household – if everybody in America did that, that would be the equivalent of taking 20 million mid-sized Sedans off the road. Michael Pollan talking about Meatless Monday, an idea that has been taking the health and environmental … Continue reading Even one meatle…
Humankind has n…
Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. Chief Seattle
The Path to Local Food in Brazil's Schools
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
Sequestration – When Partisan Politics Affect Real Food Security
Yesterday marked the first day of a period in US politics that was never supposed to happen – the deadline to prevent sequestration ran out, triggering through-the-board spending cuts of $85 billion dollars. This article (and the one-minute-video) gives a great overview of what stands behind it – basically, it was a bipartisan deal of … Continue reading Sequestration – When Partisan Politics Affect Real Food Security
Are You A 'New Consumer'?
In preparation for my exam on Ethics in Food Consumption, I read a fascinating expose by New York-based marketing firm BBMG which characterize a ‘new consumer’ (download it here). While their report is mainly aimed at firms who want to market their products to these new consumers, it is really enlightening to explore what they … Continue reading Are You A 'New Consumer'?
India's Women Farmers Claim Equal Rights
In a country where 60% of the population is involved in agriculture, and 70 – 80% of agricultural work is done by women, within the legal system women farmers are still almost invisible. Though 18% of family farms in India are headed by women, only 2% of land is owned by them. According to a study carried out by Oxfam India … Continue reading India's Women Farmers Claim Equal Rights