I’m a serious coffee drinker. But, admittedly, I know little about roasts, brews, or the land on which my beans are grown. Coffee is the U.S.’s largest food import, the second most valuable traded commodity only after oil. It’s also entangled in a complex web of issues involving human labor, the environment, climate change and …
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During a week that marked the 100th celebration of International Women’s Day, there was a lot of news and blog buzz about women, farming and food. The new FAO report finds that while women make up 43 percent of the world’s farmers, only about 10 to 20 percent own the land they farm. Without land ownership, …
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The news has been buzzing with articles and commentary about the new UN report that about how agroecology can double food production in 10 years. “Agro-ecology mimics nature not industrial processes. It replaces the external inputs like fertiliser with knowledge of how a combination of plants, trees and animals can enhance productivity of the land,” …
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A quick round-up of this week’s food justice highlights: In Kenya, Improving Yields is Key to Boosting Rice Farmers’ Livelihoods [AlertNet] Climate-Linked Drought Pushes Kenyan Farmers to Sell Land [AlertNet] Ethiopia Posts Big Gains in Access to Drinking Water [The Guardian] Photo of the Week: Increasing Farmer Productivity in Haiti [U.S. Department of State blog] …
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HIV/AIDS and TB are the diseases that often come to mind when we think about the relationship between food and health in the developing world. But what about diabetes? According to a new study by the US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, ineffective or insufficient diabetes treatment can be fatal for millions worldwide. Of …
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The Food Crisis “Food prices are soaring to record levels, threatening many developing countries with mass hunger and political instability. Finance ministers of the Group of 20 leading economies discussed the problem at a meeting in Paris last week, but for all of their expressed concern, most are already breaking their promises to help.” [NY …
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Pepsi is doing something good for Mexican farmers, and it’s more than just a PR stunt masquerading as corporate social responsibility. It’s a new partnership with social benefits and an economic gain. The New York Times reports that in San Gabriel, Mexico, 300 local corn farmers are no longer selling their corn to middlemen but …
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NY Times “Room for Debate”: Is the World Producing Enough Food? Global food prices are soaring again, as droughts, freezes and floods have affected various crops in many parts of the world. At the same time, demand is rising with living standards in fast-growing countries. Seven food policy experts share their views on making global …
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Meatless Monday. Sounds like lent, but on a different day of the week, right? Exactly. A project of The Monday Campaigns, and in association with the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health, Meatless Monday was launched to help Americans reduce their meat consumption by 15 percent in order to improve their personal health and the …
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Food Fight: Climate Change and the Coming International Food Crisis [Civil Eats] “Climate change causes agricultural problems that in turn give rise to hardship, hunger, unrest, and even war. Not a pretty picture. In this context it is hardly surprising that the CIA is establishing a new Center for the Study of Climate Change, or …
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