Michael Pollan, author of Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food, discusses biofuels, the food crisis and the future of sustainability in this interview with Yale Environment 360.
The new online green magazine is published through Yale University, and edited by Roger Cohn, the former editor of Mother Jones and Audubon.
Text of the conversation and an audio file are both available.
Needless to say, I was excited to see a message in my inbox from Willie Nelson! Having met him and interviewed he and his wife last year (briefly), I was sure he was writing to tell me how great I am . . . but, while personally a little disappointing, I was glad to see that he was writing on behalf of Farm Aid Disaster Fund which is kicking into gear to help family farmers in the Midwest that have been by the disastrous floods.
I became involved in Farm Aid last year because I feel very strongly about the need to support family farms. I think regionally and responsibly produced food is perhaps the cornerstone of creating a healthier more sustainable existence. Farm Aid is doing some great work not only to help raise awareness about these issues, but in raising money to directly assist farmers as they grow and work to change the big agricultural system that is so dominant.
Most mainstream business reporting on the agricultural sector has recently focused on the socio-economic impact of rice shortages in southeast Asia or the global price spikes throughout the food chain. But despite the misfortune wrought by desertification, drastic weather changes and other contributing factors, those who trade on the commodities market have seen food shortages as a boon.
Companies that have already benefited from buying up wheat, corn or soy futures are beginning to invest in farm land (from the corn fields of Indiana to cattle ranches in Argentina), storage facilities (such as grain elevators) and fertilizer companies. An article in the New York Times proposes that this financial interest will stimulate food production, thus stabilizing the supply.
But what does it mean for the future of food, beyond the immediate crisis? According to a financial adviser Read the rest of this entry »
Urban Agriculturalist is a series on the ways city and suburb dwellers use their land as a food resource.
With an ever shrinking topographical footprint and a population in perpetual flux, the modern city has some feeding issues. A recent article in The Globe and Mail described the frustration of farmer’s market organizers over the shortage of independent farmers who are able to open stalls. The demand, it seems, is far outpacing the supply on a small scale, but also on a large one: the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 80% of the earth’s agriculturally-viable land is already farmed, but the earth’s population is expected to grow by 3 billion by 2050 (NASA via verticalfarm.com). With the impending expansion of an already existent disparity, what can we do to feed all people? Read the rest of this entry »
Here’s a look at a few interesting headlines as the world deals with the food crisis and debates on food technology.
Food Aid Also Gives a Helping Hand to GMO Agribusiness
As countries around the world try to grapple with the food crisis, the Bush Administration’s The $770 million aid package causes a bit of a controversy by including language that would promote the use of genetically modified crops in food-deprived countries. (Chicago Tribune).
Agribusiness Profits Rise Dramatically Alongside Food Prices
An article in The Independent discusses how major players in the agriculture industry are enjoying record increases in profits, doubling in a three month period in some cases, from both the demand for food and biofuel. Investor speculation plays a significant part in the profits, as well as in driving up food prices. (The Independent).
More issues and updates. Read the rest of this entry »
I talked last week about how something that I struggle with as the cook/kitchen manager/stocker of our household is food waste–buying things with the good intentions of using them, only to find them two weeks later covered in mold or past the expiration date: food waste. Interestingly enough, the New York Times ran an article this weekend on the excessive food waste that happens in American households. With the cost of food skyrocketing, they’re not the only ones.
To be honest, the idea that we as a nation waste more food than some countries consume in a year is nothing new. Freegans have made a point of living off others’ perfectly-good “waste” for quite some time now.
A good friend sent me Daniel Gross’ post on Slate.com, “The Agony of the Food Snob.” The article is a bit self-deprecating, a bit of humor, and a bit of a poke to food snobs’ plight as food prices rise for all of us. At times the article points out the more stupid purchases that defy reason, and at others, it shows that none of us — save the very wealthy — is immune to the price increase.
The last line of the piece is truly a challenge to all food snobs, “We’re spending obscene amounts on food we don’t need at a time when so many others are genuinely struggling to pay for enough basic sustenance to get them through the day.”
I am not a food snob. I am also on a budget these days. Even so, I certainly enjoy the best foods of every season, and the relative abundance and the fact that I can afford to eat when so many can’t has been weighing on me. I needed to do something to help.
So, here’s how I answered the challenge. Read the rest of this entry »
When the World Food Program (WFP) introduced free breakfasts to public schools in impoverished communities around the world, teachers immediately noticed a difference in their classrooms. Not only were students more alert and focused, they attended more regularly and were never late so as not to miss breakfast time. The quality of the students changed, but so did the quantity. The percentage of female students - most likely to be forced to stay behind to help earn income - sky-rocketed and the age of attendance fell. Four year olds began to attend school with their older siblings, sitting obediently in classes just for a free bowl of rice in the morning. In many impoverished families, children are forced to earn their keep in place of going to school. In addition to eradicating hunger, WFP made school attendance a central part of their goal for the breakfast program.
The WFP school feeding program has become a touchstone aspect of both the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the G8 action pact of 2002. Between the program’s inception in 1999 and its last data recorded in 2005, the number of children served has grown by 82%, which amounts to 21.7 million schoolchildren in 74 countries.
Now, despite its success and widespread acclaim, the International Herald is reporting that the WFP program will not continue in Cambodia - the first of many predicted shut-downs as rising food costs threaten the profoundly poor. Read the rest of this entry »
During the discussion that followed my blog post on synthetic, corn-derived additives, a debate arose about the relative health benefits of isolated or additive nutrients versus those consumed in the context of their natural whole food. One commenter wondered why nutrients found in whole foods were preferable to their isolated counterparts. I realized that this topic really deserves its own post.
Marion Nestle, an oft-quoted nutritionist and professor at New York University, explains the need to consume nutrients within the context of their whole food origins on her blog: Read the rest of this entry »
First, I want to apologize for my absence - I’ve been dealing with a family issue away from home and haven’t had the time or mental energy to post. I am happy to be back and gratefully anticipate your forgiveness (please?).
I spent last week following the Ashkenazi diet for the eight day celebration of Passover, the finer points of which were perfectly summed up by Sharon here. Each year for eight days, I eliminate any and all corn products from my diet and vow to carry this no-corn policy into the rest of the year’s eating. But eliminating corn-based additives is not as straightforward as skimming the ingredients list for the word corn. Many of these additives have names that do not give away their origins. Of course, unwanted corn primarily enters the diet through food processing, so the best and easiest course of action is to eliminate all processed foods. But in instances where processed food is unavoidable, a next best defense is familiarity with aliases for corn. And so, without further ado, several common , non-obvious corn-based additives to look out for: Read the rest of this entry »
Eat. Drink. Better. is a Green Options Media Production.
Some Rights Reserved
