Democratizing Food
Pesticide Action Network – North America Image courtesy of Fair Share Farm “The greatest deficit in the food economy is the democratic one.” — Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Over the last half a century, democracy has been squeezed out of food production. The industrialization of farming has left […]
Fish Stocks Are Declining Worldwide, and Climate Change Is on the Hook
NPR – The Salt by Clare Leschin-Hoar Source: Philippe Basset For anyone paying attention, it’s no secret there’s a lot of weird stuff going on in the oceans right now. We’ve got a monster El Nino looming in the Pacific. Ocean acidification is prompting hand wringing among oyster lovers. Migrating fish populations have caused tensions […]
How The Food Industry Engineers The Need To Eat
WBUR – Here & Now by Jeremy Hobson Source: Esther Perez It is no secret that the rise in obesity in America has something to do with food. But how much? And what role does the food industry as a whole play? As part of Here & Now’s series this week on obesity, America On […]
Grocery Store Wars
Vimeo by Free Range Studios Grocery Store Wars from Free Range Studios on Vimeo. Not long ago in a supermarket not so far away… Playing on the archetypal narrative of Star Wars, Grocery Store Wars is a cult classic, viral hit that uses food and vegetable puppets to spoof the legendary film. The piece has […]
How To Keep Your Favorite Seeds + Grow Them Again
Rodale’s Organic Life by Doug Hall Source: Susy Morris Plan to plant more tomatoes, basil, onions in the spring by saving this free resource right now. Saving and storing seeds from your own vegetable and herb crops is a thrifty way to perpetuate your favorite varieties from year to year. Open-pollinated varieties, including heirlooms, are the […]
Earth Has Lost a Third of Arable Land in Past 40 Years, Scientists Say
The Guardian by Oliver Milman Source: CIFOR Experts point to damage caused by erosion and pollution, raising major concerns about degraded soil amid surging global demand for food The world has lost a third of its arable land due to erosion or pollution in the past 40 years, with potentially disastrous consequences as global demand […]
Singing the Song of a Start-up
[This article was previously published in the winter issue of The Cultivator, Cornucopia’s quarterly newsletter.] by Rachel Zegerius, Communications and Development Associate at The Cornucopia Institute Source: Frog Song Organics Nestled in the forests of North Central Florida, just 15 miles east of Gainesville, Amy Van Scoik and John Bitter are part of a burgeoning national network […]
Antibiotic Use on Farms Is Up, Despite Promises to Kick the Drugs
[NOTE: Antibiotics are not allowed in the production of organic food] NPR – The Salt by Dan Charles Source: UGA College of Ag and Environmental Sciences If you go by their declarations and promises, meat producers are drastically cutting back on the use of antibiotics to treat their poultry, pigs and cattle. Over the past […]
The Truth About Pet Food
[This article was previously published in the winter issue of The Cultivator, Cornucopia’s quarterly newsletter.] by Rachel Zegerius, Communications and Development Assistant at The Cornucopia Institute The author of the pet food report is Cornucopia staff scientist Linley Dixon, Ph.D. New Report Helps You Choose the Best Brands for Your Four-legged Friends Source: Dollar Photo Club Did […]
Scrambled Eggs: Report Contrasts Widespread Industry Fraud and USDA Complacency with True Heroes in Organics
Family Farmers Face Unfair Competition from “Organic” Factory Farms Just as Americans are reacting to new medical literature encouraging the consumption of “healthy” fats, including eggs, an independent report has been released that focuses on widespread abuses in organic egg production and marketing, primarily by large industrial agribusinesses. The study, conducted by The Cornucopia Institute, […]
Yes, Bananas May Really Be Going Extinct
Inquisitr by Andrew Galbreath Source: USDA, Lance Cheung The most popular fruit in the world may be in serious danger of extinction. A virulent and incurable strain of the plant-destroying fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense is spreading across the globe and ravaging banana crops in its wake. A study by researchers in the Netherlands appearing […]
A Secret Weapon to Fight Climate Change: Dirt
The Washington Post by Debbie Barker and Michael Pollan Cover crops in small grain stubble Source: NRCS, South Dakota Debbie Barker is the international programs director at the Center for Food Safety. Michael Pollan is the John S. and James L. Knight professor of journalism at the University of California at Berkeley. When Will Allen is asked […]
