Wow, this is an interesting one. Some scientists are working on creating gelatin derived from human flesh and bones. Seriously — an article has been published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. My mind is a little blank trying to think of what to say about this. On the one hand, I have plenty of thoughts, but on the other hand, I’m in a little bit of shock.
Where Does You Supermarket Shop?
I wrote, in May, about a WWF-UK effort to protect the Cerrato in Brazil, a unique habitat that is being destroyed faster than the Amazon. WWF has gotten many UK supermarkets to help address the habitat destruction by agreeing to not buy soy connected to Cerrato destruction. But there’s still a long way to go. Here’s a useful infographic on the Cerrato, how we are destroying it, and what we can do to save it.
Kenyans, African Biodiversity Network Push for Ban on GMO Food Imports
There are so many concerns tied to GMO foods — health concerns from scientifically documented health risks, environmental concerns by the bushel, and economic returns (GMO companies are generally large and monopolistic and are not good for small farmers and communities). For all of these reasons, and maybe more, there is a strong groundswell of opposition to GMOs around the world, including in Kenya. Last week, the African Biodiversity Network released a statement on how it thinks the Kenyan government should be supporting its farmers and protecting its citizens.
UN: Small Farms Key to Global Food Security
Small farms are the key to global food security in the 21st century, the UN has announced.
“Plant This Movie” {Help Fund Great Urban Farming Documentary on Kickstarter}
The video on the next page does a great job presenting core food problems we are facing today but goes far beyond the problems and offers some great solutions to them. The filmmaker, Karney Hatch, is look to get $7,500 donated by Saturday, July 16 on Kickstarter to make a documentary on these problems and solutions.
Georgia Loses Millions of Dollars Worth of Crops because of Anti-Immigration Law
Huge fallacy: undocumented immigrants don’t contribute to society.
Truth: undocumented immigrants do tremendously important work in inhumane conditions and for completely unfair wages so that Americans can eat cheap food.
Test: Georgia Republican lawmakers recently passed legislation geared at pushing undocumented, “illegal” immigrants out of the state of Georgia.
Summer Solstice: Enjoy a Picnic in the Park, Life, Smoothies, & ..
It’s the summer solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere) today, meaning it’s the longest day of the year. In the Southern Hemisphere, of course, it’s the opposite (the winter solstice, or shortest day of the year). Now, I thought rather than write my typical news story, I’d do something a little different today.
Kids’ Lemonade Stand Shut Down by County Government..
This is a crazy story. Another one of these “overreaching government” stories that seem to be all the rage (for good reason). Before I get into it, I’ll note that a $500 fine imposed on the children in this story has been waived and the kids have been granted permission to re-open their lemonade stand. But before someone in power came to their senses and decided that they didn’t want to whole nation looking at them for such a ridiculous action. (I’ll also note that these are kids of some very rich, “Washington power” families, the Marriotts (yeah, the the family behind the hotels) and the Augustines (of Lockheed-Martin). Anyway, here’s the story….
UN: More Sustainable Farming Needed to Feed the World
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) proclaimed today that we need to switch from the intensive farming practices of the past half-century to more sustainable agricultural practices if we want to feed the world in 2050.
New York Times, Oxfam, & Others Pick Up the Climate Change–Food Insecurity Story
You may be getting tired of my stories on climate change and food, but I think this is a critical topic already significantly affecting the lives of tens of millions of people (or more) that will become increasingly important in the years to come (if we don’t do something to address climate change NOW).
I’m not the only one trying to draw a little more attention to this critical topic, but not many big media agencies have been doing so (yet). This weekend, though, the New York Times published an above-the-fold, 4000-word, front-page story on the matter! The title: A Warming Planet Struggles to Feed Itself.