The ancient wisdom presented by Anupam Mishra his TED Talk showcased a number of things. Not least of those is the contrast in thinking between the time tested solutions that still work, that were designed and built on the foundation of community, and the money grubbing greed that compels Ivy league institutions and other universities to “invest” in African farmland…. Read more »
Land and water are fundamental concepts that are deeply rooted in the understanding of the political ecology of the world food system. Essentially every industry is in some way or another based on land. Politically speaking land is the most desirable asset because of the minerals and potential opportunity to generate desirable goods and services. Coupled with humanity’s need for… Read more »
Whenever I heard of someone going vegan, I always thought their reasoning was to combat animal cruelty or to simply be healthier. Naively, I never considered the environmental and ecological impact going vegan could have. While going vegan certainly is a way to ethically respond to the horrendous treatment of livestock and other farm animals used for food, there are… Read more »
Our environment and the natural resources within it have quickly become a topic of scarcity and political power. One of the most valuable natural resources has developed an new competitive market across the world. By the time we enter the year 2100, experts predict that over half the world’s population will experience water scarcity. Like drilling for oil, the most… Read more »
In the world that we live in, many science books state that 71 percent of the world is covered with water. The problem here is why is there scarcity? The reality of our water content in the world is that only a small portion of it can be readily accessed by people, and this is the problem that we must… Read more »
While some may think of the poppy flower as a nice addition to a bouquet or just a pretty flower, it is not only that. The poppy is a flower, a crop, a drug, and a socio environmental factor that connects climate change and conflict in Afghanistan. The rise of opium and the associated epidemic is all too familiar in… Read more »
Fossil fuels are at the epicenter of the political ecology of the world food system. The direct correlation that fossil fuels have on various feedback loops are a fundamental concept to understand. The economical aspects of utilizing fossil fuels are enormous and were the reason for rapid growth coming into the 21st century. The results of such growth have led… Read more »
The enormous ecological footprint of large scale food production, particularly as a direct result of petroleum energy inputs stands out as the biggest deterrent to a sustainable food system. In order to generate the highest yields, factory farms are intrinsically dependent on oil, from the equipment required to cultivate and harvest, to the necessity for soil amendments that promote the… Read more »
In the past three weeks, we have looked at how big of a role economics plays in the food trade. From sugar becoming more than just a luxury good to being a staple in households to planting crops for a drug enterprise because it is the only way to keep families fed. Sugar being a staple is counter-intuitive because it… Read more »
In Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, Peter Menzel captures the effects of our changing world in ways that words cannot. Significant cultural and economic patterns emerge throughout the collection of photographs. Industrialization, globalization, and international trade continue to influence culture, food practices, health, and consumption behavior at the local level. The effects of globalization among families in affluent countries… Read more »