After the earth was created, soil formed slowly over geological time from the weathering of rocks. It began to support early plant life, which protected and enriched it until it [ … ]
Tag: agriculture
Bacteria Made Your Lunch – Revisited
Bacteria are one of the few reasons that I can remain optimistic about future prospects for feeding humanity. We who are involved in feeding the world face many challenges in [ … ]
Sustainable Wheat Production Through Intensification
Last week I had the honor of meeting Dr. Jason Clay, Vice President of the World Wildlife Fund. We were on the same panel at CropLife America’s second annual National Policy [ … ]
The Sweet Taste Of Sustainability
I don’t do product endorsements, but this post will probably seem like one. My most recent Sustainablog post was about how to make fruit production more sustainable by reducing the [ … ]
Sustainable Fruit Production: Eliminating “Shrink”
Many consumers have the noble desire to purchase fruit and vegetables from sustainable sources. Grocery retailers and food service companies clearly want to be able to respond to this demand. [ … ]
A Vision For Truly Sustainable Fruit and Vegetable Farming
Many responsible consumers would like to be able to buy fruits and vegetables that have been raised in a sustainable manner, and many retail and food service entities want [ … ]
Third Update On Rising Food Prices for 2010/11
The FAO released its monthly indices for food prices in international trade today. For the first time in many months, most of the indices retreated slightly. Experts warn that this [ … ]
The USDA BioPreferred Program: Consumer Empowerment… or Confusion?
Got a particular label you look for when buying certain kinds of products? FSC for wood and paper products? Green Seal for other household products? USDA Organic for food? A [ … ]
Can the United States Feed China?
By Lester R. Brown In 1994, I wrote an article in World Watch magazine entitled “Who Will Feed China?” that was later expanded into a book of the same title. [ … ]
“Monoculture” May Not Mean What You Think It Means
In one of my favorite movies, The Princess Bride, the character Inigo Montoya challenges Vizzini about his use of the word inconceivable: “You keep using that word. I do not think it [ … ]
World One Poor Harvest Away From Chaos
By Lester R. Brown In early January, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that its Food Price Index had reached an all-time high in December, exceeding the previous [ … ]
Rising Global Food Prices – Why You Should Care
The chart above shows that global food prices, as measured by the FAO indicies, are spiking, much as they did in 2008. At the end of January, the overall food [ … ]
Restoring Food Security for All Takes Action on Many Fronts
By Lester R. Brown Today there are three sources of growing demand for food: population growth; rising affluence and the associated jump in meat, milk, and egg consumption; and the [ … ]