Eating tomorrow: A conversation with Timothy Wise
Timothy A. Wise spent four years researching the industrialization of agriculture and the influence of agribusiness on policy creation around the world. Everywhere he traveled, he saw how governments and philanthropies have committed to a vision of hunger eradication that heralds industrial, large-scale agriculture. His new book, Eating Tomorrow: Agribusiness, Family Farmers, and the Battle for the Future of Food, details how this vision has largely failed to bring countries closer to food security even as it has imperiled our water, soil, and farming communities.
New study confirms man-made climate change drives weather patterns
Researchers analyzed centuries of tree-ring data and found that human-generated greenhouse gases were driving drought conditions around the world as early as 1900, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature. The study, described by National Geographic as the “first of its kind,” substantially confirms what climate models have shown.
Fighting food waste by chopping restaurant prices
A restaurant in Toronto is avoiding food waste by chopping menu prices on Sunday night until all the food it wants to sell is gone, much to the delight of its diners, reports Jonathan Bloom’s latest story, produced in partnership with NPR’s The Salt.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
EPA finds no health risk in glyphosate (EPA): The EPA said it “continues to find that there are no risks to public health when glyphosate is used in accordance with its current label and that glyphosate is not a carcinogen.” The statement, part of the process of re-registering the chemical, follows two jury verdicts against the maker of the herbicide that found the chemical caused cancer in two individuals.
The backstory to Alaska’s booming ag sector (Politico): The relatively young sector (farming in the state grew out of New Deal policies) benefits from a local-first attitude, “high-latitude” growing conditions, and a drive to be self-sufficient.
Facing labor shortage, California farmers embrace mechanization (CNBC):More than 40 percent of the state’s farmers say they have been unable to get the workers they need over the past five years, according to a California Farm Bureau survey.
Texas bill would ban using SNAP benefits for junk food, energy drinks (KHOU-11): The legislation’s sponsor cites the state’s diabetes problem, noting that some 3 million Texans are treated for the disease each year at a cost of more than $23 billion.
