Category Archives: Hunger

Food Waste and Climate Change

Posted on October 11, 2011 | 1 comment

When food is wasted, the impact is two-fold: not only has the process contributed to continuing global hunger but it also impacts climate change. Food products that go bad and are thrown out emit greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Some products have a larger impact than others, meat is a bigger concern than vegetables. So, what can we do to tackle the issue?

Common sense answer: plan the grocery list so we buy what we need and avoid impulse buying; clean, pack and store leftovers or extras in a way that preserves freshness; consider  making meat products a smaller portion of our meals and opt for better options like beans or whole grains.

This article has interesting links and the numbers to convince us of the need to watch what we waste as much as we watch what we eat.

1 Comment

Posted in Climate Change, Green, Hunger, Living, Nutrition

Tagged , , , ,

Seeds of Change

Posted on September 10, 2011 | Leave a comment

They say every cloud has a silver lining and with this long downturn it seems like the clouds have been here forever. But,even in these difficult times, there is some good news. Rising food and healthcare costs are forcing people to rethink the way they live. Farmer’s markets are thriving and people are trying to grow their own produce. The next step is the revival of (almost) lost skills like canning, pickling and preserving produce. That is how people used to live in the past: enjoy produce when it is fresh and also prepare for the rest of the year. But grocery stores continue to be a source of produce for many and I wonder if this trend will impact what we pay in the store for fruits and vegetables?

Note: the link above is to the New York Times article on the changes in produce growing in rural Kentucky. There is some issue with the link that I am trying to fix at the moment, you could go straight to the new York Times site to read it in full.

Leave a comment

Posted in Food Policy, Food Security, Green, Hunger, Living, Nutrition, Price Rise

Tagged , , , , , ,

How To Cook…

Posted on September 2, 2011 | Leave a comment

….. like Mark Bittman. He talked about his new book in an interview with NPR. I particularly enjoyed the fact that he was so practical in his approach. Yes, cooking a large batch at one go means we have enough leftover for another meal, which may not seem so exciting tomorrow but at least it is a better alternative than eating out. And I can’t wait to try out all the recipes with whole grains that he talks about. Bring on the Meatless Mondays!

Leave a comment

Posted in Green, Hunger, Living, Nutrition

How to Feed the World

Posted on August 3, 2011 | Leave a comment

Jason Clay of WWF identifies 8 steps to “freeze the footprint of food” in his article in Nature. While he examines the issue particularly with regard to Africa, these points are relevent in a global context as well. For instance, recent discussion in food and foreign policy areas have focused on the practice of “land grabbing”; Clay points out the need to restore degraded, underperforming or abandoned land instead of looking for fresh land to cultivate.

But what makes the top of the list of options is genetics: it cannot be said often enough, we are facing a huge problem here and time is not on our side. Using a technology which allows us to catalyse the process of selection of existing desirable traits and also prepare to combat climate change by including traits such as drought or disease resistance; should be an integral part of any solution (accompanied, of course, by a robust biosafety framework). Organic methods can yield good results but time is short and the technology for genetic modification is already available.

Leave a comment

Posted in Farm Technology, Food Policy, Food Security, Hunger, Nutrition

Tagged , , ,

The Debate on GM Potatoes

Posted on July 21, 2011 | Leave a comment

Prof. Jonathon Jones of the John  Innes Centre in England writes in the Guardian to defend the his group’s work on introducing  blight resistant traits in potatoes.Blight causes huge losses for commercial potato growers every year and the work in question consists of experiments to introduce blight resistant traits found in wild potatoes into commercial potatoes without losing the desirable properties already present in them. What was intriguing about the article was not just the description of the work or the case made for biotechnology but the plea that Prof. Jones makes for better communication between the supporters and opponents of biotechnology.  Like any other technology, genetic modification comes with advantages and concerns. All too often, opponents of GM  seek to demonize it  and following this path would mean we also lose out on the potential of this option to address issues like climate change, global hunger and public health.  We need a sane dialogue on this issue , the time for fear mongering should be over now.

Leave a comment

Posted in Climate Change, Food Policy, Food Security, Hunger, Living

Tagged , , , , ,

What Budget Crunch?

Posted on June 28, 2011 | Leave a comment

NPR reports that $20b is spent annually on air conditioning in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now consider the speculation that agricultural programs may face cuts of $ 2o b to $ 30 b in the 2012 Farm Bill. It makes you wonder when our priorities went so astray. Sure, the welfare of troops in combat is crucial but it is time now to bring them to comforts at home and free up the money spent on endless engagements to restore the economy to a robust state. When there are 15 m children hungry, the battle has to be fought at home. Right now, as we are surrounded by the bounty of summer, luscious tomatoes and gleaming blueberries, hunger is an acute problem for kids who depend on the school lunch program the rest of the year. The annual school lunch budget? $ 9b. It can be argued that there is much room for improvement here.

There is no denying that we are going through testing times. While we do have the financial resources and skills to overcome this challenge, we need to make tough decisions regarding our priorities. This is not the time to make safe choices and cling to the status quo or live in denial. 2012 is not only the year for the next Farm Bill to be passed, it is also election year. When your candidate comes to ask for your vote, make sure he/she knows that food security, food safety and a fair food system are priorities for all of us.

Leave a comment

Posted in Food Policy, Food Security, Hunger

Tagged , ,

Waste less, Feed More

Posted on June 24, 2011 | 1 comment

The numbers on food wastage are staggering: supermarkets, retailers, restaurants all throw out food that is edible and would serve to feed hungry kids and families. NPR reports on an encouraging initiative by WalMart to route produce from its stores to food banks to feed those in need.

1 Comment

Posted in Food Security, Hunger

Tagged ,