Food & Farming in the News
–Kelly Sanderbeck
“We would never think of trying to keep our children healthy by adding antibiotics to school water fountains, because we know this would breed antibiotic-resistant bacteria. It’s unconscionable that Big Ag does something similar for livestock.” -Nicholas Kristof, NY Times, 6/11/11
The quote above referring to the recent e-coli breakout in Germany certainly grabbed my attention. Editorials by Kristof and Mark Bittman highlight how we care (or don’t care) for animals in industrialized agriculture is at the root of many problems. My bet is that the Save and Grow farming model launched by the Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN is much more likely to provide a higher level of health to people and the planet than current practices.
Speaking of health, several studies were just released that demonstrate how organics are higher in nutrients and produce much better yields during drought conditions.
And while some of us ponder how we can feed the world, young farmers are on the ground training for solutions. Niche programs are “sprouting” up: soldiers drive tractors instead of tanks; farmers join incubators (“a product of very hard work, sacrifice, sheer stubbornness, a little dumb luck, and great generosity”). Add to these the expanded offerings of land grant universities and you can see that the American Farming Movement is here to stay!
But do all these small parts add up to a whole that will change what and how we eat? Will we have a society where people recognize the true value of food (and are willing to pay for it)? And will we have public policy where government subsidizes healthy food that they (purport to) want us to eat? Stay tuned and tell us YOUR thoughts!
“What drives me is healing the planet. There’s a tremendous amount of hurt soil, hurt earthworms, hurt nutrition, hurt people — emotionally, physically, spiritually. My ultimate goal is to create life and food prototypes that are healing, that ultimately heal mind, body and soul.
