Blogs & Ecology

Food security is a concept that works on micro and macro levels. But, it's something that individuals don't often think about until they are confronted with a situation where they don't have access to adequate food and become food insecure. The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture has produced a short animation that does a great job of explaining how individual actions can affect global food security. While the stats are specific to Japan, the concepts are universal.

Watch it, after the jump. ...

Jenn Pentland

Farmer Roy Lawrence and CSA members - Matt Lowe

Local eating advocates often cite reduced shipping emissions as a good reason to source food from as close to home as possible. The concept of reduced food miles equaling reduced carbon output quickly becomes clouded when economies of scale, production methods, and efficiency of shipping methods is taken into account. A group of farmers, activists and citizens in British Columbia have removed any hint of uncertainty by creating a local low carbon grain chain.

Keep reading to see how they did it. ...

via UVM Transportation Center

Wholesome Sweeteners

Since 2005, when Wholesome Sweeteners helped develop Fair Trade Certification for sugar products, the company has raised over $1 million in certification premiums for the sugar cane farmers and beekeepers it works with in Malawi, Costa Rica, Paraguay and Mexico. The company announced the milestone this October, in conjunction with Fair Trade Month. ...

La Finquita Community Garden via Nuestras Raíces

Will Allen fishing for tilapia by cpentecost via flickr

Earlier this year, Sami recognized the good work of the organization Growing Power. The John D and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation took the praise one step further and named the organization's co-founder and CEO as a "MacArthur Genius". Will Allen is one of over two dozen recipients - including doctors, scientists and artists - of the foundation's $500,000 no strings attached fellowship award for 2008.

Michael Pollan in his garden. The New York Times via The Sydney Morning Herald