This Vanilla Experiment Stinks

This Vanilla Experiment Stinks

Isn’t it so inspiring to see global corporate giants crush small farmers, stomp on nature, circumvent our laws by hook or crook, and deceive and gouge consumers? Welcome once again to the phantasmagoric world of DNA manipulators. In particular, this branch of...
Jack-o-Lanterns Illuminate the Luxury in Our Lives

Jack-o-Lanterns Illuminate the Luxury in Our Lives

Every time I see a jack-o-lantern, I remember a conversation with my friend Kate Chumo. I met her in her home country of Kenya. We were talking about a favorite Kenyan food called uji, a fermented millet porridge. “Do you know what we do with millet in the...
More Food Doesn’t Guarantee Less Hunger

More Food Doesn’t Guarantee Less Hunger

Every October, world leaders and corporate executives gather in Iowa to present the World Food Prize. Intended to celebrate those who make the largest contributions to increasing the world’s food supply, the recipients are announced each year by the U.S....
The Farm Bill’s Wasteful Welfare Program

The Farm Bill’s Wasteful Welfare Program

Some aspects of American agriculture are quite odd. For example, to meet a farmer these days, you don’t need to venture out to the hinterland. Thousands of our farmers are city slickers. And they’re really slick, for many of them neither plant nor harvest...
Taking Stock of Factory Farm Pollution

Taking Stock of Factory Farm Pollution

One of the biggest drawbacks of the factory farms producing most of our food is the amount of pollution they generate. Factory farms, which raise the bulk of our chickens, hogs, and turkeys, and house most of our dairy cows, are one of the nation’s largest...