Foodthink Says 315 refers to Consumer Rights Day. Each year on this date, the public habitually turns its attention to what new fakes CCTV has exposed. Yet in everyday life, products are not merely a matter of being genuine or counterfeit. Consumers also care about quality and whether they are…
A year ago, I decided to leave a non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture and head straight to the frontlines of cultivation. I wanted to observe and reflect on the practical workings of ecological farming, experience rural life as a semi-farmer, and explore the possibilities of putting ecological agriculture…
Early in 2024, Foodthink opened applications for the third edition of our Ecological Agriculture Internship Programme. Our aim is to connect young people eager to pursue careers in ecological agriculture with established eco-farms. This will equip the newcomers with practical farming knowledge and skills, while allowing experienced growers to document…
How do you tell if your fruit and vegetables are any good? Judging them purely by how neat and uniform they look? Yet why do all those irregular, “ugly” fruits and vegetables vanish the moment they reach the shelves? It isn’t a genetic mutation; it’s market selection. If consumers judge…
As 2024 began, farmer protests swept across Europe, spreading like wildfire from Germany. At the peak of the demonstrations in mid-January, over 30,000 farmers drove more than 5,000 tractors from across Germany to protest in Berlin. The direct trigger for these protests was the German government’s announcement at the end…
Foodthink Says Organic farming is no pastoral idyll, and young people joining Foodthink’s Lianhe Project ecological farming internship programme have long been mentally prepared for this. Yet, once out in the fields, through day-to-day labour and observation, they develop an entirely fresh perspective on farmers, ecological agriculture and farm management,…
Near San Yuan Bridge in Beijing sits an unusual community greengrocer. Every fruit and vegetable arrives directly from local ecological smallholder farmers. Each item is individually identifiable, grown without pesticides or synthetic fertilisers, and adheres to rigorous production standards. The shop, named Jishi, is run by the Beijing Organic Farmers…
Since its establishment in August 2017, Foodthink has chronicled the stories of dozens of small-scale ecological farmers across the country. Standing apart from conventional agriculture, they have navigated numerous setbacks and learned through costly experience. Yet, after years of dedication, they have amassed a wealth of practical expertise in production…
Over a year ago, the entire Foodthink team “took over” a community produce shop run by the Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market. For a single day, we handled every aspect of the shop’s operations, delivered impressive sales figures, won our “wager,” and successfully completed the first ever “Occupy the Shop” mission!…
Foodthink Author Kouzi Farmer, avid long-distance walker, and village liquor brewer. Full-time foodie, part-time farmer, amateur writer. Some will surely glance at the title and immediately protest: isn’t the saying that you ‘gain a few pounds over the New Year’? How could you possibly lose weight and…
