For over six months, Dutch farmers have been protesting against nitrogen reduction policies. Amid this unrest, the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BoerBurgerBeweging, or BBB)—widely seen as a pro-farmer party—emerged as a dark horse in the Netherlands’ March regional elections. Founded just four years ago, the BBB not only captured nearly 20% of…
“I have a thought, though I’m not sure if it will be of any use?” The grandmother and the former steward simultaneously fixed their gaze on her. She explained, “Our household is busiest in the spring and largely idle in autumn. Why not take this opportunity to trade in Hangbai…
In 2022, Britain’s headlines were dominated by the Queen’s passing, Charles’s accession, soaring heating and electricity bills, and a revolving door of prime ministers. Yet, as the year drew to a close, another story captured the public’s attention: the “egg shortage”. For several weeks from November through December, major supermarkets…
In Europe and Japan, there is a long tradition of educating children through nature and agriculture. Every year, primary school pupils are taken by their schools into the fields to learn how to sow seeds, tend crops, and prepare food. From the classroom to the great outdoors, and from spring…
“People never enjoy fermented drinks alone.” — *Undercooked: A History of Fermentation and Civilization* I. Meeting It was early summer in Beijing, 2020, during the initial phase of pandemic restrictions; everything still seemed manageable. The chaos of the new year and the hardship unfolding overseas had gradually receded into the…
Foodthink says Aside from being eaten, becoming waste is the final destination for a portion of all food. According to estimates by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, one-third of all food globally is ultimately lost or wasted, with a significant proportion ending up in the bin. Food waste, which…
When we talk about consumer rights, what exactly are we talking about? International consumer movements typically approach consumer rights from four key perspectives: the right to safety, the right to information, the right to choose, and the right to be heard. Today, Foodthink will take food consumption—something we all rely…
Foodthink Says Last Monday, we shared why more than a dozen young people decided to hit pause on their city lives. So why, instead of choosing to ‘lie flat’, have they headed to the countryside to learn farming and embrace a more labour-intensive, challenging way of life? Here are a…
This episode was recorded in the Alxa desert in Inner Mongolia by Qihua, Foodthink’s researcher for climate change and ecological smallholder farming, together with two guests. Recorded at the end of August 2022, the three of them sat beneath a large tree in a Tengger Desert oasis. In the background,…
Foodthink Says In Inner Mongolia, where the vast majority of pastoral families have settled into fixed grazing patterns, the grasslands are criss-crossed by wire fences. Consequently, there has been a rise in cases of stomach perforation from ingested wire among cattle and sheep. Meanwhile, in the Banners of Ordos, where…
