I. A ‘Failed’ Strike On the final day of 2025, more than 40,000 delivery riders across India launched what would ultimately be a ‘failed’ strike. It is described as a failure because the strike did not achieve its primary objective. The riders hoped that by walking out during the New…

Foodthink says At the beginning of the 21st century, the primary producers of raw milk in China were smallholder family farms; today, they are large-scale farms with more than 1,000 head of cattle. In a previous article, “Smallholder Farms vs Large-Scale Farms: Whose Milk is Safer and More Nutritious?”, we…

Foodthink says How to obtain safe and nutritious milk is a concern for many consumers. At the beginning of the 21st century, the primary producers of raw milk in China were smallholder family farms; today, it is large-scale farms with over 1,000 head of cattle. Over the last decade, the…

  I. The Black Box Behind Drone Crashes In the summer of 2024, on the second day of my research into agricultural drones in my hometown in Northeast China, a drone in a neighbouring village crashed while operating: it got snagged on power lines. Crashing is common, not just for…

North China’s autumn harvest has been hit by months of continuous rain, with some areas seeing an unusually early start in late August. News of unharvestable crops and mouldy corn ears has frequently trended online. Foodthink visited six agricultural counties across Hebei and Henan, finding that growers, buyers, and local…

In early October, many parts of Northern China experienced record-breaking rainfall for this period. Amidst the bewilderment of city dwellers asking, “How long will this rain go on?” and “Is the North really becoming the South?”, and as farmers stood heartbroken before crops submerged in mud, we marked the 36th…

Recently, controversy erupted over an “art” activity by Cai Guo-Qiang and Arc’teryx, which involved blasting mountains in the Himalayas and damaging the fragile plateau ecosystem. The relationship between humanity and nature, and the exploration of indigenous culture, were the key phrases used in the promotional materials for this fireworks show.…

Foodthink Insights As the climate changes, “natural disasters” in rural areas are becoming a daily occurrence. However, there are always more solutions than difficulties. It is not only farmers and governments seeking answers; social organisations are also employing local, flexible, and community-based approaches to find a way for small villages…

Foodthink Says *Eating to Extinction* is a work that explores the global crisis of food diversity and serves as a vital call for the protection of local germplasm resources and cultural heritage. On 9 July, Foodthink and Beiye Books jointly launched the *Eating to Extinction* online reading series, featuring in-depth…

Foodthink Says Since the beginning of June, a video titled “From Waste Siege to Not Enough Waste to Burn: China’s Speed Leaves the West Bewildered” has spread rapidly across the internet. The idea of throwing eyesore rubbish into a furnace to burn it all away, then using the released energy…