Environmental pressures, climate change, biodiversity, species protection, and pollution.
Foodthink Says Globally, a growing number of scholars, policymakers, and practitioners are championing and adopting the concept of “agroecology”. While this term may still feel somewhat unfamiliar in Chinese-speaking contexts, it is frequently translated as “ecological farming”. Yet “ecological farming” falls far short of capturing the rich, multifaceted nature of…
If you visit Pu’er in Yunnan this spring, you’ll find coffee farmers everywhere in high spirits. Green coffee bean prices have been climbing steadily for a year, jumping from 38 yuan per kilogram in early 2024 to 66 yuan per kilogram by May this year—a surge that has even outpaced…
Foodthink Says This summer, extreme heatwaves have repeatedly struck Sichuan. Climate change is rendering the southwest region both hotter and drier. Those living in the countryside understand all too well what this entails: scorching temperatures force farmers to completely overhaul their working hours and significantly raise the risk of heatstroke…
I. Climate Change Through the Eyes of Smallholders: Spring Drought, Soil, and Grain Storage With just three days to go until the summer solstice, Yang Xiuyou finally welcomed a heavy downpour. The rain began on the evening of 17 June, alternating between heavy squalls and lighter spells, and continued well…
Many view craft beer as a niche culture centred on individuality and distinctive taste. Yet long before the arrival of industrial lagers with their monotonous, watery profiles, brewing traditions and flavour profiles were inherently diverse. Beyond the flattening of taste, industrial beer has also stripped fermented foods of their natural…
Foodthink Says Thirty-one elderly residents at a care home in Taishitun Town, Miyun, Beijing, have died. A minibus carrying fourteen female chilli-pickers in Shanxi vanished in the torrential downpours. In the aftermath of these record-breaking floods, each account is heartbreaking, yet they compel us to confront a pressing question: how…
Foodthink Editorial Torrential rain has struck Beijing once again. This time, the flooding has swept through the northern mountainous regions. Upstream of the Miyun Reservoir, water inflow reached its highest level since the reservoir was first constructed in 1959, peaking at 6,550 cubic metres per second — but what does…
Disappearing Foods Original Title: Eating to Extinction: The World’s Rarest Foods and Why We Need To Save Them Author: Dan Saladino Planner: Beiye Books Publisher: Wenhui Publishing House Translator: Gao Yubing Publication Date: November 2023 Foodthink’s Take *Eating to Extinction* explores the crisis facing global food diversity, while issuing a…
Farmer Sun Wenxiang stood barefoot in the concrete courtyard to greet us, his feet broad and weathered. It was early July in Hongya County, Meishan City, Sichuan Province, and a series of heavy downpours had just moved through. These marked a rare few days of respite from the seasonal workload.…
Recently, someone quipped that McDonald’s has transformed into an unfeeling ‘middle-aged’ entity, having traded its childlike wonder and youthful vigour for the drab routine of a canteen catering to wage labourers. Yet in truth, McDonald’s has never been short of such workers. I found myself genuinely taken aback, and suspect…
