Food production, farmers, rural society, and ecological farming practices.
Foodthink says *Eating the World: Industrial Britain, Food Systems and World Ecology* was published in 2020 by Chris Ott, a historian at Ohio State University. The book examines the shift in the British diet since 1750 alongside industrialisation: a transition from locally sourced plant-based proteins to the mass consumption of…
Foodthink says *Disappearing Food* is a book that explores the global crisis of food diversity, serving as a vital call to action for the conservation of local germplasm resources and the preservation of cultural heritage. On 9 July, Foodthink and Beiye Books jointly launched the *Disappearing Food* online reading group…
I’ve always been drawn to this lyric: “We should have our moments of joy, happiness, and clear skies.” I’ve never quite managed to emulate Lao Lang’s unhesitating plea to “give me your pure, innocent smile.” After navigating periods of heaviness, sorrow, and gloom, one comes to truly understand how essential…
I. A Journey That Began with Bananas Bananas have been one of the plants I’ve encountered most frequently over the past year of travel. From Africa to Brazil, I’ve seen and eaten countless varieties along the way—fried in oil, stewed with tomatoes, pan-fried in butter; as long as an arm,…
I.Leaving it All Behind to Farm On an ordinary morning, walking into the passion fruit fields, I saw vines heavy with golden fruit. The saplings we’d planted at the end of March were already yielding a second flush of blooms, and bees hard at work with pollination hummed steadily around…
Two years ago, I moved to a financial news outlet to cover agriculture full-time. I had hoped it would bring me closer to the land and to food itself, forging a fresh connection between journalism and the realities of daily life. Unlike food writers who dwell on flavour, I reported…
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…
