Seed sovereignty, heirloom variety preservation, and traditional breeding systems.
Friends were divided on whether Guan Qi was an introvert or an extrovert. Several people had asked him directly, only to receive a different answer each time. After he passed away, as we gathered together, we realised this was a truth that could never be pinned down. Whenever I recall…
Last year, standing by a field edge in Yunnan’s hills, I saw rice for the first time sprouting directly from level soil, with no flooded paddies or irrigation ditches in sight. For many, rice is inextricably linked to flooded paddies. Yet it can just as easily be cultivated on dry,…
Foodthink Says Can you still find “local produce” at the open-air markets on Beijing’s outskirts? The answer to this question lies in the hands of those veteran farmers who continue to save their own seeds. After ten years of farming at Gaia·Wosh Garden on the far fringes of Beijing, they…
Seeds are the vital carriers for the continuation of plant species. Human survival and flourishing are equally inseparable from them; every food we eat, whether grains, flours, oils or vegetables and fruits, begins as a tiny seed. Different seeds yield crops with distinctly different flavours. The reason we can no…
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…
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…
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.…
“It’s all political games!” This was the near-universal response whenever I raised the government’s rice trade policies during my visit to Mindanao in the southern Philippines this past April. Those I spoke with ranged from mayors and government agricultural extension officers to ordinary smallholder farmers whose livelihoods depend on the…
Foodthink says “In search of childhood flavours” has become a popular theme over the past two years. This article’s protagonist, the ‘White Rabbit Child’ melon, embodies the “childhood sweetness” widely preserved in the memories of Guanzhong’s people. This heritage variety has been cultivated since the collective economy era, with farmers…
Last April, I arrived at Baicaoyuan through Foodthink’s ecological farming internship programme. Outside of Baicaoyuan itself, nearly all agriculture in Wule Town, Guigang City, Guangxi Province, relies on chemical-intensive methods. Driving into town, the landscape is dominated by the sight of fields being sprayed with herbicides. I vividly recall a…
