Analysis of national and local agricultural policies, food policies, regulatory changes, and governance mechanisms.
As global warming intensifies, fall armyworm infestations have emerged as a new threat to global agricultural production. During our fieldwork in the summer of 2019 in Jixian County (a pseudonym) on the North China Plain, the arrival of the fall armyworm put the entire county on ‘wartime’ footing. The fall…
Opening an organic sourdough bakery was no spur-of-the-moment decision. To ensure my family could enjoy wholesome carbohydrates, I spent several years learning to bake sourdough using a natural wild yeast starter. Over these years, I have often shared my loaves with friends or brought them to potlucks, consistently receiving plenty…
Starting 1 January 2025, Singapore’s platform workers in food delivery, courier services, and ride-hailing will benefit from more comprehensive social protection covering workplace injuries, retirement, healthcare, and housing. They will also be able to form ‘Platform Work Associations’ to bolster their collective bargaining power. This change stems from the Platform…
Do we truly understand today’s agriculture and food? When it comes to farming, the first image that springs to mind for many is still that age-old picture of farmers toiling in the fields. Yet in reality, propelled by technology and capital, the landscape of modern agriculture has been transformed beyond…
As a food lover, I do not eat meat, but I simply cannot live without beans – soybeans, mung beans, adzuki beans, black beans, and chickpeas. Although I generally shun commercially bought food and strive to eat what we cultivate ourselves, the consumption of soy products at Evil Valley has…
Although the Paris Olympics concluded last week, the doping controversies remain far from settled. Amidst the uproar, at least three incidents tied to food safety have surfaced: In the end, all three cases were ruled to be the result of consuming meat products “contaminated” with doping substances, rather than deliberate…
Foodthink says 15 August marks National Ecology Day. When ecology and biodiversity come to mind, we tend to think first of wild animals or the Amazon rainforest; few consider the intricate relationship between agriculture and ecosystems. In fact, over the past seven decades, the negative impacts of agricultural expansion and…
Foodthink Says On 19 July 2024, James C. Scott, professor of political science at Yale University, died. In the immediate aftermath, a wave of tribute articles emerged, revisiting his ideas on peasants and agriculture, everyday resistance, the state and society, and anarchism. Beginning with his research into peasant resistance, Scott…
On 17 July, on the eve of the 2024 Summer Olympics opening in Paris, a coalition of international organisations launched the “Kick Big Soda Out of Sport” campaign, taking on the world’s largest soft drink manufacturers, including Coca-Cola. The initiative contends that “Big Soda” – soft drink industry giants epitomised…
Recently, the chaotic practice of using tankers intended for coal-derived oil to also transport edible oils has sparked public outrage, once again bringing food safety and public health to the forefront of national concern. In truth, hidden risks in our food supply have always been present. In March this year,…
