Farmers’ markets, solidarity economies, community-supported agriculture, local food systems, and PGS.
Foodthink Says How many people can dedicate themselves to a single cause for a decade? The Nanning Urban Farmers’ Market certainly can. Since its inaugural market day in 2013, it has now entered its eleventh year in 2024. Taking place every two months, the market draws dozens of stallholders on…
Foodthink says As delivery riders face exploitation and gruelling workloads, merchants struggle with exorbitant commissions, and consumers are served food without proper health safeguards, a growing number of people have begun to critique and scrutinise platform enterprises. Beyond mere criticism, however, can we envision an alternative platform model? What would…
In mid-April, I arrived at Letian Haiwan Farm in Shanghai, driven by the aspiration to learn how to run a farm. Working and living alongside my companions here, my internship slipped by before I knew it. Before leaving, colleagues asked whether I still wanted to open my own farm. Confronted…
Not long after settling in Kunming, I added one eatery to my list of spots I simply have to share with friends: Tusheng Eatery. This year marks its fourteenth anniversary, and it has cultivated a dedicated following in the city. Nestled in a creative quarter on a steep hillside, the…
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…
Foodthink Says Since the 1950s, a global “Fairtrade” movement has gained momentum. Cheap agricultural products from developing countries have flowed steadily into developed nations, yet the vast majority of profits embedded in commodity prices have been extracted by large capitals within the trade chain, while farmers and labourers see only…
Foodthink Says As autumn sets in, the Little Dining Table in Yulin, Chengdu has been up and running for six months. This half-year of practice has undoubtedly fostered a growing rapport between the cook, the dining companions, our partner farmers, and the food itself. Alongside the planned changes, life has…
Foodthink Says 16 October marks the 44th World Food Day, with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) designating this year’s global theme as: “Food Security for All, Building a Better Life, Creating a Brighter Future.” Advocates and promoters of GM technology have long packaged it as the premier solution…
In late September, as the rainy season in Xishuangbanna draws to a close, Qin Xianrong—a youth from the post-90s generation who has returned to his roots—drove us north from Mengyang Town in Jinghong City to visit his ecological planting base in Dadugang Township. To reach Dadugang, one must pass through…
Editor’s Note In the previous column, Master Yiguo showed us how, from an urban setting, she uses a “small dining table” to serve friends in her neighbourhood meals that are both wholesome and delicious. Yet even more “hardcore” is the grower of the rice served at that very table: Chen…
