Some of what’s caught our eye this week…
For news on the Food and Farm Bill, we’ve been following:
On Twitter, #farmbill and #fairfarmbill have been invaluable for following the progress of the bill. For analysis of the Food and Farm Bill and the food justice movement, check out Farm Bill Fiasco: What Next for the Food Movement?, a Food First backgrounder published this week by Christopher Cook.
Say Hello to the 100 Trillion Bacteria that Make Up Your Microbiome In this Sunday’s New York Times Magazine, Michael Pollan explores the fascinating world of the human microbiome—the 100 trillion or so bacteria that live in and on our bodies. Scientists are just beginning to explore the benefits of our complex microbiota, and early results are pretty incredible. (Spoiler: Turns out eating a lot of plants and whole grains gives you a much more diverse and healthy bacteria ecosystem. Who’s surprised?)
Biotech Ambassadors: How the US State Department Promotes the Seed Industry’s Global Agenda Food and Water Watch examined five years of diplomatic cables for its impeccably-researched and illuminating new report, documenting how our government “has aggressively pursued” foreign policy benefiting the interests of the likes of Monsanto and DuPont—what the report calls “thinly veiled corporate diplomacy.” Definitely worth a read.
What have you been reading this week? Give us your recommendations in a comment!
