The Price of Cheap Food
The Price of Cheap Food -- Michael Pollan
http://www.michaelpollan.com/index.htm
The article written in Resource #18 (Wageningen Newsletter) by Albert Sikkema describing the content of Masterclass which was given by Michael Pollan on 10 Feb.2009 in Zeist.
I didn't even know the name "Michael Pollan" that I didn't pay attention to this article in the beginning. Until Johannes mentioned this to us, I went to my recycle paper basket and dug it out.
Micheal is a well known journalist and writer for the New York Times magazine with already five books published. Anyway, he is famous and I think he's also some kind pioneer to the world phenomena.
Michael pointed out there are three crisis of our time - the energy crisis, the obesity epidemic and climate change to which can be traced back to a wasteful and industrialized agriculture production system in the US. Cheap oil price is one. of the contributor to these crisis. Michael admires the farmer named Joel Salatin, who has developed a worked out cycle including livestock and grassland. Instead of the monoculture and large plantation implemented by most of the farms in the US, Michael called this system as " post-industrial system".
He also mentioned the power of multinationals involving in the food chain. Monsanto and Dow Chemicals in the US, for instance, while in the NL, the supermarkets have the power. In both cases the food is made to be relatively cheaper.
Talking about the quality of food, Michael pointed out a kinda scary news that there's corn in all their food in the US and it could be traced back to one big coen field in Iowa. For me, it is like every body is eating the GM soybean and wearing GM cotton every single day without awaring of that. And it's really kinda scary.
I personally agree with his opinion, just I am still wondering how to achieve a small-scale regional polyculture in this globalized world ?
http://www.michaelpollan.com/index.htm
The article written in Resource #18 (Wageningen Newsletter) by Albert Sikkema describing the content of Masterclass which was given by Michael Pollan on 10 Feb.2009 in Zeist.
I didn't even know the name "Michael Pollan" that I didn't pay attention to this article in the beginning. Until Johannes mentioned this to us, I went to my recycle paper basket and dug it out.
Micheal is a well known journalist and writer for the New York Times magazine with already five books published. Anyway, he is famous and I think he's also some kind pioneer to the world phenomena.
Michael pointed out there are three crisis of our time - the energy crisis, the obesity epidemic and climate change to which can be traced back to a wasteful and industrialized agriculture production system in the US. Cheap oil price is one. of the contributor to these crisis. Michael admires the farmer named Joel Salatin, who has developed a worked out cycle including livestock and grassland. Instead of the monoculture and large plantation implemented by most of the farms in the US, Michael called this system as " post-industrial system".
He also mentioned the power of multinationals involving in the food chain. Monsanto and Dow Chemicals in the US, for instance, while in the NL, the supermarkets have the power. In both cases the food is made to be relatively cheaper.
Talking about the quality of food, Michael pointed out a kinda scary news that there's corn in all their food in the US and it could be traced back to one big coen field in Iowa. For me, it is like every body is eating the GM soybean and wearing GM cotton every single day without awaring of that. And it's really kinda scary.
I personally agree with his opinion, just I am still wondering how to achieve a small-scale regional polyculture in this globalized world ?
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