The UN and King Corn

Last week a UN-sponsored four year study on the global food crisis concluded. The resulting report calls for a departure from "business as usual" agriculture. Less reliance on GM-foods and a return to sustainable, diverse, small-scale agriculture. Could this be the beginning of something? Biotech companies pulled out of the list of contributors to the study becuase they felt their views were being ignored....brings a smile to my face.


Also last week, the documentary King Corn debuted on the PBS series "Independent Lens". It follows two recent college grads who become concerned when they learn that their generation may be the first to have a shorter life span than that of their parents. Feeling that food is the cause, they set about to grow an acre of corn to try to follow it from field to plate. They grow their corn the same way as the majority of the corn in the U.S is grown: with Genetically engineered herbicide-resistant seed that produces corn that must be processed in order to be edible. The farmer they are renting land from refers to it as the worst quality junk ever grown. Check listings online, it should be re-aired several times.

Growing Your Own Garden ...

... to change your mind. Michael Pollan at the NYTimes.