(Be sure to read Part 1 and Part 2!)

OUR SUSTAINABLE FUTURE:  The small efforts that are making a BIG difference

So if the goal in helping feed the world is to get people to the point of meeting their own needs, then I am going to focus on organizations who are thinking beyond and doing more than just giving hand outs.  As Dennis Prager pointed out, if the National Park Service warns, “Please Do Not Feed the Animals” because they may grow dependent on hand outs and not learn to take care of themselves, perhaps (with the exception of emergency relief and short-term help) we should treat humans with the same respect.  If that sounds harsh, know that even leaders in poor countries and ex-pats working within them are acknowledging this concern as well.

(On a personal note, a team of friends just returned from a humanitarian trip to Haiti and were surprised and discouraged that one of the few phrases many of the local children could speak in English was, “Give me a dollar.”  Let’s teach the next generation to say, and do, more than that.)

For a detailed critique of past and current development efforts, and some inside-out recommendations for improvement, see When Helping Hurts.  I would also highly recommended a set of podcasts that delve deep into the questions of poverty called Poverty Unlocked.   Continue reading →

(To begin with Part 1, go here first.)

WHY THE GENETICALLY MODIFIED STATUS QUO AIN’T WORKIN’

“WEIRD SCIENCE” (FYI, I cannot find all of the links online to back up Joel’s review of the scientific literature.  Intuitively, I trust him and know that in one of his many books, he cites specific back up.  As well, bad science has a way of getting buried by the big guys who could be negatively impacted by it…)

Our society has all but swallowed the mainstream science that has promoted Genetically Modified crops and chemical fertilizers as safe and much more productive than its organic, (God-designed) counterparts.  But if you look a little deeper, you’ll see the failings and biases of even the world’s best science. Continue reading →

I’m not going to even bother answering this question with a “yes” or a “no.”  Instead, I am going to explain why we have no other choice than to feed the world sustainably (via a little history lesson and a critique of the status quo.)  And finally I will share some awesome, yet little known examples of how others are already doing so.

But first let’s start with a definition for “sustainability.”   Continue reading →

One of my new, wonderful friends in Santa Barbara, Jenna, sent me an email a little over a month ago alerting me to this conference.  I was SO excited about an event where Christians were talking about food issues, because seeing that combo come together has been a passion of mine for a number of years now.  I also happen to think gluttony is the last acceptable sin in the church (at the cost of oppressing the ‘least of these’) and, as a whole, we Christians are getting schooled on creation-care by our hippy counterparts.   So it was a real encouragement to hear that the Vision Forum was tackling this mighty subject. Continue reading →

I just submitted this to a Whole Foods original recipe contest.  Here’s hoping!  (Although I can’t imagine that they would ever pick a recipe with the word “bacteria” in it… Scaredy cats.)

FERMENTED BLUEBERRY CHUTNEY

Note:  Fermented foods tend to be easy to throw together, but require time for those friendly bacteria to do their glorious work.  Fermentation preserves foods naturally while also providing healthy probiotic bacteria that aid in digestion.  Because of the benefits, traditional cultures ate fermented condiments at every meal.  So they are delicious AND nutritious – it’s a win-win!   Continue reading →