Good Food is Everybody's Business
With An Orchard Invisible, Jonathan Silvertown presents the oft-ignored seed with the natural history it deserves, one nearly as varied and surprising as the earth’s flora itself.
The Growing Revolution is the story of Jubilee Biodynamic Farm in Carnation, Washington. It explores the farm’s history, the growth of its CSA, and Erick and Wendy Haakenson’s passionate commitment to what Wendell Berry calls the agrarian mindset.
The world could function perfectly well without us, thank you, and healthy ecosystems provide a huge range of “services” that we mostly ignore. As we make more of an impact on the environment and throw delicately balanced ecosystems out of whack, we will get fewer of those free services. As an example, well-managed agroecosystems not only provide food, fiber and animal products, they also generate services such as flood mitigation, groundwater recharge, erosion control and habitats for plants, birds, fish and other animals.
We took GoodFood World on the road this week and it gave us a chance to discuss the big news of the last week: the alternative food system’s response to an article that appeared in the New York Times, Genetically Engineered Food for All, by Nina V. Fedoroff. Another salvo across the bow of agro-ecology and the organic movement, the article is just part of a propaganda blitz that has been going on for years, paid for – of course – by Big Ag and Big Food.
A little white sign tucked in between the plants offers passersby this invitation: “Need a snack? Come over and have a bite. We’re showing space-saving ideas for vegetable patches and showing that veggies can be pretty and yummy. Go ahead and munch on a tomato as you wait for the bus!”
It is illegal to “adulterate” food products. The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938 set up civil and criminal liability for those who do. So why aren’t we seeing the courts and prisons filling up with the guilty parties in the recent outbreaks of food borne illnesses?
At GoodFood World, we’ve introduced you to fishermen and farmers who are working hard to do the right thing. This documentary visits Newfoundland and Alberta to profile families trying to do the right thing too.
Everybody’s going organic! But where did this craze for organic food come from and how did it manage to win a seat at the nation’s table? What is organic food? Is it really better for you? And why are so many of us buying it?
