Future of Food

The pandemic has revealed deep flaws in our industrial food supply chain, leading many people to take an expanded interest in local farms. One of the most popular and fastest-growing models of farm-community commerce is the Community Supported Agriculture program, or CSA. In this article, you’ll find all about what CSAs are, their benefits and flaws, and how you might want to use this innovative model in your life.

Modern grains produced by the industrialized food system are highly processed, tainted with pesticides and GMOs, and often relatively devoid of nutrition. But farmers and everyday people are beginning to diversify their grain sources, rejecting modern variations in favor of local, heritage, or ancient grains. As a result, communities are reclaiming their heritage — and their health.

Categorized as essential workers, farmworkers continue to help provide the nation with food. But their lack of basic protections puts them uniquely at risk for exposure to COVID-19, threatening their livelihoods, their families, and those of us that rely on them to get food from fields to plates.

Thinking about growing your own food? Figure out what to plant and when, by using a planting calendar.

With our current food supply chain in disarray, and many people struggling to make ends meet, it’s time to bring back home gardening to take up the slack. In this article, you’ll find out the patriotic history of food gardens, and discover how to start growing food no matter where you live or how much land you have.

More and more people are interested in a whole foods, plant-based diet. Some are motivated by specific health concerns. Others by interest in disease prevention, peak performance, sustainability, or ethical concerns. And documentary films are playing a huge part in fueling this growing movement. They’re a great way to learn more, get inspired, and also to spread the word and inspire friends, coworkers, classmates, and even family! This article explains why — and shares 10 of our favorite whole foods, vegan, and plant-based food documentaries.

The Impossible Burger and its parent company, Impossible Foods, are taking the plant-based meat alternative world by storm. Their products are helping to cut down on factory-farmed meat consumption, which is good for fans of animal rights and of the planet. But is there a hidden dark side to the Impossible Burger’s environmental impact?

Funders and proponents say vertical farming is the future. But consumer demand may change the nature of what it means to "grow."

Once a self-reliant agriculture-dependent economy, Puerto Rico now imports the majority of its food (including, unfortunately, fast food). But some residents in a rural Puerto Rican community are reviving a historic botanical garden to serve as an example of and inspiration for bringing back local and sustainable farming — and for the purposes of cultural and historical preservation.

Although the U.S. food system is plagued with problems, heroic people have devoted themselves to improving the quality and accessibility of good, healthy food. Among these changemakers are a group of African American female entrepreneurs whose initiatives are inspiring examples of hope in action.

Chances are that you’ve seen the words “natural flavors” on numerous foods and beverages you picked up, regardless of their level of subjective healthiness. But what are “natural flavors” — and are they safe to eat?

Industrial animal agriculture is a total environmental disaster, polluting local ecosystems and contributing to climate change. While one obvious response is simply to stop eating animals, there’s a growing movement known as “regenerative agriculture” that claims that raising cows can be part of the solution to climate change and other environmental problems. We asked Dr Doug Gurian-Sherman, a leading agricultural scientist, to share the real science with our readers.