Future of Food

Every day, we have more people on planet Earth — and less topsoil, water, and land with which to grow food. Which leaves us with the question: how will we sustainably feed future generations of humans? Some researchers believe that hydroponics — a method of growing food with water, nutrients, and light, but no dirt — could be part of the solution. But does it work? Is it safe? Is it really sustainable? And does it produce food that is as nutritious as soil-grown food?

2020 was an incredibly difficult year for a lot of people. And yet, we still have many reasons for gratitude and hope. More people than ever before are interested in caring for their immune systems and optimizing their health. And Food Revolution Network has expanded our reach significantly. Here are some of our top accomplishments from 2020.

Traditional native nations in the Americas have often been portrayed as primitive societies. But the truth is that they developed extraordinarily wise and sophisticated methods of agriculture and land stewardship. In this article, Diné artist and activist, Lyla June, explores what indigenous relationships have to teach us today, so we can all learn from native wisdom and do our part to protect the world’s soil, water, forests, and climate.

Ocean sits down with Peggy Liu, chairperson of the Joint US-China Collaboration on Clean Energy, for a conversation about the global impacts of our food choices — and how what we eat impacts our health and our climate. They also look at how we can reclaim our relationship with food to make it a source of beauty and meaning in our lives.

At Food Revolution Network, our mission is healthy, ethical and sustainable food for all. As the US presidential election approaches, our President and CEO, John and Ocean Robbins, respectively, have joined together with other health and wellness leaders to take a prominent stand for policies that support our mission, and that contribute to healthy people and a healthy planet. Find out why these health leaders think this election is critical to the future of food and the health of the nation.

Beef burgers, veggie burgers, and now… lab-grown meat? You may have heard rumblings that cultured meat — made from animal stem cells — may become a mainstream consumer option soon. Is it true? And if so, is it a good thing? What is lab-grown food? And should we be preparing for it to change the food system as we know it?

In this video interview, New Jersey Senator, Cory Booker, sits down with John Robbins for a look at the powerful impact our food choices and food policies have on our health and world. Senator Booker gives his candid take on how our food system got so broken and what we can do as individuals, and as a society, to work toward an end to factory farms, food deserts, climate change, hunger, and extreme poverty. Despite the enormity of the problems we’re all faced with today, this interview will fill you with hope and empower you to take action for a healthier, more equitable, and more compassionate world.

BigAg’s influence on seeds isn’t limited to the United States; their hybrid seeds have also pushed out traditional seed varieties across Africa. But many Africans are fighting back by forming seed collectives and practicing seed saving of indigenous seeds, recognizing that the continuation of these seeds is integral to their own stories of survival.

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.