Community-based food systems

Like Food, Does Money Need to Go Local?

The current Wall Street financial crisis has me thinking about potential parallels to food. Not long ago, the vast majority of Americans had little choice but to consume a diet dominated by industrially produced food. We were becoming the culture of Wonder Bread. But then some alternative ideas started to break through.

China Meets Lou T Fisk

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I drove out to Western Minnesota to check in on Ms. Shi Yan.

Food Waste

The Stockholm International Water Institute issued a new report (while many of us were vacationing in August) that is worth revisiting. The report covers an aspect of the global food crisis that is often missed: waste.

U.S. Sustainable Agriculture Through Chinese Eyes

“You should tell more people around the world about America’s non-mainstream agriculture and food system. Then they won’t hate you so much!” This was the blunt advice I got from Professor Wen Tiejun, as I bade him farewell at the Minneapolis airport in September 2006.

One mini-market at a time

In the U.S., a food desert has been described as a large geographic area where mainstream grocery stores are absent. Most U.S. food deserts are found in low-income communities where residents often struggle to find fresh fruits and vegetables.

Wal-Mart and Local Food Economics

Last week, Wal-Mart announced a new commitment to "go local" and source more locally-grown fruits and vegetables. Where did this come from? Is Wal-Mart's announcement a signal that the global food economy is undergoing a major shift toward local - or just opportunistic corporate marketing? Or maybe a little of both?

This volunteer experience is brought to you by Wal-Mart, Cargill, Pepsi-Cola…

IATP Senior Fellow Mark Muller is working in a volunteer program in Honduras through July. He is blogging periodically on his experiences there.

That Ungrateful Middle Class

In his January 16 column in the New York Times, Professor Steven Landsburg criticized Republican Presidential candidates for pandering to displaced workers in Michigan, counter to the free trade dogma that he supports.

Local Foods: a Global Idea

IATP has always had a strong local dimension to its work. The Institute was founded during the U.S. farm crisis of the 1980s, with a vision toward strengthening local action with an understanding of global pressures. Twenty years later, IATP's work on local food systems has taken on a new level of importance.