We’ve had predictions on this thread about eating closer to home and the earth. What pushes this change and how do we get there?
I saw this story in today's New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/22/climate/agriculture-africa-traditional-crops.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Pk0.Bb48.VXSrYXUH5l9r&smid=url-share (it's a gift link)
Apparently the US State Department has a global food security envoy and he's encouraging countries to return to the cultivation of traditional crops, with the first focus on several countries in Africa. These crops are more resilient to climate change, they're high in nutrition, and they have deep roots in the cultures of the people who grow them. This comes as a shift after the US government promoted mass-produced crops like wheat, corn, and rice.
It's good to see a step in the right direction like this.
I am sincerely glad to hear that the State Dept is promoting traditional crops but it is 25 years behind the efforts of Wangari Maathai, winner of the Nobel Prize in 2004. She started the successful Green Belt movement in Kenya whose goals included planting traditional crops for food security, reforesting Kenya and addressing the imbalance of power between men and women. The novel idea of paying women to both plant and water the trees was a critical piece. After 11 million trees were planted, Prof Maathai understood that illegal and corrupt land management needed to be addressed.
@raincloud Oh, I love that woman's face. She is like the sun with that smile. And such great work she did. Thank you for posting.