Food First Blog

The Food First Blog features news from the US and global food movement, and original analysis from Food First staff, fellows, board members, allies and research interns. Blog highlights are featured in our monthly e-newsletters. Click here to subscribe.

Lessons Learned: Training Caribbean Farmers’ Minds

Blog | Lucienne Cross | Apr 11, 2014

Cuba leads by example in its efforts to teach farmers to be leaders and critical thinkers Lucienne Cross was a…

Sustaining Agrobiodiversity: Conservation as Lived Experience

Blog | Devon Peña | Mar 31, 2014

The struggle over the control of seed stocks did not start with the advent of modern agriculture at mid-20th C.…

Food Chain Workers Take Action on Cesar Chavez Day

Blog | Joann Lo | Mar 30, 2014

March 31 is Cesar Chavez Day. As you probably know, Cesar Chavez was a co-founder and leader of the United…

On the Table: Chapulines, Oaxaca’s Edible Insects

Blog | Sofia Salazar-Rubio | Mar 26, 2014

Those familiar with cuisine from Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca likely think of mole, cacao and mezcal as the region’s…

Meet the TCs: Corey Blant, Oaxaca Tour Coordinator

Blog | Food Sovereignty Tours | Mar 26, 2014

As a tour participant turned Tour Coordinator, Corey Blant has a unique perspective on the lasting impact of educational travel…

“Farmed and Dangerous”: The Food Emperor’s New Clothes

Blog | Eric Holt-Giménez | Mar 3, 2014

Farmed and Dangerous, Chipotle’s latest foray into “values branding,” once again takes on the sins of industrial agriculture. Predictably, the…

Burkina Faso’s Farmer-to-Farmer Movement Helps Smallholders Cope with Climate Change

Blog | Eric Holt-Giménez | Feb 20, 2014

The half-moon ridges sculpted in the red dirt didn’t look like much. Eight feet across and barely five inches high,…

Farmer Autonomy With State Support: The Cuban Agroecological Experiment

Blog | Christina Bronsing-Lazalde | Feb 14, 2014

The son of two pioneers of the Cuban agroecology movement, Fernando Funes-Monzote has been steeped in sustainable farming his entire…

NEW SERIES—Meet the TCs: Tanya Kerssen, Bolivia Tour Coordinator

Blog | Food Sovereignty Tours | Feb 10, 2014

Tanya discusses the upcoming delegation to Bolivia, traveling in the Altiplano and the passion behind her work Food Sovereignty Tour…

La Cucina Povera: Polenta, the Humble Grain

Blog | Hayley Hedges and Sofia Salazar-Rubio | Feb 10, 2014

A versatile Italian dish that showcases the simple elegance of peasant food Before becoming a regular fixture of Italian fine…

Open Fire and Open Markets: The Asia-Pacific Pivot and Trans-Pacific Partnership

Blog | Christine Ahn | Jan 29, 2014

Thomas Friedman once said the hidden hand of the market needs the hidden fist of the military. The TPP and…

Oaxaqueño Street Food: Tlayuda (Baked Flatbread)

Blog | Sofia Salazar-Rubio | Jan 29, 2014

Photo Credit: Pamela MacNaughtan In gastronomy’s love affair with Oaxacan cuisine, mole gets all the glory.  But on the streets…