Food Tank

Launched in 2016 by the United Nations General Assembly, the Decade of Action on Nutrition aims to end all forms of malnutrition, but as it nears its conclusion, much work remains. The 2021 Tokyo Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit underscored the interlinkages between nutrition, agriculture and climate resilience. The next N4G will be in Paris on March 26-28, 2025, and it marks an important occasion to recognize the impact current food systems have on health and amplify the need for the sustainable transformation of agriculture systems.

Current food systems struggle to provide healthy diets while sustaining ecosystems. Intensive agrifood production systems rely on the excessive use of agrochemicals and monocultural production, harming the environment and failing to support healthy diets. These systems are highly vulnerable to climate change impacts, with extreme weather events, reducing crop yields, raising food prices and weakening communities’ resilience. Climate change also has an impact on the availability of key nutrients. Higher levels of CO2 can reduce the iron, zinc and protein content of staple foods by 3 to 17 percent—which can result in an additional 175 million zinc-deficient people and 122 million protein-deficient by 2050.

And the situation is worse for communities already living in vulnerable situations. The food system produces a disturbing contradiction: on one hand, at least 733 million people are undernourished and 2.3 billion experience some level of food insecurity and 2.8 billion cannot afford a healthy diet. On the other hand, nearly 1 billion meals are wasted every day. Moreover, because of unhealthy diets and other factors, 881 million adults are living with obesity and there are rising rates of diet-related non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Some habits such as eating ultra-processed foods and beverages (UPFs) or long-distance transport of vegetables, are common but have big consequences. For example long-distance transport, temperature and number of storage days can lead to a loss of vitamins and minerals, and high consumption of ultra-processed foods is linked to increased cardiovascular diseases as well as greenhouse gas emissions.

But eating seasonal, mainly plant-based foods ensures variety in our diets, ensures better flavor and offers a diversity of vitamins and minerals in harmony with the natural cycle, without wasting energy and resources. It is clear that human health is inextricably linked to the health of other ecosystem components such as soil, plants and animals. If ecosystems are threatened by climate change, soil degradation and biodiversity loss, our health and nutrition will inevitably suffer from the consequences.

Eating enough nutritious, safe and diverse foods every day helps children to grow and adults to stay healthy. Moreover, nutrition is closely linked to culture, tradition and, in many cases, ancestral knowledge. The current industrial food model, based on the overproduction of a few foods, resource exploitation, and biodiversity destruction, is leading to the loss of much culinary knowledge. According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), there are some 20,000 edible plants of which 6,000 have historically been used as food—but today, only 200 contribute to food production and just 9 account for two thirds of global food consumption.

There is good news. Agroecology can be the solution to our nutrition and environmental crises.

Agroecological principles, such as reducing chemical inputs, promoting biodiversity, and ensuring fairness and participation, are key drivers of better nutrition. A literature review finds that 78 percent of studies provided evidence of positive outcomes from the use of agroecological practices on food security and nutrition of households in low and middle-income countries. The Intergovernmental Panel Climate Change highlights robust evidence that agroecological practices can strengthen food system resilience to climate impacts. According to evidence gathered from the project True Cost of Food in Switzerland, 70 percent of the hidden costs of food are related to health. Hidden costs of food include environmental, social and health externalities including air or soil pollution, unpaid work, or diseases. Preliminary research estimates that the world’s food systems cost account around three times the market value of food, with health externalities weighing the heaviest. For instance, the study in Switzerland discovered that the true cost of bread could be much lower if it was made with organic, whole grain wheat rather than refined grain.

Community-based agroecological practices can enhance food system resilience, improve nutrition, raise farmers’ incomes, and protect the environment. But governance, economic, and cultural barriers keep them from being implemented. The Nutrition for Growth Summit is an opportunity to remind policymakers that agroecology is no longer just an option—it’s a necessity.

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Photo courtesy of Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT

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Traditional or Indigenous foods—often defined by locally grown ingredients, unique preparations, and centuries-old customs—“hold a special place in the cultural fabric of societies across the globe,” the Journal of Foods describes. But the climate crisis is altering the ecological conditions that define food flavor, threatening familiar tastes and culinary traditions.

Flavor is shaped by the interplay of chemical, multisensory, and aromatic elements, with nerve cells in the mouth reacting to food’s chemical compounds. Combined with sensations like texture, temperature, and smell, this reaction forms the experience of flavor.

Ecological factors such as temperature, soil, rainfall, sun, and pests shape the chemical compounds in food, explains Our Changing Menu. A book structured like a menu, Our Changing Menu explores how climate change affects each course of a meal.

And, as the climate changes, so do ecological conditions, Michael Hoffman, Professor Emeritus at Cornell University and Our Changing Menu author, tells Food Tank.

High temperatures, for example, increase sugar levels in tomatoes, making them sweeter, according to Hoffman. Conversely, warmer conditions increase lactones in lettuce, making it more bitter, Aurora Díaz of the Aragón Agri-Food Institute explains. And, Daniel Jackson of the University of Georgia describes, drying soils make onions more pungent and sulfuric.

Berry flavor depends on sugar, acid, and aromatic compounds, Marvin Pritts, Professor at Cornell University, tells Food Tank. “If any one of these is out of balance, then the fruit won’t taste as good.” Highly weather-sensitive, sugar levels dilute in rain and intensify in sunlight, Pritts explains.

Animal products like cheese are also climate sensitive. In 2012, extreme drought and heat in Wisconsin caused major crop losses, reports the Wisconsin Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Health, significantly altering local cheese flavor, Kathryn Teigen De Master, Associate Professor at UC Berkeley, tells Food Tank.

With limited access to fresh grass to feed their cows, De Master says dairy farmers turned to hay. The change in diet altered the milk’s composition, directly affecting the cheese’s flavor profile and stripping it of the distinctive “taste of place” that defines Wisconsin’s artisanal varieties—an expression, local cheesemakers describe, of the Driftless region’s unique environment and multi-generational local cheesemaking knowledge.

As the climate and food flavors change, “we are potentially not only facing catastrophic destruction in terms of physical infrastructure, but also cultural infrastructure,” says Jonathon Keats, artist, writer, and experimental philosopher.

Yunnan wild honey’s unique taste, for example, is shaped by nectar from wild mountain flora. The Ark of Taste, a Slow Food Foundation catalog of endangered heritage foods, reports that rising temperatures and erratic rainfall are reducing nectar diversity, altering honey aroma and complexity. These changes diminish flavor thereby endangering the centuries-old harvesting traditions practiced by the Yi people in the region.

Intensifying heat similarly is threatening Korean cabbage aroma and flavor compounds, and may eventually destroy the crop, according to the National Institute of Crop Science. Cabbage is the primary ingredient in kimchi, which the Journal of Ethnic Foods describes as “the identity and pride of Korean people” and  “is something we cannot not have on the table,” 71 year old Korean cabbage farmer Kim Si-gap says. “What are we going to do if this happens?”

Olla podrida, a traditional Spanish stew, dates back to 1570, when it appeared in one of the ‘most important court cookbooks of the early modern period,’ according to The Gastronomical Arts in Spain. Spanish red beans, a key ingredient of olla podrida, may no longer sustainably grow in Spain within the next 50 years, Keats says.

And Audubon Vermont explains that maple sugaring, vital to Indigenous communities for millennia, is threatened as rising temperatures degrade soil and shrink maple trees’ range. As a result, De Master notes, maple syrup may become scarcer and of lower quality.

As the climate threatens local crops and practices, innovative solutions are helping preserve familiar flavors and culinary heritage. Pritts, for example, is experimenting with growing berries under plastic tunnels to safeguard their flavors from erratic weather.

Polish cheese producers are redefining food traditions to adapt to climate shifts, De Master tells Food Tank. Oscypek, a smoky cheese originating in the Polish mountains, is traditionally made from sheep’s milk. To meet increasing demand in a changing climate while preserving the cheese’s cultural significance, producers now make oscypek with heritage Polish red cow milk and sheep’s milk, De Master explains.

Tasting Tomorrow, a University of Arizona-led project co-created by Keats, aims to preserve culinary heritage by inviting users to share traditional foods made with local ingredients, including preparation and flavor descriptions. Others can explore these entries to assess whether they can grow and adapt the ingredients for their own traditional recipes.

According to Tasting Tomorrow, by sharing past knowledge and learning from others, we may one day find the “wherewithal to flourish.”

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Stella de Smit, Unsplash

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This spring, dig into the complexities of the modern food system—and don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty! In Carbon: The Book of Life and White Light, Paul Hawken and Jack Lohmann draw our attention to the miniscule and the elements that are essential to our world. In How the World Eats and How to Feed The World, Julian Baggini and Vaclav Smil invite readers to zoom out and piece together larger puzzles of hunger and climate change. In their recent cookbooks, chefs including Robert Oliver and Nina Compton capture rich cultural histories while remaining on the cutting edge of culinary trends. From stories of immigration, legal battles against corporate exploitation, and urban gardening after Hurricane Katrina, there are so many issues to dive into to learn about the way we grow and eat on planet Earth. These books will help satisfy your appetite for knowledge and inspire you to work toward a more just and sustainable food system.

1. Banana Capital: Stories, Science, and Poison at the Equator by Ben Brisbois

The city of Machala, Ecuador describes itself as the “banana capital of the world.” Ben Brisbois reveals the less-palatable side of the banana industry, from devastating health impacts of pesticides to imperialism and ecological destruction. Banana Capital draws attention to the global exploitation of agro-economies in Latin America, and to what we can do to stop it.

2. Carbon: The Book of Life by Paul Hawken

New York Times bestselling author and the Founder of Project Drawdown Paul Hawken examines the world through one of the primary building blocks of life: carbon. His latest book takes a deep dive into the realms of plants, animals, insects, fungi, food, and farms to demonstrate how intertwined carbon is with the human experience. And Hawken reveals what possibilities the element may open up in the future.

3. Dodge County, Incorporated: Big Ag and the Undoing of Rural America by Sonja Trom Eayrs

Attorney and “farmer’s daughter” Eayrs chronicles the long history of havoc wreaked by corporate farms on rural communities. Following a first-hand account of her parents’ legal battle to keep a corporate farm out of Dodge County, Minnesota, she documents how Big Ag came to control today’s food system—and why we need to fight it.

4. Eat Pacific: The Pacific Island Food Revolution Cookbook by Robert Oliver

Based on the TV show Pacific Island Food Revolution, host and award-winning chef Robert Oliver shares 139 delicious recipes from across the Pacific. More than just recipes, this cookbook contains a powerful message about the importance of local food cultures to human health and sustainability.

5. Gardens of Hope: Cultivating Food and the Future in a Post-Disaster City by Yuki Kato (Forthcoming May 2025)

Drawing from conversations with New Orleans residents, Yuki Kato examines the surge of urban gardening in the city during the decade after Hurricane Katrina. She documents the efforts of individuals and communities who can imagine alternative futures—food secure futures, climate-resilient futures—and why grit is not always enough.

6. Gluten Free for Life: Celiac Disease, Medical Recognition, and the Food Industry by Emily K. Abel

Approximately one in 100 Americans are affected by Celiac disease, an autoimmune condition that requires lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet. Abel highlights Celiac in a way few have before, highlighting the historical, socioeconomic, and cultural challenges of the disease and the gluten-free industry. She frames Celiac as an often-invisible disability, and disability itself as a social and political issue that cannot be addressed through science alone.

7. How the World Eats: A Global Food Philosophy by Julian Baggini

Philosopher and best-selling author Julian Baggini of How the World Eats tackles another big question facing humankind: how do we eat? And how should we eat? Baggini explores the ethics of various food systems and technologies, past and present, and ultimately calls for a global philosophy of food.

8. How to Feed the World: The History and Future of Food by Vaclav Smil

In an increasingly complicated global food system, Vaclav Smil offers a data-driven, scientific approach to understanding the massive issues facing food and agriculture today. He explores questions of growing populations, inequitable distribution, and environmental harm, suggesting ways to bring us closer to feeding the planet without destroying it.

9. In the Global Vanguard: Agrarian Development and the Making of Modern Taiwan by James Lin

James Lin details the late-20th-century transformation of Taiwan from an agricultural colony into a global economic power. In particular, he describes how the Taiwanese government exported agricultural technology and expertise across Africa and Southeast Asia. Lin argues that these development missions were used to bolster Taiwan’s position as a powerful and technologically-modern nation during its years of martial law.

10. Kwéyòl / Creole: Recipes, Stories, and Tings from a St. Lucian Chef’s Journey: A Cookbook by Nina Compton (Forthcoming April 2025)

In a celebration of Afro-Caribbean cuisine, award-winning chef Nina Compton shares 100 flavorful recipes based in her trans-continental and intercultural heritage. Interspersed with photographs and narrative, Compton brings cultural history to the cutting edge with delicious and relevant recipes.

11. México Between Feast and Famine: Food, Corporate Power, and Inequality by Enrique C. Ochoa (Forthcoming April 2025)

Mexico is known for its culinary richness, but inequality and globalization are impacting its food and agriculture systems. Enrique Ochoa brings such contradictions to light by analyzing the historical roots of Mexico’s food system, including some of its biggest food production companies and public health issues. Still, Ochoa offers hope for a future that prioritizes justice and well-being for Mexicans.

12. On Gold Hill: A Personal History of Wheat, Farming, and Family, from Punjab to California by Jaclyn Moyer

An enmeshment of personal and societal histories, Jaclyn Moyer tells her story as an organic farmer against a backdrop of capitalism and colonialism. She grows Sonora wheat, a nearly-forgotten heirloom variety with roots traceable to Punjab—the Indian state from which Moyer’s parents immigrated. On Gold Hill is a story of reclamation, resilience, and the complex diasporic experience as it relates to the planet and its people.

13. Regenerative Farming and Sustainable Diets: Human, Animal and Planetary Health edited by Joyce D’Silva and Carol McKenna

An argument for urgent, radical change in farming practices, this book makes clear the importance of regenerative farming to people, animals, and the Earth. It discusses a broad range of issues related to current farming practices—climate change, animal mistreatment, predatory markets—and offers transformative solutions for policymakers and practitioners.

14. Setting a Place for Us: Recipes and Stories of Displacement, Resilience, and Community from Eight Countries Impacted by War by Hawa Hassan

Somali refugee and James Beard Award-winning author Hawa Hassan highlights the culinary resilience and ingenuity of eight countries who have faced, or are facing, major geopolitical conflict. With recipes contextualized by informative essays on culture and history, Hassan challenges genre as well as the oft-reductive dominant narrative surrounding humans in conflict.

15. Silvohorticulture: A Grower’s Guide to Integrating Trees into Crops by Ben Raskin and Andy Dibben

Agroforestry can provide a range of benefits to a farm or garden, including improved soil, pest and nutrient management, biodiversity, and optimized yields. Raskin and Dibben lend decades of experience and the latest scientific research to this practical guide to successfully incorporating forestry into your growing space.

16. Sweet and Deadly: How Coca-Cola Spreads Disinformation and Makes Us Sick by Murray Carpenter

Sugar-sweetened beverages are one of the greatest contributors to diet related illnesses including obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. In Sweet and Deadly, Carpenter looks at the Coca-Cola corporation’s efforts to hide the health risks of these products from eaters, drawing comparisons to strategies used to promote products from tobacco to opioids and highlighting the consequences this has had on public health.

17. The Apple: A Delicious History by Sally Coulthard

Apples have been documented for over 10,000 years, with more than 7,500 varieties in the world today—yet, only a few species are available in modern supermarkets. Speckled with recipes and stories, Sally Coulthard’s book traces the history of the apple in culture, cuisine, agriculture, mythology, and religion.

18. The Fishwife Cookbook: Delightful Tinned Fish Recipes for Every Occasion by Becca Millstein and Vilda Gonzalez

Tinned fish is undeniably having its moment, as an affordable indulgence in this time of soaring grocery prices. The Fishwife Cookbook, from the Fishwife tinned seafood company, compiles 80 simple-yet-flavorful recipes to up your fish game from trout tacos to mackerel udon and more.

19. The Kidney and the Cane: Planetary Health and Plantation Labor in Nicaragua by Alex M. Nading (Forthcoming May 2025)

With immense growth in Nicaragua’s sugarcane industry came immense sickness: high temperatures, water scarcity, and overuse of agrochemicals has led to death and disease of thousands of plantation workers. With an understanding of chronic kidney disease as a consequence of climate change, Alex M. Nading shines necessary light on the relationships between people and profit, climate and illness, and labor in the face of climate change.

20. The Quinoa Bust: The Making and Unmaking of an Andean Miracle Crop by Emma McDonell

Hailed as a sustainable development miracle by some, quinoa quickly made its way into the global pantry in recent decades—but not without unintended consequences. The Quinoa Bust explores the work that went into popularizing the ancient Andean grain and the new disasters that came with its popularity. As other “forgotten” or ancient foods are suggested as development opportunities, McDonell advises caution.

21. White Light: The Elemental Role of Phosphorous—in Our Cells, in Our Food, and in Our World by Jack Lohmann

Phosphorus, particularly in the form of phosphate, plays an enormous role in agriculture as fertilizer. In this interdisciplinary exploration of the element, Jack Lohmann guides the reader through the history of the phosphorous fertilizer industry and its externalities. From mining to mummies, White Light details the human relationship with phosphorus and what that might mean for a sustainable farming future.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

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Joan Dye Gussow, a nutrition leader, environmentalist, and avid gardener, died on Friday in her home in Piermont, New York. She was 96.

Gussow was widely hailed as what the New York Times called the “matriarch of the eat-locally-think-globally food movement.” She was a trailblazer in nutrition education and a staunch critic of the industrialized food system, one of the first to emphasize the link between health and methods of food production.

Nutritionist and food policy expert Marion Nestle says that Gussow was “enormously ahead of her time,” adding, “Every time I thought I was on to something and breaking new ground and seeing something no one had seen before, I’d find out that Joan had written about it 10 years earlier.”

Gussow’s work, including her seminal 1978 manifesto ‘The Feeding Web: Issues in Nutritional Ecology’ influenced prominent food thinkers like Michael Pollan, author of ‘In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto’ and ‘The Omnivore’s Dilemma.’ “She has been a powerful influence on the food movement,” Pollan told the New York Times, “We all know nutrients are important, but Joan says, ‘Eat food.’ That’s the kernel of ‘In Defense of Food.’”

Later in life, Gussow resisted labeling herself as a nutritionist. She said so in her 2009 address to Columbia University’s Teachers College, where she served as chair of the Nutrition Education Program and taught for over half a decade.

“What people feel is not nutrients. It’s eggplants and peaches,” Gussow said. It was part and parcel of her whole-systems approach to health and food systems, one that valued connection to the origin of food. In her 1985 contribution to ‘Farm Aid, a Song for America,’ Gussow wrote of a vision for “a different [food] system, one where vibrant local economies are based on thriving family farms, small-scale business enterprises, and markets featuring fresh local food year-round.”

Gussow was born in Alhambra, California in 1928. After graduating from Pomona College in 1950, she moved to New York City and worked as a researcher for Time Magazine. She received her doctorate in nutrition from Columbia University in 1969, and began growing her own backyard produce around the same time.

In 1995, Gussow moved to Piermont with her husband, artist Alan Gussow. There she established another backyard garden to meet their fruit and vegetable needs. “The only thing I ever have to buy is onions,” Gussow told ValleyTable in 2016.

Alan Gussow died in 1997. Joan Gussow is survived by two sons and a grandson.

Gussow will also be remembered as someone who was unafraid to speak her mind. Food Tank President Danielle Nierenberg says, “I enjoyed receiving emails from Joan over the years. She would point out my mistakes in the kindest way possible. I will always be grateful for her wisdom.”

In a 2011 interview with Civil Eats, Gussow said of her legacy: “I would like to be remembered as having tried to tell the truth.”

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Rockland/Westchester Journal News

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A version of this piece was featured in Food Tank’s newsletter, released weekly on Thursdays. To make sure it lands straight in your inbox and to be among the first to receive it, subscribe now by clicking here.

For decades—certainly for most of my career—discussions about food and agriculture systems have been pushed to the sidelines. Many of us have had to fight, over and over and over again, to get folks in power to take food and agriculture seriously.

But that’s changing now. Political leaders are recognizing that food is central to climate solutions. Cultural leaders are using food as a bridge to vital discussions of access and justice. Business leaders are seeing ways that sustainable food systems make simple economic sense.

This is why I’m so excited to be returning to SXSW in just one week for our annual “All Things Food” Summit. As a good food movement, we need to continue to meet conversations where they’re happening and remind people that, when we talk about culture and media, we’re talking about food. When we talk about health and well-being, we’re talking about food. When we talk about bipartisan policymaking and national security, we’re talking about food. When we talk about society, we’re talking about food.

During our two-day event—which is official SXSW programming—we’ll feature fireside chats, expert panels, interactive chef-curated tastings, music performances, and film screenings, hosted at the gorgeous Barr Mansion in Austin, Texas.

The event, on March 13 and 14, is completely free to attend, and no SXSW festival badge is required. And if you can’t make it to SXSW, you can join us virtually as well!

Register for both virtual or in-person participation by CLICKING HERE.

At SXSW, Food Tank and our amazing partners are bringing together nearly 100 top experts, farmers, chefs, private sector leaders, activists, industry pioneers, policymakers, and creative folks to explore pressing issues in food and agriculture. We’ll discuss everything from food waste solutions to regenerative agriculture; nutrition security to sustainability in food systems; food as medicine to the future of food innovation.

Here’s the lineup of the inspiring speakers who will be joining us: Sam Acho, ESPN Sports Analyst and NFL Veteran; Selena Ahmed, Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI), American Heart Association; Karin Ascot, Holocia; Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, Feeding America; Peter Barrett, Writer; Cecile Beliot, Bel Group; Gary Blackwood, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (ret.); Jayson Berryhill, Wholechain; Jay Bhatt, The Deloitte Center for Health Solutions; Joseph Brinkley, Bonterra Organic Estates; Pat Brown, Impossible Foods; Sweta Chakraborty, We Don’t Have Time; Joi Chevalier, Austin Travis County Food Policy Board, The Cook’s Nook; Chaz Daughtry, Sweetwater Farms, Soulfitgrill Seasonings; Maj. Emily Diemer, US Army Medical Center of Excellence; Sara Faivre, Farmer Mac; Rachel Ferencik, CDC Foundation; Larry Franklin, Black Lives Veggies; Brendan Gemmel, Austin Animal Center; Ivan Giraud, Bel Brands; Emmanuel (Emmy) Gonzalez, Vallarta Supermarkets; Nira Goren, Google; Jessica Gudmundson, National Farm to School Network; Dana Gunders, ReFED; Patrick Van Haren, Microbial Earth Farms, Holocia; Chef Olivia Hernandez, HER Hospitality; Mark Hyman, Function Health; Chef Jay Huang, Lucky Robot and Nomade; Michelle Hughes, National Young Farmers Coalition; Antony Jackson, We Can Now; Jyoti Jankowski, Conscious Planet; Jenna Jasso, Festival Beach Food Forest; Steven Jennings, Ahold Delhaize USA; Stefanie Katzman, Katzman; Annalyn Lavey, Genus Land; June Jo Lee, food ethnographer; Caitlin Leibert, Whole Foods Market; Brandon Lombardi, Sprouts Farmers Market; Chef Adrian Lipscombe, 40 Acres Project; Brita Lundberg, Lundberg Family Farms; Gerardo Martinez, Wild Kid Acres, Global Alliance of Latinos in Agriculture; Amanda Masino, Huston-Tillotson University; Jay McEntire, Arva; John “Wesley” McWhorter, The University of Texas School of Public Health; Dariush Mozaffarian, Food is Medicine Institute; Joe O’Connor, Applegate; Linda Novick O’Keefe, Common Threads; Giovanni Quaratesi, Certified Origin; Raj Patel, academic, journalist, activist; U.S. Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (ME-1); Karuna Rawal, Nature’s Fynd; Garland S. Reiter Jr., Driscoll’s of the Americas; Stephen Ritz, Green Bronx Machine; PJ Rivera, Deloitte; Ashley Rouse, The Edible Schoolyard Project; Samantha Sackin, Organic Valley; Kelsey Scott, Intertribal Agriculture Council,; Naba Sengupta, Deloitte; Sabrina Servais, Organic Valley; U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions (TX-17); Cathy Strange, Whole Foods Market; Roy Steiner, Rockefeller Foundation; Rick Simington, Organic Valley; Josh Tickell, Common Ground Film; Josh Tranel, Tranel Family Farm; Jeff Travillion, Travis County Commissioner; Alyssa Vescio, Whole Foods Market; Melva K. Wallace, Huston-Tillotson University; Karen Washington, Rise & Root Farm; Lyndsey Waugh, Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation; Chef Iliana De La Vega, El Naranjo; Dusan Vujovic, Tony’s Chocolonely; Chef Dave White, Bravo’s Below Deck, “Chopped”; Paul Willis, Niman Ranch; Luke Zahm, Driftless Cafe; and more.

Again, HERE is the link to sign up for in-person or virtual tickets. And if you’re a Food Tank member, you’ll have access to an exclusive members-only space at the event with additional celebrity chef-curated dishes! (If you’re not a Food Tank member, be sure to join now!)

Questions? Email Kenzie at Kenzie@FoodTank.com. And media pass and VIP ticket requests can be sent to Annie at Annie@FoodTank.com.

I want to give a huge shoutout to our event partners Huston-Tillotson University, Deloitte, Organic Valley, and Driscoll’s, with special thanks also to Arva, the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, and Tangled Bank.

And thanks to the following brands for making this Summit so inspiring—and delicious: Ahold Delaize USA, Applegate, Arva, Atlantic Sea Farms, Aquanaria, Bel, Best Day Brewery, Better Sour, Blk & Bold, Bonterra Organic Estates, Brass Roots, Burlap & Barrel, ButcherBox, Certified Origins, Daily Crunch Snacks, Daily Harvest, Deloitte, Dr. Bronner’s, Driscoll’s, Fairhaven Orchards, Farmer’s Fridge, Floofy’s Fluff, Grace Family Farms Tea Lounge, Guayakí, Hasta la Luna, La Belle Patrimone, La Colombe, Little Sesame, Maker’s Mark, Meati, The Mendrin Group, MyMochi, Nature’s Fynd, Nature’s Path, Niman Ranch, Oddbird, Organic Valley, Parlor Coffee, Quinn, Riverence, Saffron Road, Seremoni, SHAKE SHACK, SIMPLi, Spirit Almonds, Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, Strong Roots, Swig Cheese Haus, Tangled Bank, Tindle, Tony’s Chocolonely, Traditional Medicinals, Vista Brewing, and Yolele.

Whether it’s the United Nations Climate Change Conference, Sundance, Capitol Hill, or SXSW, we have to keep pushing food to the forefront wherever big conversations are taking place. I’m so excited to be able to bring these conversations back to SXSW this year—and to expand our footprint at the event to this amazing two-day Summit.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of MJ Tangon, Upslash 

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The Dairy Business Innovation (DBI) Initiatives, Congressionally-allocated funds that support dairy businesses under the 2018 Farm Bill, are frozen under new government rules. Two Ohio grant recipients affected by the freeze share their concerns with Food Tank about job loss, interrupted growth, debt, and weakened local economies. 

DBI grants are housed by four regional hubs, which distribute funds to over 400 dairy businesses nationwide. In the Midwest, this hub is called the Dairy Business Innovation Alliance (DBIA), administered by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) and the Center for Dairy Research in the Midwest. At the time of the funding freeze, the DBIA had 88 DBI awards in process including over US$6.5 million in outstanding promised reimbursements, according to the WCMA. Nationwide, dairy businesses have lost access to an estimated US$28.6 million in promised funds.

Alissa Vieira owns and runs Swanky Scoops, a small ice creamery in Toledo, OH. She had hoped to use her DBI award of about US$75,000 to purchase a new batch freezer, add and advertise a retail component, and hire and train new employees. While she was able to purchase some equipment, she says plans for retail may need to be pushed back due to the freeze.

“When I got the email, it was really shocking that this was now going to be affecting me, personally, and my business,” Vieira tells Food Tank. “You put all of these plans in place to grow your business and forecast and think about what the future holds. And then when you’re not able to grow the way you were expecting to, it’s just really disheartening.”

Sara Bornick, CEO of streetpops in Cincinnati, is in a different position: she had already spent most of her US$100,000 grant and is now unsure whether she will be receiving the promised reimbursement.

“We operated in good faith, trusting that the funds promised to us would be available as outlined,” Bornick wrote in a letter to the DBIA. “Now, with US$65,000 already spent out of pocket and no reimbursement, we’re left with outstanding financial obligations and no clarity on when or if the remaining US$35,000 will come through.”

Both Vieira and Bornick had hoped to use the grant money to strengthen local economies. “A key part of our plan was to source dairy directly from Ohio dairy farmers, strengthening the local supply chain while ensuring the highest quality ingredients for our pops,” says Bornick. “By doing so, we aimed to support regional agriculture, create economic opportunities for farmers, and provide consumers with delicious, farm-fresh frozen treats.”

“I really try to spend my money in ways that keep it as close to home as possible. I see a lot of other small businesses in Toledo do the same,” Vieira echoes. “Losing this grant funding is going to have a trickle-down effect on the money that I would be spending on my vendors that are here in this area. They’re losing my sales, potentially, in the future as well.”

Job creation is another key concern for both business owners. The WCMA reports that nearly 90 percent of DBIA funds have been awarded to businesses employing fewer than 50 people. Swanky Scoops, Vieira’s ice creamery, has only two year-round employees, expanding to about five employees in the summer months.

“It affects our ability to add more staff members,” Vieira explains. “One of the things I wrote about in my grant application was about looking forward to the opportunity to create jobs, and that would be impacted for sure.” Bornick also says streetpops’ ability to sustain jobs is at risk. 

Swanky Scoops’ marketing director Lindsay Williams emphasizes the scale of the impact. “It’s my livelihood. But it’s 88 farmers in the Midwest, to the tune of US$6.5 million dollars, 400-plus across the country,” Williams tells Food Tank. “And you think about that ripple effect. If we can’t buy that new piece of machinery, that’s a salesperson that doesn’t get their cut, that’s a delivery driver that doesn’t get to drive the machine over. It’s bigger. It’s way bigger.”

After hearing about the freeze, Vieira and Bornick both took action. Swanky Scoops created a petition for their customers and invited community members to a letter-writing event. Bornick wrote a letter to the DBIA urging them to release the funds. The WCMA also created a petition and wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. 

“The funds provided through DBIs empower dairy farmers and processors to grow their capacity, explore new innovations, and become more resilient,” said Rebekah Sweeney, WCMA Senior Director of Programs & Policy. “These programs are much more than money—they strengthen the fabric of America’s dairy industry.”

The business owners hope to spread the word and connect with other affected grant recipients. “I hope that other businesses that are being affected will also make it public knowledge,” Vieira says. “So that we all know we’re not alone in this.”

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The post The Ripple Effects of Federal Grant Freezes: Small Business Owners Share Their Stories appeared first on Food Tank.

These first few weeks of the second Trump administration have been marked by an onslaught of executive orders targeting the federal workforce, global development assistance, queer and trans rights, scientific research and policies holding up and recognizing the contributions of diverse communities to American history and culture. Many of these have already been the subject of lawsuits and injunctions, though it’s not clear if the administration will back down or rush into a full-fledged constitutional crisis. It’s easy to feel spun by it all, and perhaps that is the larger point.

Folks who care about and support the food and farming sector, whether farmers, others who work in the industry, or advocates for social and environmental justice might be most outraged by the cancellation of legally binding funding for farming conservation programs, or the food that was destined to become international aid, but is currently rotting in warehouses because of cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

But we also need to focus our resistance on support for some Trump’s most consistent and troubling targets—the roughly 14 million undocumented workers on whose labor we all depend. There is a clear line from his initial declaration of candidacy in 2015, when he rode down an escalator to warn us that Mexican immigrants were rapists brining drugs and crime to the recent transfer of shackled undocumented individuals to the Guantanamo Bay Prison made infamous by the photographic evidence of tortured detainees during the war on terror.

Last week, undocumented students and their allies at my university, University of California Santa Cruz, staged a one-day walk-out demanding material support from the university, including access to on-campus housing, increased food resources and other basic needs, and equitable access to campus work opportunities. Among the calls for “education not deportation” and pledges of non-cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was a sign with two traced hands that read “Don’t bite the hands that feed you.” This could be taken as a metaphor for all of the various ways that we depend on undocumented workers, or it could be literal.

According to the Center for American Progress, just under 1.7 million of these workers are employed in the food sector—cultivating our produce, manufacturing our processed foods, slaughtering our meat and bussing our tables. After the inauguration, there were speculative reports that many of these workers would not show up out of fear of ICE raids and deportation, bringing the food industry to its knees. While these reports were exaggerated, they underscore the degree to which our food system, from farms to processing to grocery and restaurant work, depend on undocumented workers. Agriculture is particularly notorious for the egregiously cruel treatment of these workers, including low pay, lack of basic health protections, rampant sexual assault and, in at least one instance, literal imprisonment in a labor camp surrounded by barbed wire. The threat of deportation looms over worker efforts to organize, though the remarkable struggles of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers demonstrate enormous courage and skill amidst these horrors.

It should not take much to convince those of us who work to create more sustainable and just food systems that the humane treatment of food workers, including a pathway to citizenship, is an essential part of our struggle. But in the 20 years I’ve been studying and advocating for a racial justice perspective on food systems, workers’ rights have too-often been treated as tangential. Many of us come to the food movement out of health and environmental concerns. And, of course, those are important reasons to support the creation of local and organic food systems.

Increasingly, the food movement has also come to embrace and sometimes even center issues of racial justice. We have evolved from a movement that finds its power in individual consumption and voting with your fork to one that understands the link between food apartheid and diet-related health disparities. We’ve learned why Black farmers call the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) the “last plantation” and have advocated for increased support for Black, Indigenous, Latinx and Asian farmers. But even as food justice becomes a more prominent theme within food movement advocacy, support for workers remains at the margins. Perhaps this is because so much of the movement has focused on supporting farmers and helping to address their financial needs. Increasing labor costs and benefits are in tension with these needs, even among the most sustainable, ethical and diverse farm owners.

In their new book, Will Work for Food: Labor Across the Food System, Laura-Anne Minkoff Zern and Teresa Mares explore working conditions in seven sectors of front-line food labor, ranging from production agriculture to waste removal. They describe massive exploitation, with women, BIPOC and undocumented workers facing the most violent conditions. But they also celebrate the victories and potential for cross-sector organizing—organizing that targets those firms that make the most money in the food system rather than only immediate employers. Most food activists know that the lion’s share of money spent on food goes not to the producer, but to the corporate-owned processors, grocery stores and restaurants. The efforts of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers are illustrative here, in that they won concessions from those who sell the food as well as those who grow it. Minkoff-Zern and Mares put forward a vision of food labor organizing that could garner increased support from small and mid-sized sustainable farmers, and those who love them. By targeting the increasingly consolidated corporate actors that food activists have long opposed, they offer new opportunities for alliances. And indeed, this is an essential moment to resist consolidated corporate power as it flexes its growing political muscle.

What first drew me to food activism more than 20 years ago was how expansive its worldview was, how its vision of working with ecological wisdom could color so many aspects of our lives, from the ways we worked to the ways we gathered and built community. Today, the values of social and environmental justice that animate this vision are under attack from so many directions. As we stand up against cuts to food and agriculture businesses and research, it’s important that we also center the lives and livelihoods of workers who are essential to our sustenance, and remember not to bit the hands that feed us.

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Photo courtesy of Tim Mossholder, Unsplash

The post Op-Ed | Don’t Bite the Hand that Feeds You: Why the Food Movement Should Fight for Undocumented Communities appeared first on Food Tank.

Over six decades, intensive agricultural practices in India have reduced natural capital, including the stock of all-natural assets (land, air, water and biodiversity), from which ecosystem services flow. Ecosystem services are the benefits provided by nature and managed by farmers on their farmland. For example, soil and vegetation on farms remove carbon from the atmosphere, regulate hydrological flows, and shelter pollinators who pollinate crops. Farm margins give refuge to several beneficial insects that, in turn, provide biological control of insect pests and diseases, nutrient cycling by soil micro and macrofauna, and social benefits supporting culture and heritage. These are the benefits nature provides to support agriculture and the broader economy. Some of these, such as food, fiber, and energy, are marketed, and the market compensates farmers. However, other ecosystem services remain out of the market as there are no buyers. Just as we do not pay nature to provide these ecosystem services, we do not compensate farmers for managing them. Farmers manage these subsidies of “nature” on their farmland, free for the public.

Natural capital and ecosystem services also contribute trillions of dollars to the economy. But intensive agricultural practices prevalent since the Green Revolution began in the 1960s in India suppressed many ecosystem services and threatens India’s food, ecological, and nutritional security. Soil organic carbon in arable land in India has been reduced from 2.4 percent in 1947 to 0.4 percent, well below the 1.5 percent threshold needed for food security. Mineral density in rice and wheat has declined, while toxic elements have increased over this period, compromising nutritional security.

Industrial agri-food systems in India also cost US$1,338 billion annually in hidden damages to health, society, and the environment. The current fertilizer industry, subsidized at US$20 billion, causes 25 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, and intensive practices continue to promote their injudicious use. Because of the loss of soil health, fertilizer response has reduced drastically. Two-thirds of the fertilizers applied on the farm are not available for the plants due to loss of organic matter. Under the current intensive agriculture regime, India risks food shortages driven by rising demand, climate impacts, soil degradation, loss of natural capital and ecosystem services and declining fertilizer efficacy.

Regenerative farming, however, can reduce the decline of natural capital on farmland, enhances many ecosystem services, climate resiliency, and improves productivity and profitability. Natural capital and ecosystem services constitute farms’ ecological wealth. Global research indicates that these ecosystem services provide greater value for sustainable farming than intensive agriculture. Intensive agriculture has replaced some ecosystem services over the years. For example, the replacement of soil nutrient cycling with synthetic fertilizers and the replacement of biological control of pests and diseases with synthetic pesticides worldwide. In contrast, sustainable agriculture, such as regenerative, natural or organic farming, utilizes some ecosystem services to provide food, fiber and energy and enhance other highly economically valuable ecosystem services for the public benefit. It can be concluded that sustainable agriculture does better than intensive agriculture practices, where ecosystem services are suppressed and often substituted by costly, fossil fuel-based agrochemicals.

Indian farmland, at 178 million hectares, is one of the single largest land uses in India. If it follows sustainable agricultural practices, it can, on average, generate ecosystem services worth US$119 billion annually. Farmers can realize some of this value through increased productivity and incomes via improved natural capital (e.g., soil health and biodiversity) on their farms. Some of this ecological wealth will add to the nation’s GDP through wider public benefits, such as the removal of carbon from the atmosphere, better ground cover, reduction in air pollution often linked to the burning of crop residues, and better groundwater quality, which can result in better health and wellbeing of society.

India has an opportunity to value regenerative farming and invest in agroecological-based regenerative farming to redesign its agriculture. Regenerative farming reduces costs, improves soil health, conserves groundwater, and boosts productivity. Testing and promoting such practices nationwide can create scalable models for the rapid adoption and transformation of Indian agriculture.

We are calling for support from national and international organizations that can help us develop a program to assess the status of regenerative farming in India and its efficacy across all 15 agro-climatic zones. This will help us develop a scalable model for the uptake of regenerative farming in India. These measures will help India transition towards sustainability by redesigning its agriculture and ensuring food, nutritional, and ecological security.

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Photo courtesy of Shruti Singh, Upslash 

The post Op-Ed | India Must Redesign its Agriculture Based on Regenerative Farming appeared first on Food Tank.

A recent brief from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) highlights the critical role of forests and wild foods in transforming food systems. If current trends persist, the brief warns, the degradation of forest food systems will continue to challenge global efforts to address food insecurity, biodiversity loss, and the climate crisis.

Produced in collaboration with People and Plants International and the Alliance of Bioversity International, Forests, trees and wild species in agrifood systems shows that over 5.7 billion people rely on non-timber forest products (NTFPs) for food, energy, medicine, and income.

”Despite playing a critical role in nutrition, health, and food security, smallholder and traditional food systems are regularly underestimated because of their smaller scale, diversity, and seasonality,” Sarah Laird, a contributor to the brief, tells Food Tank. “Yet these qualities are their superpowers, making these food systems resilient, nutritious, and far more secure than industrial agriculture.”

The report highlights the biodiversity preserved in forests—approximately 50,000 wild species are used worldwide, 10,000 of which are used to feed humans. Despite this remarkable diversity, 66 percent of global crop production is made up of only nine plant species.

Industrial agriculture’s focus on growing these nine crops contributes significantly to deforestation and ecosystem degradation. According to the FAO, over half of global greenhouse gas emissions stem from the food system, deforestation, and ecosystem decline. “Beyond this impact, logging, and the forest degradation and fragmentation associated with agriculture, can create a launch pad for novel human viruses,” warns Laird.

Forests also play a crucial role in nutrition, especially for vulnerable populations. Wild species provide essential vitamins, proteins, and minerals. “Numerous studies around the world have demonstrated the value of wild-harvested species for health, nutrition, and wellbeing, including a correlation between forests and the consumption of foods rich in micronutrients, and the negative impact on nutrition and health resulting from forest and biodiversity loss,” Laird adds.

The FAO brief highlights forest food systems as sustainable models essential for addressing the climate crisis. These systems, which integrate trees with crops and livestock, are better able to protect biodiversity, sequester carbon, and adapt to harsh or unpredictable conditions. “Traditional forest management systems…focus on resilience and reduced risk rather than concentrated gain,” Laird tells Food Tank.

Laird emphasizes how supporting local communities to manage forests sustainably can drive meaningful change. “By supporting local community efforts to conserve their traditional food systems and natural environment a broader process of change can be catalyzed.”

“The very foods and systems we overlook—wild-harvested species, smallholder farm products, and traditional management—are key to secure, healthy, and environmentally sound food systems,” Laird argues. “Yet, policymakers are often unaware of their critical contributions to nutrition, health, and the environment.”

As countries seek to develop climate-smart, biodiversity-friendly agriculture, traditional forest food systems offer valuable lessons.“We need policy strategies that accommodate multiple goals at once: secure food production, biodiversity and forest conservation, clean water, reduced flooding, and carbon storage. Addressing these in silos misses their interconnections,” says Laird.

The brief calls for more comprehensive research on the impact of biodiversity on nutrition and the role of forest foods in traditional food systems. “Improved data collection should integrate, not marginalize, communities, and focus on subsistence and local food production alongside industrial agriculture. Collaborating with communities ensures the research results are accurate, relevant, and ethically gathered,” Laird adds.

“Effort is needed to produce data that makes clear the value of these food systems – for health and nutrition, but also because they feed the rural poor, are accessible and secure, provide income and livelihoods, and are far better for the environment.” Laird explains. “There is an opening for greater recognition of the value of traditional, wild-harvested, and smallholder food systems, and hopefully there will be increased support through national and global policy-making.”

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Zimbabwe is in the midst of a crippling El Niño-induced drought—the worst in more than 40 years. It has wiped out most of last year’s rain-fed crops, particularly the now staple crop, maize.

With up to 70 percent of Zimbabwe’s population surviving on rural economic activities—mostly rain-fed crop farming—recurring droughts are devastating to the country. The drought has left more than 7 million people without enough food. And the Zimbabwean government is scrambling to secure up to US$2 billion to feed the population.

It’s likely that the droughts are linked to the climate crisis and lack of crop diversity. But small-scale farmers had long abandoned their drought-resistant traditional crops like finger millet, pearl millet, and sorghum—opting for maize. Maize was introduced and promoted in Zimbabwe by the British colonial government which aggressively supported indigenous farmers’ transition to the new crop.

“Last summer season, we experienced the worst drought ever. We lost our entire maize crop. The few farmers who planted pearl millet, finger millet, or sorghum had better yields. These traditional crops are both drought- and pest-resistant. As farmers, it’s time we go back to our traditional crops,” Leonard Madanhire, a small-scale farmer in Mutare district in eastern Zimbabwe, tells Food Tank.

And Zimbabwe-based climate change, food systems, and natural resource management expert Anna Brazier says production of traditional cereal crops in the country is slowly increasing as the markets are growing.

“Government policy has shifted substantially in the past decade and is now very supportive from a number of fronts, with policymakers seeing millets and sorghum as important ways to address food insecurity and nutrition problems and build community resilience to climate change. The government instituted measures to increase production of these crops through input distribution and promotion through extension systems,” Brazier tells Food Tank.

As of January 2025, more than 322,606 hectares are now growing traditional  grains. Brazier says that favorable price control measures through the Zimbabwe Grain Marketing Board have helped to incentivize farmers to grow these crops.

“NGOs have been trying to promote the production of these crops longer than the government, but weak markets and low prices make them unfavorable to smallholder farmers,” she says.

This situation, Brazier says, has now changed thanks to the policy and market shifts. “Some NGOs have been working with the private sector to encourage companies to develop products containing small grains, and this has created a demand. Improvements in technology have also made a difference for farmers, processors, and food manufacturers,” she says.

Brazier says adopting traditional cereal grains as staples depends on the behavior of consumers and markets; it is more about demand than supply. “Zimbabwean consumers mainly prefer maize as a staple, and there is increasing demand among consumers for wheat-based products such as bread and pasta, which are convenient and tasty,” she says.

According to Brazier, there is still a perception among most eaters that millets and sorghum are unpalatable foods associated with poverty and rural areas. “Unfortunately, many young Zimbabweans seem to like pride in traditional cuisine,” she says. There is a gradual shift among urban middle-class consumers to increase purchases of traditional products, mainly for health reasons, but it is slow, she explains.

“Promotion of these traditional grains by NGOs, medical professionals, the ministry of health, the food and nutrition council, and efforts of the [Zimbabwe] First Lady [Auxillia Mnangagwa] has seen an increasing uptake by health-conscious consumers in urban areas. Food and seed festivals held more regularly across the country are doing a lot to increase the popularity of these crops and foods. But a lot more work needs to be done,” says Brazier.

The colonial legacy in Zimbabwe, however, continues to hamper farmers’ return to traditional cereal crops. During the colonial era from the 1930s, Zimbabwe’s Maize Control Act placed a greater economic value on maize, especially white settler-produced, and pegged traditional cereal crops—which became known as a poor man’s crop—at an economic disadvantage. This badge of poor man’s crop stayed on for many years, according to Bryan Kauma, an expert on Southern Africa’s food and environmental history.

But a study in Frontiers in Nutrition, says millets are recognized as smart foods since they are nutritious and healthy. Millets are also good for the health of the planet—they are resilient and climate-smart, the study adds.

“It might take a while to completely wean farmers from maize,” Farmer Leonard Madanhire says, “but millets and sorghum are our only hope for a food secure future.”

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Photo courtesy of Cyndy Sims

The post In Parched Zimbabwe, Small-Scale Farmers Turn to Traditional Crops appeared first on Food Tank.