There’s an old joke about being on a see-food diet ("I see food, I eat it"). Newly published research suggests this obesity-inducing, just-say-yes response to gastric temptation may be based on a fundamental misperception. Finnish researchers have discovered a connection between body-mass index (a common measure of obesity) and a person’s awareness of the presence of food. They report that, in two experiments, thinner people noticed cakes, cabbages and crackers scattered among other objects more rapidly than their corpulent counterparts. The notion that fatter people are less likely ... Read More
Ten Hearty Orphan Crops
July 26, 2010 • By • Leave a Comment
Ignored orphan crops may help back up world food supplies as problems like wheat rust devastate global monocultures in food crops. Cassava: Cassava, also known as yucca or manioc, is a perennial native to South America. It is grown throughout tropical and subtropical regions, with Nigeria being the world's largest producer. The plant grows up to 15 feet tall and is a food staple for about 500 million people worldwide. The edible parts are the tuberous roots and leaves, which are a major source of carbohydrates. Cassava is the third largest source of carbohydrates in the world. The roots ... Read More
Rethinking the Sandwich: the Globalization of Wheat Rust
July 26, 2010 • By • Leave a Comment
For the millions of north Indian wheat farmers, fate really does ride in the winds. A southern wind brings sighs of relief; they know that warm monsoon rains soon will revive their parched fields. But a western wind brings shudders of fear; all are unsure if that breeze carries with it a spore of the potent Ug99 fungus — the fungus that could single-handedly undermine the global food supply. Ten years ago, in the fields of Uganda and Kenya, a mutated strain of the Ug99 fungus, also known as wheat stem rust, successfully overcame the genetic defenses embedded in the local wheat plants, ... Read More
Matches for Gasoline: A View From Haiti’s Food Riots
May 9, 2008 • By • Leave a Comment
Haiti was a prime first stop for a food crisis that has since ripped through Egypt, Bangladesh, Somalia and other countries. With its dependence on imported food and international aid, slum families living on less than a dollar a day struggling to afford a single bowl of rice and upscale supermarkets already charging New York grocery prices, the little Caribbean republic had no room for error. The remarkable thing about Haiti is the speed with which a gentle and generous people, usually among the most polite I've ever met, can turn into a screaming, rock-throwing horde. In ... Read More
