The UC Food Observer chooses a handful of important stories for you to read as you end your work week.
On the menu, in no particular order:
1. “Is farming a public service?” Author Liz Carlisle (@lentilundergnd) pens a must-read op-ed for the Los Angeles Times. ICYMI, read our Q&A with Carlisle; she talks about her new book, Lentil Underground, the challenges of farming and more.
2. Buzz kill? Climate change is changing the range of bumblebees. Dan Charles (@nprDanCharles) writes for NPR’s The Salt.
3. A new report issued by the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) looks at the cost of ending world hunger. Agri-Pulse reports.
4. A panel finds water and wildlife may be at risk from fracking’s toxic chemicals. Julie Cart (@julie_cart) reports for the Los Angeles Times.
5. What happens when Western food aid meets ancestral food taboos in Mali? Anna Badkhen writes a dispatch for Politico Magazine. A beautiful piece.
6. Eight scientists from the University of California are among Scientific America’s “top biotech visionaries.” Read Harry Mok’s story here. One of those is UC Davis plant geneticist Pam Ronald. Read our Q&A with her; it’s a fascinating discussion.
And ICYMI, read about our conversation with some of the folks at Food Forward, a Southern-California gleaning organization.
Have a great weekend!