Happy Monday! On today’s menu, in no particular order:
AP Analysis: Grocery chains leave food deserts barren. In 2011, a group of major grocery retailers promised to help address the issue of “food deserts” by opening or expanding stores in neighborhoods with no supermarkets. They’ve fallen short. In addition, the Associated Press has conducted an analysis of federal food stamp data which reveals that America’s largest chains have opened new supermarkets “in only a fraction of the neighborhoods where they’re needed the most.” Mike Schneider reports for the Associated Press. This is a must read.
Are urban farms the new frontier for female farmers? While increasing numbers of women are farming in the U.S. and Canada, their rates of land ownership remain lower than their male counterparts. Is urban farming providing a way for women to access land? Trina Moyles for Modern Farmer; this is a short, interesting read.
Opinion: A secret weapon to fight climate change: soil. Debbie Barker and Michael Pollan pen a thoughtful piece for the Washington Post. “We think of climate change as a consequence of burning fossil fuels. But a third of the carbon in the atmosphere today used to be in the soil, and modern farming is largely to blame.” Could improving agricultural practices – including cover cropping, crop rotation and no-till farming – improve soil health and decrease the carbon footprint of farming?
ICYMI: Here’s how to do GMO labeling so everyone wins. Nathanael Johnson takes a look at the issue of GMO labeling. “Companies should respond to ignorance by providing more information, not less. They should dispel fear by making the unknown known.” Is there a solution everyone could live with? Maybe. For Grist.
Have a great day.