Smallholder farms in Uganda and Malaysia face similar challenges
The Importance of Cash Crops to Smallholders Over the last three to four years I’ve been lucky to work on a couple of development projects with smallholder farmers in Uganda …
A road map for eradicating world hunger
Beth Gardiner (@Gardiner_Beth) is an environmental writer whose work appears regularly in a number of prominent publications, including The Guardian. This piece appeared in the New York Times. Hundreds of …
Amina Harris teaches us how to taste honey
Amina Harris is the director of the Honey and Pollination Center, located at the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, on the UC Davis campus. The center was …
Puerto Rico wants to grow specialty coffee
More than a century ago, Puerto Rico produced some of the world’s best coffee. But in recent decades, coffee production has declined. This U.S. territory features small farms, and labor …
UC Food Observer chooses a handful of important stories for you to read as you finish your work week. On the menu, in no particular order: a Q & A …
In Brazil, indigenous peoples battle land law change
A battle is shaping up in Brazilian politics that is pitting that nation’s indigenous peoples against powerful agribusiness, timber and mining interests. Brazil’s indigenous peoples are organizing against PEC 215, …
Simple rules for healthy eating
Medical professional Aaron E. Carroll (@aaronecarroll) offers a handful of rules for healthy eating in a piece appearing in the New York Times. His is a simple and refreshing take …
Lawsuits against Syngenta seek to recoup losses
Biotechnology giant Syngenta is facing hundreds of lawsuits from both farmers and grain exporters, who claim they suffered billions in financial losses when China rejected shipments of U.S. corn and …
Proposed U.S. dietary guidelines draw praise, ire; a look at Brazil’s
The nation’s Dietary Guidelines are set to be revised this year, and a panel of scientific experts advising the federal government says that Americans should eat “more fruit, vegetables, dairy, …
U.S. may consider environment in dietary guidelines
UC Food Observer has previously shared information about the nation’s 2015 Dietary Guidelines, which will be released later this year by the USDA. The guidelines are expected to explicitly link …