For much of human history peoples’ dependence on the natural environment limited their impact on nature. Sustainable development as it relates to food production, as defined by the U.N.’s World Commission on Environment and Development – development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs – has clearly been our tradition for a very long time.
We have strayed from food traditions that adequately functioned. It is evident now that the Green Revolution has kept one promise: guaranteeing cheap and convenient food, but only for some. Liberation from hunger, equitable access to food among peoples from developed and developing countries, clean and healthy food for all did not materialize. Cheap and ignorance are mutually reinforcing. Cheap food is not without costs.
The following posts higlight important aspects of the global food chain's history, as well as link the past to the present.
