Simplifying the Economics of Happiness with Helena Norberg-Hodge
Helena Norberg-Hodge, courtesy of ISEC In 1975, before India’s northern region of Ladakh became a popular tourist attraction; Helena Norberg-Hodge went with a film crew. It was here she first encountered a localized economy, planting the seed for her present work. Now, nearly 40 years later, she is the director of the International Society for Ecology and Culture, an organization that began as The Ladakh Project in the Himalayan region of Ladakh... Read More
World Record Eggplant Curry Made to Protest Biotechnology Bill in India
As part of a public campaign against the upcoming Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill, the largest baigan ka bharta (eggplant curry) was made just a few days ago in Delhi. Chefs from Hotel Le Meridien, New Delhi and the Indian Culinary Forum lead the cooking of about 342.5kgs (about 750lbs) of baingan ka bharta, which has been certified as a world record by the Limca Book of Records. “People have a right to say ‘no’ to GM... Read More
Rising Global Food Prices and Political Instability
World food prices hit a record high in January – the highest since the FAO began monitoring in 1990. Some experts are saying that the popular protests across the middle east are in part due to these rising food prices. A drought in China that has damaged the winter wheat crop, and flooding in Australia has caused food prices to spike are partly to blame. Rising food prices were to blame for riots across the globe in 2008. With a rising global... Read More
Accepting Difference: India’s Nomadic Van Gujjar Community
“I can’t stay in one place for a long time, that’s why I work with nomads,” Praveen Kaushal Manto says smiling as he stands, pacing the room, while I sit. Manto reads eight newspapers a day, five in English and three in Hindi. As one of the founders and current director of the Society for Promotion of Himalayan Indigenous Activities (SOPHIA), Manto’s eight newspapers is in stark contrast to the under fifty percent literacy rate of the community... Read More
Ancient Wisdom from the Women Farmers of the Mandakini Valley
The following are two profiles of women farmers from the Mandakini Valley in the Garhwal Himalayas, India. “Everything comes from the earth. We sow one, and thousands come.” - Ganeshi Devi, Bhattwari village Surrounded by her harvest, Ganeshi Devi’s short frame sits comfortably amidst the dal laid out to dry, “the dal is my chair,” she says smiling. Ganeshi Devi’s favorite crop is black dal. After saying this, she immediately bursts into... Read More
Of Gender and Farming: India’s Mandakini Valley
Saroj Devi in the doorway of her home (Photo: Lakshmi Eassey) “What was her village before she was married?” I asked. “kyu? [Why?]” I heard a voice from the kitchen question in return. I thought it was a straightforward question, but I soon learned that it didn’t matter where you were born. What defines a woman more is her husband’s place, or village. This was something my California-Feminist-raised mind couldn’t completely comprehend... Read More
Harvest: An Ode to Food and its Seasons – Seattle and Erie
Still hungry? The next segment in the Harvest series is here! This week we are straddling both coasts with photo submissions from Seattle, Washingon, and Erie, Pennsylvania. Who is setting the table this week? Seattle: Mr. Larsen calls Seattle home these days. Plenty of moisture in that part of the world, probably explains the exemplary fungi. As some may have suspected, S. also provided us fish photos, but I believe that will be another segment. Erie:... Read More
Harvest: An Ode to Food and its Seasons – Davis, CA
What does the Harvest yield look like? Show us! Everyone eats, so we can all appreciate what good food means to us. Right? If you are anything like me, some of the best moments and memories are defined by the food that shapes the occasion. Over the coming weeks, we will be featuring food from farmers markets across the country – food from the Harvest. What better place to start than with my own hometown, and one of the country’s top farmers... Read More
Debunking Development in Rural India
When I arrived at my host family’s house in rural India, I immediately wondered how and why they had a TV and no toilet. I soon realized the intricacies of development and the priorities of families are much more complex than meets the outsiders eye. “The concept that development is money continues to oppress and exploit those without it,” said Sonal Bhatt (“Sonalben”), one of the founders of Lok Mitra, a small NGO in Dhedhuki, a village... Read More
Biodiversity conservation can reduce poverty, study finds
Shameless self-promotion: The knowledge review I had been working on for The Nature Conservancy has been published. Does Conserving Biodiversity Work to Reduce Poverty: A State of Knowledge Review can be downloaded from ConserveOnline. Read More
Biodiversity Conservation Can Reduce Poverty
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of traveling to London to help give a presentation at the Zoological Society of London for the symposium: Linking Biodiversity Conservation and Poverty Reduction: What, Why, and How? Since December, I have been working with Craig Leisher at The Nature Conservancy on drafting a knowledge review that was commissioned specifically for the symposium. We presented our report, “Biodiveristy as a Mechanism for Poverty... Read More
Kona’s Organic Coffee at its Finest
The Kona Coffee Bean If you are anything like me, most mornings can be neatly split into two categories: before, and after, coffee. College put me on this path and graduate school cemented its course: I am an AM caffeine junkie (aside: if I drink it after noon, I am up all night). I’ll admit that it is not the most sustainable habit – coffee requires a significant amount of energy to produce and ship, and of course there are significant water,... Read More
Haiti Regeneration Initiative
A video from the Earth Institute discussing ecological restoration efforts in Haiti, and how the work has adjusted to new realities on the ground as a result of the January 12, 2010 earthquake. A Future for Haiti: Science and Solutions for a Beleaguered Nation from Earth Institute on Vimeo. Read More
