Human Interest

The 48 contiguous states alone are a 1.9 billion-acre jigsaw puzzle of cities, farms, forests and pastures.

"Chapulines [grasshoppers] have become a snack favorite among baseball fans in Seattle. Follow their path from Oaxaca, Mexico, to Safeco Field. To many, the insect might be a novelty - a quirky highlight for an Instagram story from a day at the ballpark. To those in Mexico consuming them for centuries, they are a building block of nutrition."

The mapmakers have amassed some 80 maps for Food: An Atlas, ranging from surplus in Northeast Italy to meat production in Maryland. The goal is to spread information about various food systems so they can be adapted locally.

Sapa in northwest Vietnam is a place of rice terrace farming. Hear from Mái, a Hmong rice farmer, on how the changing climate is affecting the rice harvest.

Avocados have become a super trendy food, but few of us know how they're even grown or harvested. We visit a California farm to uncover the amazing story of the avocado — and share the secrets to choosing, ripening and cutting the fruit.

A plague of armyworms is marching across Africa, devastating crops, and claiming new territory at an alarming rate

Food insecurity is most prevalent in rural, southern counties—which often lack robust networks to meet the need.

IT WOULD once have been scandalous to suggest the merits of eating insects; these days, it has become old hat. Western-educated entrepreneurs will sell you protein bars made from cricket flour. TED talks extol entomophagy's virtue. Top-end restaurants in the West's largest cities tout insect-based dishes.

Human resources and recruitment firm Pasona Group dedicates one acre of their downtown Tokyo office building to growing and harvesting over 280 types o

One photographer's journey to show how the large-scale production of soy, cattle, and wood, hits some communities especially hard.

Pat Brown was a renowned biomedical researcher. But he left that to tackle what he saw as the biggest problem facing Earth: animal agriculture. His solution: a veggie burger so beef-like it bleeds.

It’s called Salish Blue, and it’s more than a science experiment

Some strains can tolerate 38-degree days, salty soils and high altitudes, say researchers

"The vast majority of fishing vessels follow the rules governing fishing – but many are not, and these bad actors can cause a lot of damage. Vessels may take too many fish ­– overfishing – which is causing our fisheries to collapse. Then there is the problem of illegal fishing, which can occur in protected areas, in another country’s waters or on the high seas. This threatens jobs and food security for millions of people, all around the world.

Sara Menker quit a career in commodities trading to figure out how the global value chain of agriculture works. Her discoveries have led to some startling predictions: "We could have a tipping point in global food and agriculture if surging demand surpasses the agricultural system's structural capacity to produce food," she says. "People could starve and governments may fall." Menker's models predict that this scenario could happen in a decade -- that the world could be short 214 trillion calories per year by 2027. She offers a vision of this impossible world as well as some steps we can take today to avoid it.

Preserved peach pits reveal the origins of this sweet fruit

Technology-driven businesses such as New Jersey-based Bowery are bypassing traditional farming with warehouses and LED fixtures.

Amazon’s zero-profit strategy is a disaster for anyone who goes up against it.

The rice traveled from Africa to the Southeast, where it was a link to home for enslaved Africans. Then it nearly vanished — and with it, a heritage tying African, Southern and West Indian foodways.

Once Latin America’s richest country, Venezuela can no longer feed its people, hobbled by the nationalization of farms as well as price and currency controls. The resulting hunger and malnutrition are an unfolding tragedy.

Report warns of catastrophic consequences and blames manufacturers for ‘systematic denial of harms’ and ‘aggressive, unethical marketing tactics’

Myths and facts about health, corruption, and saving the world

Want to know what organic really means? Learn the difference between conventional and organic farming plus what certifier's logos to look out for regardles

Latest financial, market and economic news from Thailand and Asean.