I was recently given a copy of a speech made into a small book titled On The Future of Food by the good folks at Ecocentric and Meatless Mondays! On The Future of Food was a speech made by, believe it or not, the Prince of Wales himself Prince Charles. I’m not one to usually pay attention to anything coming from the absurdity that is the monarchy, but this was much too important. The fact is that millions of people adore the British Monarchy and so when the Prince says something many people will listen.
Presented last year in Washington DC at Georgetown University, On The Future Of Food is a look at our current food system.
In the speech Prince Charles mentions in his opening remarks “I have been venturing into extremely dangerous territory by speaking about the future of food…questioning the conventional worldview is a risky business”; a statement which may be a testament to how difficult it is to break away from the current stranglehold on our food supply. If the bloody Prince of Wales is finding resistance in addressing this issue you can imagine how difficult it may be for everyone else speaking up about our food system. The Prince goes on to talk often about sustainability and mentions many important studies that have shown the yield and environmental comparison of small-scale farming vs. conventional farming, something I never thought I would hear someone in his position speak about. One particular report he mentions from the UN “drew on evidence from more than 400 scientists worldwide and concluded that small-scale, family based farming systems, adopting agro-ecological approaches were among the most productive farming systems in undeveloped countries,” and yet this research has never made any public impact; a true testament to the lobbying power of the food industry/agribusiness…you know the lot.
Why is this important? To quote Olivier De Schutter from a recent article “Producers of fresh, local food are undercut and forced out of business by multinational food processors…who also benefit from government subsidies.” Leading to “the breakdown of local food systems,” which “has far-reaching consequences…as shown by soaring obesity levels and endemic rates of under nutrition and micronutrient deficiency.”
Fine lad that Prince Charles. I highly recommend the book.
Presented last year in Washington DC at Georgetown University, On The Future Of Food is a look at our current food system.
In the speech Prince Charles mentions in his opening remarks “I have been venturing into extremely dangerous territory by speaking about the future of food…questioning the conventional worldview is a risky business”; a statement which may be a testament to how difficult it is to break away from the current stranglehold on our food supply. If the bloody Prince of Wales is finding resistance in addressing this issue you can imagine how difficult it may be for everyone else speaking up about our food system. The Prince goes on to talk often about sustainability and mentions many important studies that have shown the yield and environmental comparison of small-scale farming vs. conventional farming, something I never thought I would hear someone in his position speak about. One particular report he mentions from the UN “drew on evidence from more than 400 scientists worldwide and concluded that small-scale, family based farming systems, adopting agro-ecological approaches were among the most productive farming systems in undeveloped countries,” and yet this research has never made any public impact; a true testament to the lobbying power of the food industry/agribusiness…you know the lot.
Why is this important? To quote Olivier De Schutter from a recent article “Producers of fresh, local food are undercut and forced out of business by multinational food processors…who also benefit from government subsidies.” Leading to “the breakdown of local food systems,” which “has far-reaching consequences…as shown by soaring obesity levels and endemic rates of under nutrition and micronutrient deficiency.”
Fine lad that Prince Charles. I highly recommend the book.
