Feeding the World, One Free Range Chicken at a Time
Can anything good come out of the current world food crisis? Chef Dan Barber, of the famed Blue Hill restaurants in New York, sees an opportunity. In an op-ed in the New York Times yesterday, Chef Barber argues for a shift away from large-scale, oil-guzzling agribusiness toward smaller sustainable farms. No doubt smaller farms produce tastier, healthier food, but how would a downsized farm industry produce sufficient quantities to feed the world? Barber envisions a “system of well-coordinated regional farm networks” but he admits that this would require much more manual labor. A return to the land sounds romantic, but is it practical? One could argue that Barber’s quixotic vision runs counter to a core force of modernity: an ever-increasing urban population supported by a decreasing number of farmers. So maybe you’re not prepared to drop your Metrocard and pick up your hoe. But you can at least help by buying from small farmers. And, as Chef Barber told Big Think, when you shop local, your carrot comes with a story.
