Food security is a topic that economists, agronomists and politicians are always concerned about. Since the 1800’s, some economists predicted that we were going to face serious scarcities (Malthus’s theory) causing famines and deaths. Although the theory turned out to be wrong, nowadays it is still important to take seriously Malthus’s prediction since we can …
Tag: climate change
Jan 18
Climate Change Resolutions
It’s the New Year, and we all know what that means; making resolutions we have no intention of fulfilling. We set our goal; maybe it’s even the same one from last year. The first day goes by and we think about it, consider it, and plan on how we’ll start on it tomorrow. Tomorrow comes, …
Dec 12
Entendiendo el cambio climatico
Read this post in English El cambio climático es aceptado como un hecho científico hoy en día, la discusión ha terminado. Las temperaturas medias globales están en aumento y se pueden relacionar con las actividades humanas que han llevado al aumento de las emisiones de dióxido de carbono durante los últimos siglos. Pero la discusión sobre …
Dec 02
Understanding climate change
By now, it is accepted as a scientific fact that climate change is happening. The average global temperatures are rising and it is related to the human activities and the increase of emissions of carbon dioxide over the last centuries. But the discussion as to what we should do about climate change is more complex …
Nov 11
Vertical farms
Is the next “green revolution” going to happen in cities? There are two main reasons that explain the increased interest in urban agriculture in the recent years. One of them is the increasing concerns about health and environmental impacts of large-scale industrial agriculture. On the other hand, urban agriculture is growing because it is becoming …
Nov 08
Escapándose del cambio ambiental
Read this post in English Cada invierno, los habitantes de Florida ven un aumento de “snowbirds” en sus comunidades. Los “Snowbirds” son norteños que migran al Sur durante el verano. Su migración es debida a los duros inviernos del Norte y su búsqueda de calor en el estado con Rayos de Sol. A pesar de …
Oct 27
Escaping Environmental Change
Every winter, Floridians see an increase of “snowbirds” in their communities. Snowbirds are Northerners who migrate South during the winter. Their migration is due to the harsh winters in the North and their seeking the warmth found in the Sunshine state. While their experience is due to difficult weather conditions, it is very different to …
Sep 27
Retos agrícolas de Líbano
Líbano es un país relativamente rico en recursos naturales. No tiene desiertos, las tierras de cultivo son fértiles, tiene las cuatro estaciones del año y es el país árabe que tiene más agua. Pero a pesar de estos atributos naturales, Líbano es un país dependiente de las importaciones de alimentos, que representa 70% de su …
Sep 23
Are Global Markets More Important Than Displaced Citizens?
Uganda Skimming over the New York Times this morning, I noted that the first article in their global edition was regarding the outrage that Oxfam is uncovering about Ugandan settlers being displaced on behalf of the Ugandan government and an international organization. Despite being a catchy headline on a leading newspaper, unfortunately these practices are …
Aug 10
Lebanon’s agricultural challenges
Facing climate change and modernization Lebanon is a relatively resource rich country. It has no deserts, it has good arable land, it has four seasons and it is the most water-gifted country in the Arab world. But despite such natural attributes, Lebanon is a food import dependent country for 70% of its total food consumption. …