Bats pollinate wild agave plants, sustaining desert ecosystems and preserving the genetic diversity that supports tequila and mezcal production. Mexican Long-nosed Bat (Leptonycteris nivalis) in Mexico -- David Cervantes Vlogs, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Reynard Loki Bats move through desert night skies with a purpose that is easy to overlook and difficult to replace. As they travel from plant to plant, feeding on nectar, they are also performing one of the most impo

A rally of Brazil’s Landless Workers’ Movement -- Photo source: redacaonline By Guillermo Barreto The right to food and to choose what we plant, how we plant it, how we harvest it, how we distribute it, and even how we cook it is what is known as food sovereignty: a central concept when discussing people’s sovereignty, introduced by the international peasant movement known as La Vía Campesina during the World Food Summit in 1996. Food sovereignty is defined as ‘the right of p

Viewing food as a system of biological signals helps explain why diets affect people differently and how nutrition can better support metabolism, mental health, and long-term well-being. Touzrimounir, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Michael S. Fenster Modern nutrition science has continued to see food through numbers. Calories, macronutrients, ingredient lists, and percent daily values have become the primary language of eating. This approach, often referred to as “nut

The “polluter pays” principle transformed the energy industry half a century ago. Now, as industrial agriculture drives climate breakdown, deforestation, and water scarcity, experts say it’s time to apply the same rule to our food systems—and make corporations, not consumers, bear the cost of the damage. Representational image -- Wilfredor, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons By Alex Crisp The “ polluter pays ” principle is a cornerstone of environmental regulation. It raises

After centuries of dam building, a nationwide movement to dismantle these aging barriers is showing how free-flowing rivers can restore ecosystems, improve safety, and reconnect people with nature. The silt filled Matilija Dam in California -- Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License, via Wikimedia Commons By Tara Lohan With more than 550,000 dams in the United States, free-flowing rivers are an endangered species. We’ve dammed, diked, and diverted almost every ma

The Trump administration continues to escalate its threats of war against Venezuela, as millions in the US are set to lose essential benefits US Marines engaged in an amphibious training exercise, October 18, 2025 -- image via Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan on X By Manolo De Los Santos The United States government is in the grips of one of its longest-running funding gaps in history. The ongoing government shutdown has already stretched beyond 30 days and now, the food

A national human ecology curriculum that begins with food education could help address our most pressing crises—from climate change to...

Despite mounting evidence of serious health risks, the U.S. continues to allow diquat use on farms. A Canadian farmer spraying diquat on...

The least humane way of culling poultry and pigs has become increasingly common. Image via Otwarte Klatki, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia...

Institutions like New York City’s Museum of Food and Drink are making food literacy fun. The Museum of Food and Drink in 2018 -- Ɱ, CC...

The rise and erosion of the plebeian council offers perspectives on the stagnant U.S. civil rights movement. Gaius Gracchus, tribune of...

Zoonotic diseases linked to factory farming raise pandemic risks, but food tech innovations offer a safer alternative. By Alex Crisp...

Image of Gaza via António Guterres on X By Peiman Salehi As of May 2025, the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza has reached an...

By Peiman Salehi Economic sanctions are often described as ‘peaceful’ alternatives to war. Yet for millions in countries like Iran and...

People trying to resume their daily lives in Gaza, February 22, 2025 -- Jaber Jehad Badwan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Vijay...

The pioneering research by one of the founders of economic anthropology is essential for understanding the social and institutional...

The National Day Laborers Organizing Network (NDLON) embodies an ethos of “solidarity, not charity,” in both fire relief and immigrant...

The Community Enterprise and Solidarity Clinic is part of a growing mutual aid movement in Chicago, Illinois. The University of Illinois...

We forget most of our dreams. So why do we have them? By Leslie Alan Horvitz No one knows why we dream. It stands to reason that dreams...

Representational image. By Vijay Prashad In November, Álvaro Noboa, the father of Ecuador’s president Daniel Noboa, had a heart attack....