Have you heard of the writer Rachel Carlson before? She is one of the most important writers who indirectly shaped how you, I, and many people in the West view industrial agriculture. Many would date the beginning of the modern environmental movement to September 1962, when her book “Silent Spring” began to roll off the presses.

The work of Rachel Carson shaped how the public sees modern agriculture. It has created an awareness that we aren’t separate from nature, and that what goes around comes around.

Monsanto and many other agrochemical companies got into PR trouble due to Carson. When genetically modified crops were introduced thirty years later, the news landed on the fertilized ground—blooming into a lot of ugly media attention. 

In this episode, we talk about the nature of the debate about Genetic Engineering. We touch on GM labeling, how to think of agriculture as a system instead of looking at the solutions individually

And whether positioning anti-GMO activists as anti-science is fair or not.

My co-host Frank Kuehen is the Managing Director of the Adalbert Raps Foundation, funding food science research for a sustainable future of food. And he also is the Chief of the Advisory Board at the herb and spice producer RAPS. 

I’m Marina, a science and technology historian focused on agrifood. To get an introduction to GM and pesticides, consider checking out episodes 7.7 - 7.9.

Connect with the host, Marina ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidt-marina/⁠⁠⁠

Connect with the host, Frank ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankkuehne/⁠⁠⁠

Get funding for your food science research: ⁠⁠https://en.raps-stiftung.de/foerderbereiche/lebensmittelforschung⁠⁠

Support Red to Green ⁠⁠⁠ https://www.patreon.com/RedtoGreen⁠⁠⁠

More info and links to resources on⁠⁠ https://redtogreen.solutions/  ⁠⁠

Seeds of Science ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Seeds-Science-Why-Wrong-GMOs/dp/1472946987⁠

Please rate the podcast on Spotify and iTunes! <3

DISCLAIMER - The podcast and article represent the personal opinions and interpretations of the participants). The statements may be exaggerated for entertainment and/or comedic purposes. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information presented per the cited sources. However, the participants do not guarantee the completeness or timeliness of the information. Readers are encouraged to verify the information presented and conduct their own research independently. The participants acknowledge that Bayer Crop Science and/or other parties mentioned have the right to an alternative interpretation of matters discussed.

Let’s finish discussing our book “Meals to Come- The History of the Future of Food.” 

If you haven’t listened to the previous episode, no, But it’s not required; I will summarise the key points.

 You will hear about 

 - how modern solutions of cornucopias, Malthusian, and egalitarians look like

 - why it can be useful to add an ecological perspective

 - a tapestry of some of my favorite quotes from the book discussing how belief systems and rhetoric have shaped the future of food predictions. Super, super interesting.

 And after about 10 minutes of that, we will get into the summary of the entire season.

I am joined by my cohost if Frank Alexander Kuehne, the Chief of the Advisory Board of the herb and spice producer RAPS and the Managing director of the Adalbert Raps Foundation, funding research on sustainable food science. More on that later

Here is a quick reminder from last episode describing the three types of food futurists - cornucopias, Malthusians and Egalitarians.

1. Cornocopians believe "innovation will fix anything" and throw tech at any problem. We need to go better, faster, and stronger with new approaches.

Main theme -> Innovate (biotech in food, cell ag, novel fertilizers, etc.)

2. Modern Malthusians believe we need to reduce our consumption, respect the earth's limits and find ways to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Main theme -> Save (AI to reduce food waste, CSR)

3. Egalitarians believe we would have enough if we would share it better. Environmental issues are a reflection of social inequality. Local is beautiful.

Main theme -> Share (Local markets, local food production, foreign development)

4. Ecologists (a category I added) believe we must live in line with nature again. Get off the chemical, agricultural treadmill and think in ecosystems.

Main theme -> Restore (agroforests, regenerative agriculture)

Ultimately, the solution is not an either-or but an "and." It helps to be aware of one "default" view and recognize which other perspectives may be good to develop.

Support Red to Green ⁠⁠ https://www.patreon.com/RedtoGreen⁠⁠

Get funding for your food science research: ⁠⁠https://en.raps-stiftung.de/foerderbereiche/lebensmittelforschung⁠⁠

More info and links to resources on⁠⁠ https://redtogreen.solutions/  ⁠⁠

Seeds of Science ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Seeds-Science-Why-Wrong-GMOs/dp/1472946987⁠

Connect with the host, Marina ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidt-marina/⁠⁠

Connect with the host, Frank ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankkuehne/⁠⁠

Please rate the podcast on Spotify and iTunes! <3

DISCLAIMER - The podcast and article represent the personal opinions and interpretations of the participants). The statements may be exaggerated for entertainment and/or comedic purposes. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information presented per the cited sources. However, the participants do not guarantee the completeness or timeliness of the information. Readers are encouraged to verify the information presented and conduct their own research independently. The participants acknowledge that mentioned parties may have the right to an alternative interpretation of matters discussed.

The worry and the question “will we run out of food?” is as old as humanity itself. And every couple decades this question seems to reappear in intense debates. 

For example it did in the 1920s, late 1940s, 1960 and 1970s, and 1990s. 

These worries are usually fired up by 4 main reasons(T) sudden inflation in food prices; (z) environmental stresses, such as urban congestion, bad harvests, or a degradation of agricultural resources(3) scary demographics, such as an unexpectedly high spike in population growth; (4) cultural anxieties about sexuality, working-class unrest or a spike of immigrants

And just as our worries about the future of food have been around for a while so have been the ideas for solutions.

Did you know that already over 100 years ago scientists and entrepreneurs believed burgers made from algae would be a thing? Looking into history can be humbling. And today we are looking into my favorite topic - the history of the future of food.

Today’s book is called “Meals to come - the history of the future of food.” It’s 400 pages thick and was published in 2006 but aye, it’s history. The author Warren James Belasco was  For more than thirty years, Dr. Belasco taught, researched, at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA writing about food history and food culture.

He is my favorite food historian, so I am clearly biased here. But dare I say - you are in for a treat. 

I am chatting about this book with my wonderful co-host Frank Alexander Kuene. Frank is the Managing director of the Adalbert Raps foundation, offering grants for food science research focused on sustainability. He is also the Chief of Advisory Board at the German herb and spice company RAPS Gmbh.

Support Red to Green ⁠ https://www.patreon.com/RedtoGreen⁠

Get funding for your food science research: ⁠https://en.raps-stiftung.de/foerderbereiche/lebensmittelforschung⁠

More info and links to resources on⁠ https://redtogreen.solutions/  ⁠

Seeds of Science https://www.amazon.com/Seeds-Science-Why-Wrong-GMOs/dp/1472946987

Connect with the host, Marina ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/schmidt-marina/⁠

Connect with the host, Frank ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/frankkuehne/⁠

Please rate the podcast on Spotify and iTunes! <3

DISCLAIMER - The podcast and article represent the personal opinions and interpretations of the participants). The statements may be exaggerated for entertainment and/or comedic purposes. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information presented per the cited sources. However, the participants do not guarantee the completeness or timeliness of the information. Readers are encouraged to verify the information presented and conduct their own research independently. The participants acknowledge that mentioned parties may have the right to an alternative interpretation of matters discussed.