In a new series, we’ll be exploring different food system debates across the globe. Next up is West Africa, where I'm based. Latin America feels especially apt to explore this week. The region is deeply intertwined with the U.S., and is likely to be affected by Trump’s deluge of executive orders. It’s also home to two of TABLE’s partner institutions, in Colombia and Mexico.

This report by the Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policy examines the strategies of 14 meat and dairy companies and four agricultural input companies focusing on the potential to deliver genuine emissions reductions and the support provided to farmers. It claims that farmers’ needs and concerns are often overlooked in the analysis of agribusiness climate plans. 

Julian Baggini delves into the best and worst food practices in an array of different societies, past and present from hunter-gatherers in Tanzania to astronaut food. Extracting essential principles to guide how we eat in the future, it calls for a for a pluralistic, humane, resourceful and equitable global food philosophy. 

The USDA’s Economic Research Service was uprooted from Washington, D.C., in a controversial move that gutted its expertise and reshaped its mission. This article explores the political motivations, the exodus of talent, and the agency’s struggle to rebuild.

This research estimates that wild fish used for aquaculture feed is 307% higher than industry has previously claimed. When including fish mortality, this figure rises even higher. These findings challenge the food security and sustainability implications of aquaculture. 

This study estimates that small-scale fisheries provide 40% of global fisheries catches and 2.3 billion people with, on average, 20% of their dietary intake across six essential micronutrients. Globally, 1 in every 12 people depend on small-scale fisheries for at least part of their livelihoods, generating $77.2 billion.