Foodthink Says This is the third field report from Foodthink’s visits to small-scale fishing communities in southern Thailand. The first two pieces explored how fishers joined forces to oust commercial trawlers, form a national alliance, and actively engage in legislative and policy advocacy, and how ‘community conservation areas’ empower fishers…
Foodthink says This is the second dispatch from our visit to fishing communities in southern Thailand. In January this year, Foodthink joined Blue Climate Partners to visit fishing villages in the south of Thailand, exploring how small-scale fishers protect marine resources. Across three mangrove communities along the Andaman Sea coast,…
Last year, standing by a field ridge in the mountains of Yunnan, I saw rice for the first time growing straight from level soil without any flooding or irrigation ditches. To many, rice is inextricably linked to flooded paddies. Yet it can just as well be cultivated on dry, sloping…
Foodthink Commentary On 17 January 2026, the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) – comprising countries such as Argentina and Brazil – and the EU formally signed a free trade agreement in Asunción, the capital of Paraguay. Prior to this, the deal had already sparked widespread protests from farmers across Europe. They…
A Note from Foodthink In January this year, Foodthink travelled with Blue Climate Partners to fishing villages in Southern Thailand to see how small-scale fishers and grassroots NGOs are joining forces to combat overfishing. By establishing “community conservation areas”, they are striving for a win-win between ecological preservation and local…
I. The Black Box Behind Drone Crashes In the summer of 2024, on the second day of my research into agricultural drones in my hometown in Northeast China, a drone in a neighbouring village crashed while operating: it got snagged on power lines. Crashing is common, not just for…
North China’s autumn harvest has been hit by months of continuous rain, with some areas seeing an unusually early start in late August. News of unharvestable crops and mouldy corn ears has frequently trended online. Foodthink visited six agricultural counties across Hebei and Henan, finding that growers, buyers, and local…
In early October, many parts of Northern China experienced record-breaking rainfall for this period. Amidst the bewilderment of city dwellers asking, “How long will this rain go on?” and “Is the North really becoming the South?”, and as farmers stood heartbroken before crops submerged in mud, we marked the 36th…
Recently, controversy erupted over an “art” activity by Cai Guo-Qiang and Arc’teryx, which involved blasting mountains in the Himalayas and damaging the fragile plateau ecosystem. The relationship between humanity and nature, and the exploration of indigenous culture, were the key phrases used in the promotional materials for this fireworks show.…
Foodthink Insights As the climate changes, “natural disasters” in rural areas are becoming a daily occurrence. However, there are always more solutions than difficulties. It is not only farmers and governments seeking answers; social organisations are also employing local, flexible, and community-based approaches to find a way for small villages…
