Could your food choices at the grocery store help shape the future? Yes, says Anna Lappé, author of a book called Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do About It.

Diet For A Hot Planet book cover

Lappe: “One of the most incredible research trips I took to write my book was to visit an organic farmer in Wisconsin, and I was visiting him right after this incredible flood had destroyed a lot of farmland across the state. And when I got to his farm, I was expecting to see a devastated farmer, and instead, he and his farm were doing great.”

The farmer said the key was how he organically managed his land. Compost, mulch, and cover crops improve soil fertility and water retention – providing a reserve during droughts and preventing runoff during heavy rains.

Lappe: “His soil was like a huge sponge that absorbed the water, as opposed to the chemical corn growers across the road whose soil was so hardened, that the downpour essentially created gullies in their farm and it caused incredible erosion.”

Since organic farms are often better able to weather droughts and floods, Lappe says that by choosing organic, we can help shift the food system to one that is more resilient to future climate instability.

Reporting credit: ChavoBart Digital Media.
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More Resources
Diet For A Hot Planet
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Lisa Palmer is a freelance journalist and a fellow at the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, SESYNC, in Annapolis, Md. Her writing covers the environment, energy, food security, agriculture,...