Not glamorous, perhaps, but extremely important

Here is a great example of the difference simple improvements in small scale sustainable agriculture can make. It's also a wonderful story of selective seed saving, and how it can make a difference in a few generations locally, without benefit of a research lab and expensive technologies.
https://closeup.oxfamamerica.org/stories/seeds-success

This link came in an Oxfam newsletter.

Meanwhile, I've used a chunk of time this weekend to catch up with following many links on food waste, a current topic of great interest here in Sonoma County. I plan to post some of them with notes and/or reflections during Advent.

What did you do with your Thanksgiving leftovers? How do you plan to prevent or repurpose holiday excess this Advent and Christmas?

I-wish-I'd-writtten-that department

Here's some straightforward writing about feeding 9 billion from Mark Bittman.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/opinion/dont-ask-how-to-feed-the-9-billion.html?emc=edit_tnt_20141111&nlid=6760955&tntemail0=y&_r=1

It's not a production challenge, it's a challenge to address and end poverty.

There's a video of the talk Bittman mentions in the article here:
http://www.nytfoodfortomorrow.com/videos/opening-keynote-how-to-change-the-food-system-and-feed-the-nine-billion.aspx
I would have been happy to embed it - but it's on You Tube in bits and pieces - too tricky for me.
Besides, you can watch videos with other luminaries like Fred Kirschenmann and Michael Pollan on the conference site. The link above will take you there.