The Pulse

The Future of Food


Listen Later

What we eat — and how our food is produced — is always changing. Over the past few decades, we’ve seen attempts to go from industrial farming to eating local, from factory farms to pasture-raised, anti-fat to anti-carb, wheat to quinoa, dairy milk to soy milk, bacon and eggs to avocado toast, and the list goes on. There’s a lot that goes into these changes — market forces, innovation, supply chain issues and increasingly, climate change.

In fact, food may be the single most direct way that most of us will experience the impact of global warming. It will change how food is produced, what we eat, and how much we pay for it. Farmers and food producers are adapting to a warming planet and expanding population. On this episode, we’ll look at the forces that are shaping and changing the way we eat, along with some of the foods that may become far more common in the decades to come. We’ll hear about how vertical farming is making the most of our space, why kelp could be the new soy, and the innovative solutions making their way on to our plates.

Also heard on this week’s episode:

  • We talk with science journalist Amanda Little, who’s traveled the world investigating threats to agriculture, about the innovations that could save our global food supply — and the Earth. Her book is The Fate of Food: What We’ll Eat in a Bigger, Hotter and Smarter world.”
  • As the world warms, agriculture is being forced to grow up — literally. Reporter Catherine Nouhan takes us into a vertical farm to find out how this innovative new way of cultivating crops is replacing fields, pesticides, and even soil.
  • It’s hard to believe now, but in the early 19th century, soy was virtually unknown to many Americans — today, it’s our second largest crop, right behind corn. Now, environmentally-focused farmers are trying to replicate that success with a different crop: seaweed. But are Americans ready to accept it? Alan Yu reports.
  • For years, overfishing has been a problem that’s brought many fish stocks to a dangerous tipping point — but today, new tech is transforming our appetite for fish from an existential deep-sea threat to a sustainable industry. We talk with Nicholas Sullivan about the future of fish farming, why it’s gotten a bad rap, and how new innovations are changing the way we fish. His book is The Blue Revolution: Hunting, Harvesting, and Farming Seafood in the Information Age.
  • Youtuber and internet cook Adam Ragusea schools us about eating sustainably, some of his favorite staple meals, and why too much good food has become a problem.
  •  

    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    The PulseBy WHYY

    • 4.6
    • 4.6
    • 4.6
    • 4.6
    • 4.6

    4.6

    288 ratings


    More shows like The Pulse

    View all
    Science Friday by Science Friday and WNYC Studios

    Science Friday

    6,069 Listeners

    KERA's Think by KERA

    KERA's Think

    922 Listeners

    Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! by NPR

    Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

    38,664 Listeners

    Voices in the Family by WHYY

    Voices in the Family

    37 Listeners

    Radiolab by WNYC Studios

    Radiolab

    43,929 Listeners

    This American Life by This American Life

    This American Life

    90,641 Listeners

    Fresh Air by NPR

    Fresh Air

    38,139 Listeners

    The Moth by The Moth

    The Moth

    27,311 Listeners

    Here & Now Anytime by WBUR

    Here & Now Anytime

    1,013 Listeners

    To The Best Of Our Knowledge by Wisconsin Public Radio

    To The Best Of Our Knowledge

    932 Listeners

    TED Radio Hour by NPR

    TED Radio Hour

    22,098 Listeners

    Gastropod by Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley

    Gastropod

    3,598 Listeners

    Invisibilia by NPR

    Invisibilia

    21,685 Listeners

    Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

    Hidden Brain

    43,482 Listeners

    The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

    The New Yorker Radio Hour

    6,683 Listeners

    Eleanor Amplified by WHYY

    Eleanor Amplified

    2,192 Listeners

    Throughline by NPR

    Throughline

    15,937 Listeners

    A.I. Nation by WHYY

    A.I. Nation

    192 Listeners