Welcome to FERN’s Friday Feed (#FFF), where we share the stories from this week that made us stop and think.
EPA approved dicamba despite warnings from scientists
FERN and Reveal
A new investigation by FERN and Reveal, from the Center for Investigative Reporting, finds that the EPA “ignored scientists’ warnings and extensive research that showed dicamba would evaporate into the air and ruin crops miles away, according to documents obtained through public records requests and lawsuits. Instead,” Liza Gross writes, “the EPA’s approval was based on studies by the companies that manufacture dicamba, which independent scientists say were seriously flawed. One scientist called the studies ‘shockingly insufficient.'”
China drives global black market that is decimating sea cucumber population
FERN and National Geographic
Another new FERN story, this one in collaboration with National Geographic, takes readers inside the world of the illegal sea-cucumber trade, showing how demand for the delicacy in China is driving a global black market that threatens to wipe out many species of the marine animal. “Sea cucumbers are nutrient factories, rich in protein and complex organic compounds,” writes Kimon De Greef. “They have ‘a primordial ecological role,’ said Hakima Zidane, a marine biologist at the national fisheries research institute. ‘They’re like a purifying species for the ocean.’”
Mark Twain’s mealtime obsessions reveal a vanished American food culture
The New York Times
A new audio series, “Twain’s Feast,” loosely based on a 2010 book by the same name, explores the reasons why so many of the famous author’s beloved dishes—from raccoon to prairie chicken— are no longer part of the American menu. “The foods Twain loved, we took for granted as American classics,” says Andrew Beahrs, the author of the book which gives the series its name. “But these things that are part of the richness of everyday life — they can vanish very, very quickly.”
In Japan, harnessing the sun to turn apples into art
Atlas Obscura
For nearly 200 years, orchardists in northern Japan have been producing mojie apples, special fruit grown in carefully tailored bags that are gradually removed and replaced by sticky stencils that can depict “just about anything,” but mostly symbolize luck. “Cultivating mojie apples is a high-maintenance labor of love, and it takes nearly an entire year to perfect,” writes Abbey Perreault. “The successful mojie apples are nothing short of perfect. The stencil is carefully peeled away, revealing a design in the shape of the sun-shielding seal.”
We have the ability to make food supply chains transparent. Do we have the will?
Ensia
Food production is destroying fragile ecosystems to grow more soy, palm oil, beef and other commodity crops. But this chain of production is largely invisible to consumers, governments and even the companies selling the food—so we don’t know how to make more sustainable choices, or even if those choices are available. The rise of blockchain technology, open data, satellite imagery and other transparency tools can change that, but it will require widespread support. “While action by one company is a step in the right direction, ultimately the goal is sectoral change,” write Chris West and Helen Burley. “By focusing on the whole supply chain, a much more useful picture emerges of who is involved.”