Category Archives: Social

Top issues in the global ‘water sector’

In January this year Deloitte published a short but seemingly comprehensive overview of the key upcoming issues in the global water sector. Although 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, the report is focused on the … Continue reading

Posted in Resources, Social, Technological, Water | Leave a comment

Agro-ecology can double food production in 10 years

A UN report (published March 2011) says that adopting agroecology methods, if sufficiently supported, could double food production in entire regions within 10 years. At the same time it would mitigate climate change, and alleviate rural poverty. States and donors must … Continue reading

Posted in Food, Paradigms, Social | Leave a comment

Beliefs drive results

It was Einstein who told us that “You can’t solve a problem by using the same level of thinking that created that problem in the first place.” And Gregory Bateson pointed out, “The major problems in the world are the result … Continue reading

Posted in Food, Paradigms | Leave a comment

Searching for a money tree

Posting, here, a link to an interesting story about food-growing in sub-Saharan Africa. The article explains how crop yields there have been falling dangerously low, and how the traditional approach of ‘adding more fertilisers’ is no longer working. A new approach, called … Continue reading

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George Soros foresees US class war

In a recent interview with Newsweek, George Soros has said that he foresees “riots on the streets [in the USA] that will lead to a brutal clampdown that will dramatically curtail civil liberties.” This is not good news for US … Continue reading

Posted in Arab Spring / Occupy, Political, Rich-Poor divide, Rich-Poor divide, Social, Squeezed middle, USA | Leave a comment

“Fixing Britain” — a clear view of a future for business

Lots of people talk about “thinking global, acting local”. This guy does a good job of putting it into practice. He paints a clear picture that runs from the strategic rise of China to the practical need for better education, … Continue reading

Posted in Big Picture, China, Economic, Energy / Environmental, Environmental, IndustryCompetition, Political, Political/Economic, Social | Leave a comment

Big Picture — December 2011

When the managing director of the IMF, Christine Lagarde, issues warnings like this: “There is no economy in the world, whether low-income countries, emerging markets, middle-income countries or super-advanced economies that will be immune to the crisis that we see not … Continue reading

Posted in Big Picture, Energy / Environmental, IndustryCompetition, New Entrants, Paradigms, Political/Economic, Social, Suppliers, Technological | Leave a comment

Organic can feed the world

As we switch our focus for a while from problems to solutions, organic farming may seem an odd place to start. But having enough to eat is a strategic requirement for any future business. And farming is a business too. … Continue reading

Posted in Food, Paradigms, Social, Success Stories | Leave a comment

The next agro-industrial revolution

The Earth is full and over the past ten years increasing demand from emerging markets has erased all the resource-price declines of the last century. A new report from McKinsey says three key trends look set to make this situation more difficult … Continue reading

Posted in Economic, Energy, Energy / Environmental, Environmental, Food, Paradigms, Resources, Shift to emerging economies, Social | Leave a comment

The story of dirt

This movie tells the story of dirt. It is relevant to your business because it shows how current farming practices are destroying topsoil, increasing the likelihood that your employees, your suppliers, and your customers, will not have enough food to … Continue reading

Posted in Environmental, Food, Social | Leave a comment