Four Seasons will be in hiatus mode for the next week or so while we devote our lives to searching Google Scholar. So many journal articles, so little time. But we'll try to spread the joy with some links sifted from our e-mail and web procrastination...

Agricultural empowerment and food security in impoverished areas of Kenya. It's part of Jeffrey Sachs' ambitious plans at the UN Millennium Project discussed in yesterday's NY Times. There was also a great write-up on the project in last November's NY Times Magazine.

With oil prices climbing, is local ag the hot stock to own? James Kunstler gives the A to Z on our coming energy conundrum and places some bets in an adaptation from his new book, The Long Emergency.

The energy cost issue is given a look in yesterday's notes from Farm Policy. Keith also delineates the latest talk about increased farm subsidies for enviro stewardship, though it seems there may be more politicking to it than follow-through. Show me the money.

It's finally that time of year. Time for the Feast of the First Asparagus. But even if you don't appreciate the after-smell of asparagus, there's some really nifty stuff going on at Gettin' the Right Eats.

'Tis also the season for rhubarb. And a hotel in Scotland sure knows how to celebrate the occasion. The plant is gorgeous.

In a followup to a post on Kraft's family of "organic" brands, there's a great article out there by Phil Howard from 2003. "Consolidation in Food and Agriculture: Implications for Farmers and Consumers" has a nifty web of the major corporate mamas and papas of organic brands. Jen of life begins @ thirty also noted that Green Digit has its own little black book.

It's not noted in those articles, but I find it very twisted that Dean owns Horizon, Silk, and most of the "regional" milk brands in the country.

If you haven't discovered Google Maps' satellite photos, it's the time waster you've been waiting for. There are probably some pretty impressive farmland views-from-above waiting to be discussed. Don't know how often they'll be updating the photos, but it would be neat to see seasonal change. (via kottke)

And there are some great local food /sustainable agriculture events going on in the Northeast over the next month...