Best Of MetaFilter

Photo by Tom Fisk

kliuless has an in-depth post on "the move by national governments, financial investors and private security forces to snap up food and water resources." Robber barons in the food system.

via Wikimedia, Tanbo art, Inakadate, Aomori Prefecture. Acala from the 2012 work “Hibo Kannon and Acala”. Viewed from village administation building

Wow! Athanassiel posted about rice paddy art — huge and incredibly clear images made by planting different strains of rice seeds.

Les blés by _.Yann Cœuru ._ (cc by)

There's something called "the resource curse," or resource trap ... Eyebrows McGee with a fascinating bit of musing on Russia and Ukraine and the hinterlands and yeoman farmers, and resource extraction, wealth concentration, state benefits, education, and how they are bound together ... and why all this might be more important than usual right now. Confused? You won't be!