Inspiration

Round hay bales

Agriculture 3.0 or (Smart) Agroecology?

By Francesco Ajena, P2P Foundation Blog

While transforming food and agriculture to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is becoming increasingly urgent, ‘smart farming’ appears to many as an attractive way to achieve sustainability, not least in terms of profit. In the European Commission’s plan, the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is intended to fund the huge investments this 3.0 agri-revolution would require. In a context of changing environment and agriculture, this vision seems to be fitting with the need for modernising and making agriculture ‘climate-smart’. But what are the risks and the real opportunities behind this vision? Could synergies between agroecology and digital tools be found to satisfy the needs of modernisation while ensuring the independence of farmers and a legitimate use of public funds? This article is also available in audio as part of the Green Wave podcast. Increasingly, ‘smart farming’ has been making its way into farms across Europe and onto the political agenda....

  • July 15, 2019
The Children in Permaculture Manual

Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share in Education: The Children in Permaculture Manual: Review

By Matt Willer, Permaculture Association

This was an inspirational book which, page after page, was extremely thought provoking and a very helpful guide to any adult who wishes to engage children with permaculture. The Children in Permaculture Manual has been written by people who not only see the world through the permaculture lens, but also know exactly how, through thoughtful pedagogy, children can be engaged to see through this lens too. It clearly explains the paramount message that children are today growing up in a world with many ecological uncertainties. I particularly found the line: ‘It is time when society needs to accept feedback from Earth and to respond to it’ very thought provoking. The Children in Permaculture Manual is a fantastic example of how the 21st century needs to be the century of big transitions towards finding sustainable solutions. Clearly, by empowering children with permaculture, with its three ethics of ‘Earth Care, People Care and...

  • July 12, 2019
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Bristol Pound notes

Monetary Alchemy: How to Turn Bad Money into Good

By Thomas H. Greco, Jr., Open Democracy

The prosperity, resilience and self-determination of a community is greatly dependent on its having an adequate supply of payment media to connect available supplies with basic needs, so the usual scarcity of conventional money needs to be overcome.

  • July 19, 2019
broccoli

Preference as the Missing Link in Food Policy

By Bee Wilson, Sustainable Food Trust

We won’t build a more diverse food system until we help people develop more diverse preferences. At the moment, our food system is suffering from lack of diversity both at the level of supply and of demand.

  • July 19, 2019
Keep Families Together protest

Climate Emergency Declarations Guarantee Nothing; We Need Total System Transformation for Climate Mitigation and Adaptation

By Sandra Lindberg, System Change not Climate Change

Do what you can and as much as you can, even as you factor in your own limits.. Those of us who are awake must find our way to work on what has been unleashed. What we choose to do must become effective participation in the longest relay race we’ve ever been forced to run. Don’t drop the baton, and do pass it on.

  • July 19, 2019
book cover

Local is Our Future: Excerpt

By Helena Norberg-Hodge, Local Futures

Localization means getting out of the highly unstable and exploitative bubbles of speculation and debt, and back to the real economy – our interface with other people and the natural world.

  • July 19, 2019
Sheet Metal workers belt buckle

Blue Collar Workers: Let’s Support the Green New Deal

By Steve Morse, System Change not Climate Change

To win the GND, it’s going to take a broad, deep and diverse political alliance.  Workers need a strong voice in this alliance, and by being a part of that, we can speak up for our issues. 

  • July 18, 2019
Desert greening

Moving from Resistance to Repair

By Vicki Robin, The Great Transition Initiative

The climate movement has excelled at resistance but is missing a crucial, essential element: a focus on repair. It is clear about what it is against, but largely mum on a restoration project equal to the scale of climate change damage.

  • July 18, 2019
Lora Kinkade

Inside the Shearing Shed with Kinkade Shearing

By Marie Hoff, Fibershed

Power dynamics between people, and between people and animals, can be a daunting challenge. But from that challenge emerges a goal: to shear a sheep so that it will be healthy, and so people can make use of the wool that the sheep no longer needs during the summer. 

  • July 17, 2019
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