Understanding Economies of Scale
By Frank Aragona, Agricultural Innovations
And again I come back to my central (but evolving) thesis: permaculture is failing because we are only practicing one part of it effectively.
The Permaculture Fail
By Frank Aragona, Agricultural Innovations
I write this not to be discouraging or defeatist, but to impress upon you that it is time we started creating the socio-economic models that will make permaculture successful.
Agroinnovations #110: Mixed, low-input smallholder systems
By Frank Aragona, Agroinnovations
On this episode of the podcast we are joined by Dr. Blair Orr. Dr. Orr is the director of the Master’s International Program at Michigan Technological University, and has worked for several decades in the areas of agroforestry, forest economics, and small holder tropical systems. We discuss the MI Program at MTU, changes and patterns in Third World agriculture, land tenure, low input mixed systems, increasing connectivity and migration in developing countries, the future of Haiti, and strategies for promoting development in tropical agriculture.
Agroinnovations #107: Recipe for America
By Frank Aragona, Agroinnovations
On this episode of the podcast we are joined by Jill Richardson. Jill is a journalist, author and blogger who writes for the blog La Vida Locavore and also for the news site alternet.org. In this interview we discuss Cuba as an example of a post-peak agricultural society, the propaganda of the GMO seed companies, the corporate push to approve genetically modified salmon, the Green Revolution in Mexico, and how to fix our broken food system.
Agroinnovations #100: Regenerative permaculture
By Frank Aragona, Agroinnovations
In this 100th episode of the Agroinnovations Podcast we are joined by Darren Doherty, a permaculture designer and consultant who is an expert in keyline design, broadacre permaculture, and agroforestry.
Agroinnovations #99: Ecological Imperialism
By Frank Aragona, Agroinnovations
This episode focuses on the arguments in the book Ecological Imperialism, written by Alfred W. Crosby. Alfred Crosby joined me briefly to talk about this book. I have added to his comments by reading key passages from his book. Topics of discussion include the success of Europeans in the New World, the significance of Pangaea and the Neolithic Revolution, the definition and explanation of terms like Neo-Europe and portmanteau biota, the failure of the Norse explorers in North America, European Imperialism in the Canary Islands, the role of weeds, animals, and disease in European successes overseas, and a biogeographical explanation for European conquest.
Agroinnovations #96: Wild Farming
By Frank Aragona, Agroinnovations
Wild Farming is a concept pioneered by conservationist Aldo Leopold and is now taking many forms throughout North America. In this interview I am joined by Joann Baumgartner of the Wild Farm Alliance. The Wild Farm Alliance's mission is to promote a healthy, viable agriculture that helps protect and restore wild Nature. Topics of discussion include the origins of wild farming, strategies for promoting and conserving biodiversity on the farm, predator friendly farming, continental wildlife corridors, and the price of food as an obstacle to wild farming.
Agroinnovations #77: CREAR with Mark Feedman
By Frank Aragona, Agroinnovations
Mark Feedman is the founder of CREAR, the Regional Center for the Study of Rural Alternatives, a small agricultural school located in the northern mountains of the Dominican Republic, near the Haitian border. Feedman has been an tireless advocate of sustainable agriculture for 40 years, and in this interview he recounts his struggle to create an educational center in the remote forests of Hispaniola. Topics include rural education, the future of Haiti, and the subject of hope.