Safeguarding Native Genetics
We need the diversity that rare breeds represent. Today’s generation needs to understand how relevant traditional breeds are to modern food production.
Food & Water featured
Democratising Agricultural Research for Food Sovereignty in West Africa
The West African part of the action-research programme – Democratising Agricultural Research for Food Sovereignty – has made a conscious effort to include members of both advocacy and practitioner movements.
Understanding Where our Bread is Really Buttered
My overriding (and underlying) point is that Agriculture and Land Use (/abuse) are fundamental to everything else and they are not given a fraction of the attention they deserve
The Great Divide
Our increasing disconnection from our rural origins represents an increasing disconnection from ourselves, compromising our ability to flourish. Perhaps it’s time to rethink our disconnect with food and bridge that great divide.
Rajasthan: A Seed Story
In my work, growing and saving seeds of rare and endangered cash crops, I was keen to gain an understanding of the challenges and realities for an expanding cohort of horticulturalists that were continuing a traditional, low-input sustainable model of cultivation and responding to an increasing demand for organically grown produce.
“The Story of Soil Is the Story of All of Us”
For as long as humans have engaged in agriculture, and even before, we’ve relied on healthy soil and the organisms it supports.
Four Food Advocates are Speaking Up Against an Unfair System that is Causing Hunger to Persist
Four food advocates from across the United States may challenge your preconceptions of today’s farmers. They shared their views recently on the challenges of providing healthy, sustainable food and ending hunger.
Flowers of the Food Forest: Reciprocity and the Obligation of Gifts
“Action on behalf of life transforms. Because the relationship between self and the world is reciprocal, it is not a question of first getting enlightened or saved and then acting. As we work to heal the earth, the earth heals us.”
Mosquito-Flavored Popcorn, or What Climate Scientists Are Getting Wrong (Episode 8 of Crazy Town)
Did you know that we can lose half our food supply and it won’t matter? That’s because agriculture is only 3% of GDP, so there’s no need to worry about the effects of climate change on farming. Or so says the latest genius to win the Nobel Prize in economics.
Agroecology: A Systems Approach
Agroecology is deeply rooted in systems theory, the idea that many constituent parts make up a greater whole. If one piece is damaged or broken, then the whole system suffers. If a piece is manipulated or moved, then it will affect other parts in the system.
Seed of Self-Worth: Reviving the Lost Foods of Palestine
The problem Vivien identified, of people not wanting to be who they are, is reflected throughout many cultures. Even in the UK, there is a disconnect between wider society and traditional farming practices.
Five Dollars a Day is Not Enough for Five a Day
Very few traditional farming systems have had a high share of fruits and vegetables unless you include starchy crops like plantains, potatoes, cassava or yams in your definition.
