Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
There is a temptation to view rooftop farming as a novelty or a lifestyle trend, especially in middle-class contexts. But Living Greens work resists that narrative. It regrounds urban farming in the needs of ordinary people; farmers looking for dignified work, households seeking healthier food, and communities preparing for climate disruption.
Before I begin let me say that I think much of the global livestock industry is a horror show, and it’d be great to bring the curtain down on a lot of it. Also that cutting down wild forests or ploughing up wild grasslands are terrible ideas. And that there are a lot of good reasons to opt for veganism. That’s not what this is about.
Can we meet the needs of humanity without undermining the life-support systems of the planet? Find out if bioregioning holds the key to a positive and systemic way forward. Lyla June Johnston, Samantha Power, and Brandon Letsinger will offer insight and inspiring leadership in “Bioregioning: How to Thrive where We Live.”
The hope is that what began in the fields near Leipzig may well mark the start of a new chapter for Germany’s food system; one where bread becomes more than sustenance, but the shared ground for a fairer, more resilient future.
Therefore, one can’t separate the question for how an ecological food system can look like from a purely ecological perspective from the socio-economic aspects of it….I think the starting point is that those involved in the management of ecosystems should, largely, be in charge and control the resources. Decentralized management will lead to more diversity, innovation and evolution.
I often just say gardening is standing back and taking a look and seeing what nature’s already doing and not stand in its way. That’s it in a nutshell. If I had to put it all into one sentence, it would be that one.
Severe weather, shifting trade policies, and a lack of support for small farmers are driving coffee prices sky high. Without urgent investment, your daily brew could become a luxury.
There is no “if we all just did x” solution, shorn of local context, to the unravelling of the high-energy global economy. This kind of contextless thinking exemplifies what I call in my forthcoming book the ‘world environmental problems’ framework. It signally fails to provide plausible solutions.
Situated within a bioregion populated by a multitude of small-scale nested ecosystems that grow food and create useful materials alongside textile fibres the fashion farm will require integration into wider production systems and seasons. It will require learning to be we not I. This dream is too big for one person and a single farm, it is something we must manifest together.
This manifesto is a call for constructive defiance. We cannot wait for top-down solutions. The future must be built from below—by cultivating water, restoring land, training youth, and constructing homes that regenerate rather than consume.
Crafting a story and connecting people are centrally important to successfully cultivating biodiversity, as Belgian farmer Tijs Boelens has found out in his work to integrate heritage grains into the supply chain.
Agroecology is a science, a set of practices, and a movement that is critical to the transition to sustainable food systems.
