Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
The last thing society needs to address systemic failures of the food system is rollback in commitments to socio-ecological transition, or a turn towards politics built on exclusion and oppression, which seems to be what is offered following farmers’ protests.
The biggest value of the native farm breeds is about relationship between humans, the agroecosystem, the culture and the local natural world that we are part of. They also root us in history; our ancestors speak to us through them. We should listen.
What ancient farmers can really teach us about adapting to climate change – and how political power influences success or failure.
A small farm future out of practical necessity, then, but also one evincing positive cultural possibilities. But practical necessity is the critical driver.
Will we finally pick up a shovel and create conditions on our properties, neighborhoods, towns, and villages so that not a drop of rainwater is lost without use? It is a vibrant and enthusiastic call; we can only seriously consider the question of rainwater retention or recovery.
So next time you pour maple syrup onto your pancakes, into your coffee or tea, or perhaps make this delicious pudding, take a moment to think about the lifecycle of the maple.
I think the only way out of this predicament is to place farming and food production at the center and heart of the debate about the future of society – few people can dispute that food is the most essential production there is.
And this is true of all common goods. It is only the crazy logic of a capitalist market that wrenches any benefit out of waste. Short-term gain is never a real gain.
Using an app developed by Inuit in Nunavut, Indigenous communities from Alaska to Greenland are harnessing data to make their own decisions.
So I am being traditional. I am learning what our ancestors knew. I am trying to fit my life within the natural flows of material and energy in my homeland. I am fasting in the spring…
Between the rocks and sands of the desert, where water is scarce, the fortified villages, called “ksar,” were more than just villages. They embodied the integration of habitat into its environment, fortresses of resilience, guardians of ancient wisdom.
Ongoing research finds that trashcans can feed and boost crow populations, which comes with a potentially deadly cost for some other bird species.
