Food & agriculture – Aug 30

Slow Food brings many issues to the table
Sewage sludge: Too good to waste?
Was the organic food revolution just a fad? Fear for farmers as shoppers tighten belts
As food prices soar, Brazil and Argentina react in opposite ways
Switzerland: Contract farming co-ops show organic growth

How to grow a four-season garden – Part 1

If we had to, we could have survived on are garden alone through the fall and winter. All because we really wanted to do it and nothing was going to stop us. So we found ways to extend the seasons, and to use them to our advantage. Article includes ten reasons to grow a 4-season garden, what crops to grow, and when to grow them.

Permaculture White House

Eight years ago my husband Richard and I, the eccentric new kids on the block, snuffed out our front and back lawns with sheets of cardboard and turkey mulch and planted edibles. Lately, in my strolls around the ’hood I’ve noticed more than a few shrinking or altogether disappeared lawns, some sporting edible replacements. It appears as though rising food and energy costs have finally hit mainstream and human adaptability may be kicking in.

Food & agriculture – Aug 26

National Geographic on Our Good Earth: The future rests on the soil beneath our feet
Let them eat rats
Food, fuel and water crises converging
Tackling the global fertilizer crisis (Bangladesh)
TVA fertilizer technology used worldwide — but few new products since 1970s

Slow Food Nation to release healthy food & agriculture declaration

“We, the undersigned, believe that a healthy food system is necessary to meet the urgent challenges of our time,” begins the final draft of the Declaration for Healthy Food and Agriculture. Initiated by Roots of Change and half a year in the drafting, it will be released August 29 at Slow Food Nation (SFN) at San Francisco’s City Hall.

Peak phosphorus: Quoted reserves vs. production history

A hypothesis is presented whereby phosphorus is considered in two broad forms: “easy” which is able to be mined quickly, but already peaked in 1990, and “hard” which has large remaining reserves and is yet to peak, but cannot be mined as quickly. … Ultimately we must develop a recyclable phosphorus supply if humans are to continue living on this planet.