William Cobbett’s ‘Cottage Economy’: the future is material
Cottage Economy is not, however, just a nineteenth-century DIY manual. It is also a fiercely polemical defence of smallholding as a way of life.
Food & Water
The Seven Layers of A Forest Garden
In the second chapter of her book, author Dani Baker examines how vertical space in forest gardens can organically overlap to keep multiple layers of plants growing beautifully.
The Great Coffee Economy Con
Coffee, the addictive obsession of the affluent class, can tell us more about modern society than just retail trends; it is an indicator for how the modern neoliberal system operates, and its current shift toward new economic extremes.
Rural Europe Takes Action | Seeds of Collaboration
By empowering communities to build sustainable local food systems – including new models based on cooperation for the common good – policymakers will be helping to build local economic resilience and taking action to combat climate change and biodiversity loss.
The Home-Scale Forest Garden: Excerpt
What is a forest garden, and why would you consider developing one instead of planting a traditional vegetable garden, a row of berry bushes, or an orchard?
Mexican Farmers and Scientists Share a Mission: Saving a Wetland
Eslava and Sumano are working together to preserve the region’s chinampas, remnants of the branch and reed rafts that Mesoamerican farmers covered in nutrient-rich lake mud to grow fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
The nitrogen fertilizer monkey trap
Nitrogen fertilizers are like so many other things our modern industrial civilization requires, absolutely necessary to maintain our current trajectory of continuous growth and increasingly threatening to a sustainable future.
Farm Stops: A New Way to Enhance Local and Regional Food Systems
A Farm Stop is a mission-driven entity that supports small-scale farmers by sourcing agricultural products from nearby producers, and by operating on consignment.
Summer Reading 2022: Book Reviews
Are you looking for a summer read? We share some of our favourite recent food and farming books.
Book Review: Helping Water Find Its Own Level
Gies takes readers on a global journey, highlighting researchers and engineers who “share an openness to moving from a control mindset to one of respect,” and seek to support what she calls a “Slow Water” movement.
The Grassroots Groups Shifting Ground on Land Justice
No food justice or environmental justice without social justice means nature, land and sustainable, healthy food systems must be accessible to all, regardless of heritage, background or neighbourhood.
Could This Ancient Farming Technique Be a Climate Solution?
Terracing has been used for centuries to help prevent fire, moderate temperatures, and make farming possible even when water is scarce.
