If the World’s Soils Keep Drying Out that’s Bad News for Microbes (and People)
Deep beneath our feet, out of sight and out of mind, millions of tiny communities of microbes are working together to perform key functions for the ecosystem.
building resilient food systems
If There Are No New Farmers, Who Will Grow Our Food?
Farming as an occupation has been graying steadily for more than three decades
Small Scale Farming Really Isn’t Small
Economists sanctify expansion in agriculture as the way farmers survive but in the very act of saying that, they are also pointing out why farmers don’t survive.
The Yardfarmers Trailer is here!
t’s here! After our successful call for contestants this summer, we produced a trailer with five budding yardfarmers. Watch it now! And then share the video with your friends!
Food in a Not Too Distant Future
For the last few months, I’ve been working closely with three very different groups, each keen to hitch their wagon to a regional food system.
Catch of the Week
Community-supported fisheries bring the benefits of community-supported agriculture to the seas. Customers support their local economies, while receiving the freshest of seafood.
The Truth Behind Waste in Supermarket Supply Chains
About half of the food wasted in the UK is wasted in the supply chain, before it even gets to the shopping basket – about 7 million tonnes of it. That’s more than enough to end UK food poverty.
Worst Trade Union of the Year Award: a Small Farm Future Special
The year, I know, is scarce begun, and yet already I feel able to offer you three strong contenders for this new annual award from the small farm future stable, culled from my recent trip to the Oxford Real Farming Conference.
Has “Organic” Been Stripped of its Meaning?
The term ‘organic’ has come to be understood by most consumers as ‘grown without synthetic chemicals’, which to most people’s surprise, does not always mean that farming practices are sustainable.
Land Trusts Aid Beginning Farmers in Land Procurement
Land trusts are nonprofit entities designed to protect resources, including farmland.
Taking the Pulse of a New Food Trend
This year, the United Nations calls for a global celebration of pulses. Beans are no longer has-beans.
So you Want to Be a Farmer? Thirteen Words of Wisdom from Me to Myself
Colin asked me to describe my experiences establishing a small, ecologically-minded farming business, the obstacles we’d faced and how we’d overcome them.
