Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
– French towns swap rubbish trucks for horse-drawn carts
– Swiss Solar boat heads on around-the-world voyage
– Zero Emissions Race – 30 days around the world using renewables
– Does (European) Social-Democracy Have a Future?
– The Soot Road: Travelling along one of most polluted energy corridors on Earth
A steady state economy would move away from control of food by transnational corporations and toward an increased number and diversity of small and medium-sized farms, and healthy rural communities.
“A thing is right when it tends to strengthen the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.”
– Human Impact on World’s Rivers ‘Threatens Water Security of 5 Billion’
– Groundwater Depletion Raises Likelihood of Global Food Crises
– NYT: Water Use in Southwest Heads for a Day of Reckoning
– Sharon Astyk: The Water Fountain
Articles that we thought were significant this month.
When officials gather for an international summit on biodiversity next month, they might look to remind the world why species matter to humans: for producing oxygen, finding new drugs, making agricultural crops more productive, and something far less tangible — a sense of wonder.
I never thought I would see this happen: throughout the local foods movement, there are complaints now from the farmers saying that there are too many markets and marketers. That means less money for each farmer, the ancient problem that never goes away.
Civilization depends on fertile soils. Ultimately, the health of the people cannot be separated from the health of the land.
The Norwegian science program Schrödingers katt aired an excellent introduction to the concept of peak phosphorous. Phosphorus is required for modern agriculture, and like oil, its supplies are limited.
(YouTube video)
The food crisis of 2008 never really ended, it was ignored and forgotten. The rich and powerful are well fed; they had no food crisis, no shortage, so in the West, it was little more than a short lived sound bite, tragic but forgettable. To the poor in the developing world, whose ability to afford food is no better now than in 2008, the hunger continues.
Researchers investigating a coming peak in world phosphorous production have urged caution on the revising up of estimates of reserves in a new report.
In this 100th episode of the Agroinnovations Podcast we are joined by Darren Doherty, a permaculture designer and consultant who is an expert in keyline design, broadacre permaculture, and agroforestry.
