Is it possible to live off foraged food alone? Fergus Drennan thinks so and aims to prove it. In the first of his monthly columns he explains why, from April 1 st, he will be eating nothing but wild food – for an entire year...
… Fergus Drennan | 1st April 2008 News Foraging Subsistence Awakening Philosophy Foraging Farming Local Food Production … nothing but wild food – for an entire year... Foraging – what’s all the fuss about? What …
The insecticide chlorpyrifos is not just highly toxic to developing human foetuses. A new study finds that it also damages the memory and learning ability of Forager bees even at very low doses, threatening the survival of this important pollinator.
… the behavioral ecology and communication of foraging bees, chlorpyrifos, even in sublethal … the behavioral ecology and communication of foraging bees, chlorpyrifos, even in sublethal …
The image of the rancher in the rugged West is one of self-sufficiency and a tough defiance of government, writes George Wuerthner. But the truth is that ranchers, especially those using federal land, depend on a host of generous subsidies, both economic and ecological.
We must rid the American West of 'welfare ranching' George Wuerthner | 22nd June 2014 Activism USA Farming Commons Natural World Water grand-view-ranch-cut.jpg The image of the rancher in the rugged …
‘OK then,’ I say to Fergus, with a challenge in my voice, ‘what about badger?’ ‘Badger?’ says Fergus, his eyes on the road as he drives me into the Kent countryside. ‘Many times. There’s no rhyme or reason to badger. Sometimes it tastes really gamey and uriney, even if it’s fresh. It can be excellent though.’ I look at him as he drives. He’s definitely serious.
… extreme,’ he says. Getting the habit Fergus’ foraging life began early. As a child he would … do was get an office job, he wanted to be out foraging. He decided to see if he could make … of it through this that I could never leave.’ Foraging, says Fergus, is not just about food …
The idea of eating meat sourced from the roadside - whether deer, pheasant, fox or even otter - might sound revolting to you but for some, it's a gastronomic opportunity and a way of avoiding factory farmed meat
… 2012 Ethical Living Roadkill Food And Drink Foraging Meat Farming Wildlife Green Living … to me,’ McGowan continues. Bushcraft and foraging expert Fergus Drennan agrees. ‘The … suggestions GREEN LIVING The A to Z of foraging Fed up of paying a premium for …
A vicious cycle of climate change, cattle diet and rising methane has been revealed in a new scientific study: as temperatures rise, forage plants get tougher and harder to digest, and cause more methane to be produced in bovine stomachs. And with cattle numbers rising and methane 85 times more powerful a greenhouse gas over 20 years, that spells trouble.
Spiral of doom: hotter world increases cattle methane emissions Oliver Tickell | 27th March 2017 News Climate Change Farming Ecology cattle-india-cut.jpg A vicious cycle of climate change, cattle …
A new study shows it's not just neonicotinoids that impair bees' ability to navigate to nectar and pollen sources, and to their nests: now the herbicide glyphosate has been found to have the same impact even at very low levels.
… within this range delays the return of the foraging honey bee to the hive. Flight … range used on crops delays the return of the foraging honey bee to the hive. Flight …
The outbreak of Ebola in West Africa had everything to do with logging, deforestation and the disruption of traditional agro-forestry by large scale industrial agriculture, writes Rob Wallace. The only long term solution to this terrible disease may lie in forest conservation, the restoration of agroecological farming systems, and the exclusion of agribusiness investment.
… dispossessing smallholdings and traditional foraging grounds for mining, clear-cut … permit easy movement between roosting and foraging sites. Bats aren't stupid. As the forest disappears they shift their foraging behavior to what food and shelter are …
With supermarket milk cheaper than spring water, it's time to rethink the modern dairy industry. It's not just the milk that's become a throwaway product - the high-octane Holstein cows that produce it are also in the knackers yard after just two or three lactations, the living waste of a loss-making, environment-trashing industry.
Dairy - the case for greener, healthier, lower performing cows Mark Eisler Graeme Martin Michael Lee | 8th September 2014 Comment Food Farming Health Animal Welfare bull-cow-cut.jpg Contented cattle …
Dangerous volumes of neonicotinoid insecticides and other pesticides are expressed in common wild flowers like buttercups and hawthorn blossom in countryside under arable cultivation, a new study has discovered. The discovery invalidates the UK government's 'pollinator strategy' based on creating 'safe havens' in arable areas - because the havens are in fact loaded with pesticides.
… "In summary, our study confirms that bees foraging in arable farmland are exposed to a …
Ranchers can deliberately abuse public land and the wildlife that lives on it at will, writes George Wuerthner, confident that any breaches of the law are likely to be overlooked. But it's another thing altogether if you're trying to protect that land from destructive exploitation. Why the double standard?
Who are the real 'eco-terrorists' on America's public lands? George Wuerthner | 27th January 2015 Activism USA Natural World Farming Biodiversity Commons bighorn-sheep-cut.jpg Ranchers can …
The unfolding human and ecological disaster of GM agriculture in the Americas must send the EU a powerful message, writes Helena Paul. We don't want it here, and we should stop buying the products of GM-driven genocide and ecocide abroad.
GM crops are driving genocide and ecocide - keep them out of the EU! Helena Paul | 5th February 2014 News Genocide Ecocide Gm Food GMOs South America Brazil Argentina Uruguay USA Farming Forests …
The short haired bumblebee was declared extinct in the UK 30 years ago. But now the species is being re-introduced in the flower-rich meadows and field margins of Kent, writes Michael Parker - helped along by sympathetic local farmers.
Extinct 30 years ago - the short-haired bumble bee takes to the skies Michael Parker | 31st May 2014 Ethical Living Natural World UK Farming bee-in-hand-cut.jpg The short haired bumblebee was …
The EPA's release of an internal memorandum last month showing the increasing use of the cancer-linked weedkiller glyphosate looked like a welcome opening up of information to the public, writes Carey Gillam. But then it was suddenly withdrawn, along with other related documents - though not before she grabbed her copy and reviewed the scale and scope of glyphosate usage.
Withdrawn: the EPA's memo on the increasing use of glyphosate on food crops Carey Gillam USRTK | 10th May 2016 Comment Food Farming Regulation Pesticides Health USA almond-blossom-cut.jpg The EPA's …
What with rising rainfall in the west, and hotter, drier summers in the east, British farmers place plenty of challenges from global warming, writes Anna Bowen. But there are also positive opportunities for agricultural innovators to adapt their farming systems to changing conditions, make their operations more resilient and sustainable, and make themselves part of the solution.
Climate change and farming: let's be part of the solution! Anna Bowen | 9th January 2017 Comment Farming Climate Change UK Wales flood-wales-2-cut.jpg What with rising rainfall in the west, and …
Chemical giant Bayer has failed in its attempt to sue Friends of the Earth Germany over its claims that its pesticide Thiacloprid harms bees. Now pressure is growing on the EU to add the neonicotinoid to the three already banned.
… as to "the ability to communicate and pollen foraging activity of bees" . It also believes …
Recent reports of catastrophic declines in bee populations have had scientists buzzing around looking for a plausible explanation. Is it mites? Is it GM crops? Is it mobile phones or habitat loss? It's all of these things, says Pat Thomas, but it's also so much more than that.
Give Bees a chance Pat Thomas | 11th February 2008 News Bees Crops Diversity Colony Collapse Disorder Intensive Farming Gm Pesticides Electromagnetic Fields Parasites Varroa Diversity Farming Food …
Wild flower margins around arable fields can funnel deadly pesticides into the bees, wild pollinators and other insects they are intended to benefit, writes Oliver Tickell. Neonic pesticides are often far more concentrated in the wild flowers than in the crop itself.
… crops and that it may be diluted by bees also foraging on untreated wildflowers." Planting …
On the first anniversary of the UK's National Pollinator Strategy, writes Sandra Bell, the Bee Coalition warns that bees are still under threat from highly toxic pesticides, continuing loss of habitat, and an increasingly inhospitable countryside. The Government must do more to protect our bees.
… neonicotinoids "presents a sizeable hazard to foraging bees." All these latest findings …
Abusive farming of animals in factory farms is one of the great cruelties of the modern age, writes Philip Lymbery. While some may justify it as necessary to 'feed the world', it is no such thing. The answer lies in supporting small scale traditional farmers, and respecting the livestock that are intrinsic to sustainable agriculture across the planet.
… natural behaviours such as nesting or foraging. These systems rely heavily on vast …
You don't need a garden to grow your own fruit and veg. If you're a budding horticulturalist with no space to swing a trowel, here are some creative - and sometimes bizarre - ideas from around the world
How to grow food in strange places - by the experts Helen Babbs | 29th September 2010 Activism Food And Farming Farming Urban Agriculture Self-sufficiency How To Make A Difference …
An ordinary arable field in Sussex is sprayed with pesticides 22 times over a single growing season. Dave Goulson wonders how the bees can survive this toxic onslaught - and exactly who benefits.
… was a late year), and will be crawling with foraging bumblebees, hoverflies and other …
Antibiotics used to protect them from bacterial illnesses ravaging hives are making them die from commonly used pesticides, some of which are used to ward-off bee-killing parasites. Matthew Thompson reports.
… encounter a diverse array of pesticides when foraging and because more than 120 different …
Our bees and wider farmland ecosystems have been seriously harmed by neonicotinoids, writes Dave Goulson. But that's just the start of the damage that modern farming is doing to wildlife in a countryside stripped of wild flowers and drenched by cocktails of pesticides. The problem is not just neonics, but the entire model of industrial agriculture.
… during the spring or summer, when bees are foraging. But it allows the continued use of …