GMO enthusiasts insist that organic, agroecological farming could never feed the world, writes Colin Todhunter. But it has been feeding us all for millennia - and it's the only way to continue while enriching the soils and biodiversity on which all farming depends. As Mahatma Gandhi once observed, industrial agriculture is but a nine-day wonder. And its time will soon be up.
… Organic agriculture, agroecology and the … | 21st March 2016 News Food Farming Ecology Organicorganic-carrots-cut.jpg GMO enthusiasts insist …
Those opposed to the mass release of GM crops and foods inadequately tested for health and ecological safety are routinely accused of being anti-science, writes Elizabeth Henderson. But it's the GM corporations and their academic allies that are suppressing scientific research, and organic farmers that are building alliances with independent scientists for a future of safe, healthy food.
… Organic farmers are not anti-science - we … that are suppressing scientific research, and organic farmers that are building alliances … brainstorming sessions for the New York Organic Action Plan, an organic farmer made an …
Bhaskar Save, the 'Gandhi of natural farming', died last year after a lifetime of organic growing and determined campaigning against the destruction of India's traditional, sustainable agriculture, writes Colin Todhunter. His 2006 open letter, published here, sets out a devastating critique of industrial agriculture and its impacts, and an eloquent and timely agroecological manifesto.
… January 2016 Comment Farming Ecology India Organic Water bhaskar-save-cut.jpg Bhaskar … farming', died last year after a lifetime of organic growing and determined campaigning … Masanobu Fukuoka, the legendary Japanese organic farmer, once described Bhaskar Hiraji …
Everyone in this society is caught up in the battle between two models of agriculture, writes Blain Snipsta - industrial agribusiness for profit, control and domination; and small-scale agroecological farming for good food, health, people and planet.
… framework. So it's not just about increasing organic matter in the soil. It is also a … of Southeastern African American Farmers' Organic Network (SAAFON). Blain talks about …
Rising levels of carbon dioxide don't just cause global warming, writes Jason Hall-Spencer. Another consequence is acidifying oceans - which promises to disrupt marine ecology around the world, killing off oysters and corals, while boosting 'nuisance species' like stinging jellyfish.
Attack of the stinging jellyfish: the winners of ocean acidification Jason Hall-Spencer Plymouth University | 16th December 2015 Comment Oceans Climate Change COP21 Ecology Fishing jellyfish-cut.jpg …
At what point are technologies so complex, uncertain, or unmanageable as to be beyond regulation? The question is key to human and ecological health, writes Jonatham Latham. But instead of learning from successful approaches, such as aviation safety, we are throwing the lessons away when faced with truly complex problems - like chemicals, GMOs, and now 'gene drives'.
Gene drives: the scientific case for a complete and perpetual ban Jonathan Latham | 13th February 2017 News Regulation GMOs Health Toxics Ecology Pesticides chemical-valley-cut.jpg At what point are …
For long periods animals in ancient oceans could live only in shallow surface waters, above vast 'dead zones' inhabited only by anoxic bacteria, writes Richard Pancost. Human activity is now creating immense new dead zones, and global warming could be helping as it reduces vertical mixing of waters. Could this be the beginning of something big?
… became anoxic, allowing vast amounts of organic matter to escape degradation, and in … largely live off marine snow , the scraps of organic matter that somehow escape from the …
Loneliness, capitalist urbanisation, and ecological crisis. In this world, politics should be about bringing people together and taking control of the spaces where we live. The latest instalment from the SYMBIOSIS RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
… body, it systematically undermines organic interactions—anything unplanned is … should be dynamic and exciting, a space of organic possibility, becomes a space where all …
Humanity is continuing to drive species into extinction at a terrifying rate, writes Robert J. Burrowes - not just nameless beetles and midges, but mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and trees. The biggest causes are habitat destruction, pollution and hunting ... and unless we stop soon, we too will be among the victims of our ecocidal attack on Earth.
… place, we also dump vast quantities of both inorganic and organic pollutants into it as well. Some of the main toxic substances in waste are inorganic constituents such as heavy metals, …
Increased atmospheric CO2 is doing much more than warming the Earth, writes Tony Juniper - it's also acidifying oceans, something that is already having major impacts on ocean ecology in the Southern Ocean and the North Atlantic. Likely effects: more CO2 in the atmosphere, more jellyfish.
COP21 warned on global warming's evil twin - acidifying oceans Tony Juniper | 3rd December 2015 News Oceans Climate Change Ecology Science coccolith-cut.jpg Increased atmospheric CO2 is doing much …
The psychosomatic effects of this pandemic will be carried in our bodies and will redefine our relationships with ourselves, others and the Earth.
Towards a shift in interdependent life Dr. Sanja Dejanovic | 1st May 2020 Comment Covid-19 Coronavirus Thought Leaders Embodiment Ecology Capitalism screenshot_2020-05-01_at_15.58.54.png The …
Is the species that dwells peacefully within its habitat with respect for the rights of other species the one that is inferior? Or is it the species that wages a holy war against its habitat, destroying all species that irritate it? Paul Watson questions man's monopoly on advanced brain power, and finds a planet suffused with a far deeper intelligence than our own.
… fish, and singing in the sea. The whale is an organic submarine. A whale may not arrive in a … ship. All of its technology is internal and organic. We do not accept this. The human …
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.
… and a comprehensive approach that encourages organic land management is the best long-term …
GM companies are exploiting the launch of a new blight-resistant GMO potato to make their case for an EU-wide relaxation of rules restricting GM crops. But as Sophie Brown discovers, we have all the answers to blight already, without a GMO in sight!
… not monoculture Phil Sumption, at the Organic Research Centre , is concerned about … , is being sold by Marks & Spencer. Riverford Organic Farms grow and sell a range of good … deter blight. Both practices are critical in organic farming. "In the field we alternate …
A coalition of fishing, consumer, and environmental groups are suing the FDA for its 'unlawful' approval of Aquabounty's GM salmon, as it relied on treating the fish as an 'animal drug' under a 1938 law, and ignored serious risks to wild salmon and fishing communities.
FDA sued for 'unlawful' approval of GMO salmon The Ecologist | 1st April 2016 News GMOs Fishing Oceans Law Regulation Ecology USA Panama atlantic-salmon-cut.jpg A coalition of fishing, consumer, and …
A synthetic biology plant producing the anti-malarial drug artemisinin has just shut down as it's much cheaper to use wormwood grown by African farmers, writes Almuth Ernsting. The technology is even further from making affordable diesel, with a production cost of $20-50 per litre. No wonder investors are losing patience - and confidence - in loss-making synbio companies.
Oil: $30-35 per barrel. Synthetic biology diesel: $3,180 to $7,949 per barrel. Game over? Almuth Ernsting | 29th February 2016 News Biofuels Synbio GMOs Corporations Energy Renewables Ecology …
By keeping marine herbivores in check, predators from sharks to crabs are essential to keep the oceanic 'carbon pump' working - with seaweed and plankton fixing atmospheric carbon and bearing it down to deep waters and sediments before getting munched. It's time to give ocean predators the protection they deserve, for climate's sake.
Predators keep the oceans' carbon pump ticking Peter Macreadie Euan Ritchie Graeme Hays Trisha B Atwood | 29th September 2015 Comment Oceans Climate Change Science Ecology killer-whales-cut.jpg By …
As the Arctic warms and its ice melts, growing numbers freight ships are reaping big savings from the 'Arctic short cut'. But this is creating a huge risk of invasive species spreading in ballast water and on hulls - disrupting both Arctic and temperate ecosystems.
The Arctic shipping boom - a bonanza for invasive exotic species Natasha Geiling Smithsonian | 27th June 2014 News Oceans Transport Natural World Ecology redkingcrab-cut.jpg As the Arctic warms and …
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.
… Pesticides, "the widespread adoption of organic management is necessary to protect … "a broad-scale marketplace transition to organic practices that disallow the use of …
The state of the world’s nature shows human-driven sixth mass extinction is ongoing.
A million species threatened Arthur Wyns | 6th May 2019 News Biodiversity United Nations Ecology Extinction Science & Systems bdday_870.jpg The state of the world’s nature shows human-driven sixth …
'Natural capital' is an understandable attempt to put a value on our living planet and all the services it provides for us, writes John McMurtry. But it fails by measuring nature in dollars and cents. We need to develop a new concept of 'life capital' that must be preserved from exploitation and degradation no matter what the economic cost, because we, and Earth herself, depend upon it.
… which unifies across social, ecological and organic systems. It is the unseen foundation … its literacy development, or an individual's organic fitness through age stages). Yet it is … sequences to the top depriving and destroying organic, economic and natural life support …
Fermentation is far more than a way to prepare diverse, delicious and wholesome food, writes Joanna Wright. It is a means for us to connect with the ancient past, with the world around us, and with our own selves. Are you ready to try it?
… not all carrots are created equal, as the organic food movement has highlighted. As …
Mexico is determined to restore populations of its largest native predator, the jaguar, to long term viability, writes Kent Paterson. That means creating millions of acres of ecological corridors across the country, and joining with US colleagues to secure large areas of habitat in southwestern states, where recent sightings give hope that jaguars are returning to their former range.
From Yucatan to Arizona, from Sonora to New Mexico: the return of the jaguar Kent Paterson | 13th November 2015 Activism Mexico USA Xonservation Predators Mammals Ecology jaguar-cut.jpg Mexico is …