Can organic farming feed the world? Ed Hamer and Mark Anslow say yes, but we must farm and eat differently
… by between 30 and 60 per cent. 4 Even the Soil Association admits that, on average in … fertiliser, which can be spread on soil to increase crop yields or further … used in organic agriculture to enhance soil fertility in turn encourage crops to …
Can organic farming feed the world? Ed Hamer and Mark Anslow say yes, but we must eat and farm differently
… fall by between 30 and 60 per cent. Even the Soil Association admits that, on average in … fertiliser, which can be spread on soil to increase crop yields or further … used in organic agriculture to enhance soil fertility in turn encourage crops to …
With vast areas decimated by industrial farming, the salad days are over for mass-produced olive oil. Laura Sevier looks at the effect its rise in popularity has had on the European landscape, and at some more sustainable brands.
… hazard (with negative impacts on the soil, water supply and wildlife), and when it … a rapid industrialisation of olive farming. Soil erosion, desertification and pollution … problems affecting the EU: widespread soil erosion and desertification in Spain, …
Brad Lancaster meets an inspirational farmer proving just how much is possible for farmers in Africa, even in times of extreme drought
… then direct it to where it will live in the soil,’ he told me. The water is directed into the soil as quickly as possible. The reservoirs … at the highest point in the landscape where soil begins to cover the granite bedrock. …
Reflecting on a bumper crop, Paul Kingsnorth pays homage to the powerhouse behind his succulent pumpkins and savoury squash
… thick coat and trudging out there to tend the soil. For a veg grower, your soil is priceless. It may look like a load of … life. The difference between happy, healthy soil and morose, weak soil is the difference …
It might be fair to say that the earthworm is a farmer’s best friend.
… Worms Earthworm Agriculture Gilbert White Soil Farming Agribusiness Diversity Natural … and the latest equipment for tilling the soil, spending huge amounts of money. The … By the time the worm has munched through soil, plant material and ‘organic litter’, …
Prince Charles has called UK peatlands ‘Britain’s tropical rainforests’ – and like rainforests worldwide, ours are in decline. Trevor Critchley reports on the devastating consequences for global warming
… our hills are slowly being eroded, and upland soils are now producing greenhouse gases at an … stored carbon largely remains trapped in the soil. Central to this delicate balance, however, is the soil moisture content, which has been …
Mathematics is at the heart of any research and, in nature, it can be used to predict and enhance our surroundings and ultimately control it. The logical conclusio to the concept is frightening: there could be a mathematical formula for every aspect of life
… every aspect of life Fill a thimble full of soil, analyse it, and you’ll have 10,000 … thought. 10,000 organisms in a thimble of soil? That’s small fry, yesterday’s figure. … what about this? In a garden with one ton of soil there could be as many as 10,000 trillion …
Just as the humanitarian crisis of the Second World War gave birth to the swift implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 60 years ago in 1948, we now have a planetary crisis that needs to be addressed with equal urgency. Now is the time to call for a Universal Declaration of Planetary Rights.
… burn for heat. They protect both us and the soil from the sun and the rain. They cool the … Their roots take water and nutrients from the soil and help bind the soil together on hills and mountain-slopes. …
Battling a fractured back and the vagaries of the weather high in the Pyrenees, is the biodynamic dream of wine writer turned grower Monty Waldin about to turn sour?
… nettles and oak bark. When spread on to soil, these herbal preparations carry into … being horn manure, which is sprayed on to the soil to enliven it; horn silica, which is … that is full of the kind of food valuable soil organisms such as worms need to survive. …
Mark Anslow considers whether new generation hydroponics can feed the world's cities
… upon row of healthy plants, they contain no soil whatsoever. Instead, the tomatoes, vines … and in an urban setting entirely without soil. Hydroponics isn’t new. Some believe the … to one grown in organically managed soil, though? Ben Raskin, supply chain and …
European food safety officials have given their public backing to cloned food, claiming it is safe to eat.
… is safe 14th January 2008 News Cloned Food Soil Association EFSA Factory Farming … reacted angrily to the announcement. The Soil Association, which speaks for organic … know? The research has not been done, said Soil Association policy manager, Gundula …
Can big ever be beautiful where organic foods are concerned? Ed Hamer gets to grips with one of the environmental consumer’s greatest dilemmas
… rooted firmly in the conviction that healthy soil is essential in order to produce healthy … by the UK’s leading certification body, the Soil Association, found that food safety, the … on board? Lady Eve Balfour, founder of the Soil Association, clearly anticipated the …
Making the transition from wine writer to viticulturist was a leap of faith for Monty Waldin. What could he expect from his new hilltop vineyard in the Pyrenees?
… These salts are designed to dissolve in the soil when it rains; the vines suck them up and … or soul. Steiner’s suggestion was to feed the soil with compost, which, rather than being … to billions of beneficial microbes. This soil would then feed the vines and make for …
… highly toxic heavy metals that pollute the soil and water and damage aquatic life. Add to … fertilisers and leads to reduced soil fertility, soil erosion, water pollution and reduced …
What could be more cheerful than this ubiquitous breakfast fruit? But if you’re not buying them Fairtrade and organic, argues Ed Hamer, then you’re buying into a modern agricultural scandal
… evolved out of the nutrient-rich forest soils of Australasia, bananas are an … plantations are established on cleared land, soil fertility quickly declines as natural … available to feed nutrient cycles in the soil. In an effort to maximise the nutrients …
Ed Hamer questions the sanity of agricultural policies that increasingly threaten the sovereignty of the British farmer, as well as the food security of the nation
… for extended periods include rebalancing soil nutrients, re-establishing soil biota, breaking crop pest and disease … as the most effective means of building soil fertility. Inevitably, however, fallow …
Teaching children to eat a well-balanced diet is better at stopping adult obesity than diet foods, suggests study.
… drink rose by 3.8 %. Neko Griffin from the Soil Association’s Food for Life programme … baby food. You can learn more about the Soil Association’s programme to promote … or emailing Neko on 0117 314 5180 or ngriffin@soilassociation.org . This article first …
Can traditional water-harvesting systems teach us how to solve contemporary water problems? Michael Kenneth Cowan says we have a lot to learn from the ancient and troubled ecology of the Middle East
… as a result of polluted waterways, saline soils, contaminated aquifers and much loss of … of this are now evident in barren and saline ‘soils’, where agriculture and human settlement …
Can food crops really be engineered to thrive - and to yield more - under drought conditions? After 25 years we're still waiting for the flood of evidence, says Prof Jack Heinemann
… a short-term change in relative humidity or soil moisture, particularly at times critical … mulching and covercrops can also reduce soil evaporation and increase available water … tilling practices can also help to preserve soil moisture. Light tilling, rather than the …
… they are making. In 2003, a report by the Soil Association estimated the cost to the US … less need to weed mechanically or plough the soil, keeping more carbon and nitrates under … January 2008, http://tinyurl.com/38e2rp 4 Soil Association, 2007, …
Growing your own would be vital if the shops shut for good. Steve Solomon has the key to a persistent vegetable state
… three decades with a solid inch of topsoil permanently wedged under his fingernails. … we reduce competition between them, conserve soil water and make weeding a simple matter of … a hoe down between the rows. Tools, seeds, soil preparation, compost, insects and …
Last year celebrity pig farmer Jimmy Doherty kept 1000 organically reared pigs, while this year apparently he's raised barely 200. But if Jimmy’s farm is on the skids, the same cannot be said of his career as a media celeb.
… college student meets Essex boy. Son of the soil meets surf dude... A lot of farmers, … over-all talking time. Peter Melchett of the Soil Association didn’t even get the …
‘I’ve been to a fair number this – this is a fantastic place to be based,’ says the Soil Association’s Lee Holdstock, fresh from a trip to the remote south west corner of the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides.
… is a fantastic place to be based,’ says the Soil Association’s Lee Holdstock, fresh from a … finishing, which has been the most difficult. Soil Association standards for organic wool …