From weeding, to digging and composting, watering and mulching, get to know the good earth better
… Looking after your soil: Clarissa Dixon-Wright's top tips … 2009 Ethical Living Green Living Gardening Soil Clarissa Dixon-Wright cdwsoil.jpg A Greener Life by Clarissa Dickson …
Biochar - the charcoaled remains of agricultural waste - is being hailed as a huge opportunity to reduce the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. But is the science sound, and do we have enough waste to go around?
… quantities of fine-grained charcoal to the soil. When biomass is exposed to high … and ‘biochar’ (the name for charcoal used in soils) can be produced in small stoves, but a … charcoal down and ploughing it into the soil can dramatically reduce atmospheric CO 2 …
Meat, dairy... in fact, livestock in general has in recent years joined the ranks of the 4x4 and the short-haul flight. But could a change in the way we graze animals not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but even remove them from the atmosphere?
… cattle and land to help lock carbon into the soil (you can enlarge video player) Meat, … of cloud-making ships - a single proposal on soil-carbon sequestration, given by Tony Lovell from the Soil Carbon Institute of Australia, received …
By not properly discussing agriculture at national or international climate negotiations, we are avoiding tackling not just a huge source of emissions, but also a potential carbon sink
… Climate Change Food And Farming Agriculture Soil Association Soil Carbon Copenhagen seedling.jpg By not … of global greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions. Soils contain more carbon than the atmosphere …
A new report has revealed that a change in the way we manage agricultural land could help sequester a quarter of the world's carbon dioxide emissions every year
… Science And Technology CCS Agriculture Soil Carbon Greenhouse Gas Biochar Livestock Cow Deforestation Water Organic Soil Association DEFRA Emissions Trading ITC Nitrous Oxide Meat Ecosystems Greenpeace soil.jpg A new report has revealed that a …
What have the Romans ever done for us? Well, they did at least try to warn us that intensive farming would render our soils and civilisation unviable...
… The Romans could teach us about soils and climate change Tom Hodgkinson | 2nd … 2009 Comment Food And Farming Climate Change Soil tom_hodgkinson_crop.jpg What have the … us that intensive farming would render our soils and civilisation unviable... I've been …
I know that I should avoid compost containing peat, but what is the most environmentally friendly alternative that I can buy?
R Townsend, by email
… we can make ourselves at home is considered a soil improver, not a potting compost per se. … of safeguard, you can try looking out for Soil Association-certified compost. This …
All sectors must play their part in a global emissions deal, but could including agriculture in the mix lead to an intensification of farming and money for GM crops?
… Food And Farming Climate Change COP15 Gm Soil Carbon cornstubble.jpg All sectors must … on whether agriculture - or more specifically soil carbon sequestration - will be eligible … Development Mechanism (CDM) funding scheme. Soil for sale For a sector which the IPCC says …
Overuse of nitrogen fertilisers in China is leading to rapid soil acidification and is causing lasting damage to ecosystems, according to soil study
… fertilisers in China is leading to rapid soil acidification and is causing lasting damage to ecosystems, according to soil study Nitrogen fertilisers used to … according to a study from leading soil scientists. Scientists from China, the UK …
Food and farming is in crisis but there is hope for the future - from organics and Slow Food to permaculture and land share schemes
… June 2009 Activism Food And Gardening The Soil Association Gm Freeze Slow Food La Via … bleeding the nutrients and minerals from the soil and what grows in it. Worse, this is the … hope for food and farming for the future… The Soil Association Its ubiquitous food label has …
The largest festival of its kind in Europe was smaller this year but still a food lover's dream. Emma Bocking reports
… 2009 Reviews Organic Organic Food Festival Soil Association Festival Reviews Bristol … Britain has on offer and is put on by the Soil Association as part of their Organic … outside the Kids Taste Tent organised by the Soil Association’s Food For Life , a group …
Growing your own food can go beyond fruit and veg if you have space and the right soil. Read on for Clarissa Dickson Wright and Johnny Scott's guide to grain crops
… fruit and veg if you have space and the right soil. Read on for Clarissa Dickson Wright and … crops to grow as it does not need as good a soil as, for example, wheat. Barley is the … this is uncommon. It prefers rich, loamy soil but will do quite well in drier soils. It …
The Soil Association hopes that Cosmos, the new natural cosmetics standard, will lead to cleaner, greener ingredients in mainstream beauty products
… Lee | 26th June 2009 News News Analysis Soil Association Cosmetics Beauty Products … Standards naturalbeautynewsstory.jpg The Soil Association hopes that Cosmos, the new … new Cosmos standard, announced by the UK's Soil Association earlier this month, should …
The potential of fungi for medicine, filtering polluted water, controlling pests and even biofuels, is truly staggering
… in 100 years, exporting tons of carbon, from soils made in only 10,000 years, but forest … an exodus of nutrients. I knew fungi created soils, and sensed that the interconnections … of fungus - permeate every inch of forest soil (a cubic inch can contain up to eight …
Your compost heap can be an untapped powerhouse of energy, says Paul Kingsnorth - it's just a matter of learning to harness it
… life itself. This is the base from which the soil is renewed and life given back to the … rich in nutrients, and dig it into your soil to refresh its health after the year’s … high indeed. Conversely, no compost and no soil renewal will lead, over time, to …
Can the delicious revolution reach out to the uncommitted?
… Activism Take Action Local Hero Slow Food Soil Association Food And Drink … organisations. Craig Sams, vice chair of the Soil Association, was invited to give the … and harmonies between Slow Food and the Soil Association and some of the Slow Food …
Starting out growing your own food isn’t hard, it’s just a matter of course, says first-time farmer Matilda Lee
… I learned how to identify different types of soil, sifted leaf mould to prepare it for use … was part of a joint initiative of the Soil Association and the Daylesford … available. With the Organic Farm School, the Soil Association aims to reach more than 3,000 …
Calls for national testing in UK pig herd after survey finds superbug to be prevalent throughout Europe
… MRSA Health Food And Farming pigs.jpg The Soil Association is calling for the UK to … any evidence of MRSA in UK pig holdings, the Soil Association has warned that MRSA could … through its own national testing. The Soil Association is calling for the UK to …
Ask those involved in public food procurement if they would like to see fresh, local ingredients on menus and they will say yes. Then they will list all the reasons why it wouldn't work. Not so, argues Maria Cross - and here's how
… And Farming Public Procurement School Food Soil Association procurement.jpg Ask those … authorities buy organic food. In 2003 the Soil Association reported that there were over … Dessert: Seasonal organic fruit. Source: Soil Association Second barrier: contracts …
Unsustainable and bad for the environment, industrial viticulture leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Pesticide-free and weed-friendly, biodynamic wine holds the key to an organic revolution.
… by Australia leave behind excessively saline soils that native plants can’t automatically … skins, pips and so on – and return it to the soil. The advantage of compost over chemical … bring life, not just substance (food), to the soil. Biodynamic winegrowers are also …
Monty Waldin's thirst for good wines leads him to visit a biodynamic farm. More than just a load of bull, he finds, making rich, complex wines requires quality cow manure
… a group of European farmers noticed their soils, crops and livestock were showing major … end, having added tonnes of fertiliser to the soil at the other, was not sustainable. … the nine biodynamic preparations for healthy soil are still followed today. They are made …
Forget trying to grow hybrid maize - Africa already has all the crops, storage systems and knowledge that it needs to grow itself out of poverty
… AGRA is failing. We need to rejuvenate soils by removing chemicals completely or … loans, no one is addressing climate change, soils are 'dead' and people are starving. At … for farmers for seeds and chemical supplies. Soils get killed or destroyed by many years of …
Deforestation, wind erosion and poor farming practices blamed for deterioration of soil as the real costs of the Green Revolution are measured
… August 2009 News Food And Farming Erosion Soil Pesticides Chemicals India treeindia.jpg … farming practices blamed for deterioration of soil as the real costs of the Green Revolution … main causes were wind erosion and waterlogged soil. But it listed a number of other factors …
Ecological campaigner Million Belay talks about why protecting Ethiopia's biodiversity is so important and why he opposes the intervention of philanthropists like Bill Gates
… agri-chemicals and what we are seeing is the soil dying. The farmers say it is a 'corrupted soil' and they are not happy with Bill Gates … a natural fertiliser, and working on soil conservation so the soil won't be washed …