There is simply no way to summarize Willie Smits‘ Ted Talk. It is a masterful description of putting the complexity in an agricultural ecosystem to work to solve the problems of humans and orang-utans. Just astonishing. And so much more intellectually satisfying than a simplified system. Luscious.
花見
And while on the subject of spring, what could be more redolent of Nature’s awakening after winter’s torpor than hanami (花見) — flower watching? You can do it in Washington DC, Brooklyn or Skopje. But the best place to follow the sakurazensen — the cherry blossom front — is clearly Japan. You’ve still got a few more weeks if you live in Hokkaido.
Mercato di coltivatori
Interesting to see the term “farmer’s market” — in English — being used in Italy, and not particularly for the benefit of tourists. Not sure how long it’s been in currency. I guess the concept has been around for a while.
Amy Goldman’s top tomatoes
This is the sort of thing that makes a man lose his faith in the essential random pointlessness of life.
Scientific American yesterday, published a slideshow of Amy Goldman’s favourite heirloom tomatoes on the very same day as she was writing to us about her favourite heirloom tomatoes. Spooky, or what?
Nibbles: Infoflow, Apples, Urban agriculture, Veterinary medicine
- The Tracing Paper launches a twitter round-up. UK based, and food system in general, not just agrobiodiversity, and very useful.
- Old English apples in supermarkets … in three years time, DV. Via Tracing Paper (see above)
- SPIN-Farming has a new presentation you can download to promote intensive, diverse farming.
- South African wild plants as veterinary medicines.