Nature with a capital N

The Prince of Wales is at it again. In The Times he writes about our need to reconnect with Nature.

You may believe that I have some reactionary obsession with returning to a kind of mock medieval, forelock-tugging past. All I am saying is that we simply cannot contend with the global environmental crises we face by relying on clever technological “fixes” on their own.

His enemy is Modernism. His answer is Harmony. “In denying the invisible ‘grammar of harmony’ we create cacophony and dissonance.”

Complexity is key to life. The diversity that made up this complexity was bulldozed in the pursuit of simplicity and convenience, creating an appeal that continues to fuel the conspicuous consumption and throwaway societies we see everywhere.

Not a Darwinistic struggle but a community effort, then: “Biology shows that (…) life seeks balance. Every organism works together to produce a harmonic whole.” Well, I try.

Nibbles: Radishes, Fungi, Genomics, Bagel, Eels, Barack Hussein, Pomegranate

Nibbles: Food, Potatoes, Medicine, Bees, Beer, Food miles, Fungi, Fruits cubed

2nd World Congress of Agroforestry 3rd Announcement

This just in.

Theme: Agroforestry – The Future of Global Land Use

The Congress will assess opportunities to leverage scientific agroforestry in promoting sustainable land use worldwide. It will also serve as a forum for agroforestry researchers, educators, practitioners and policy makers from around the world to:

  • share new research findings, lessons, experiences, and ideas that will help influence decisions that impact on livelihoods and the global environment
  • explore new opportunities and strengthen existing partnerships in agroforestry research, education, training, and development
  • form new networks and communities of practice, and nurture old ones