- More audio aquaponics goodness.
- “The road from growing rice to raising shrimp to misery.”
- Angola’s national strategy on food, nutritional security includes seeds. Anyone know more?
- Handbook for School Gardens.
- Oh no, climate change to screw up Czech hops! Now I’m really mad.
Pesticide brigades
It is well established that brown plant hopper outbreaks in rice are caused by the use of pesticides. So why do farmers and their advisers spray even more when there is an outbreak?
According to this post on the Ricehoppers blog, it might be because plant protection services (in Vietnam) operate like fire brigade services, equipped for rapid response and control. And because, for the people leading these services, it is better to do the wrong thing (spray) then to be perceived as not acting (and perhaps lose their job).
Perhaps, like modern fire brigades, plant protection services will be able to shift their emphasis to prevention. And, like modern fire-ecologists, learn to let the occasional outbreak run its course.
Organic agriculture key to climate change adaptation and mitigation
Ma. Estrella A. Penunia, Secretary General of the Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA), at the Round Table Discussion “Research and Innovation for Smallholder Farmers in the Context of Climate Change,” organized by IFAD during the 32nd session of IFAD’s Governing Council, 18 February 2009:
In closing, we reiterate our belief that sustainable, organic, ecological friendly agriculture, which is owned, controlled and managed by small men and women farmers, and supported by government policies and programs, is a strategic agricultural measure to adapt and mitigate climate change, ensure food security, and reduce poverty among smallholder farmers. We ask for strong support to this kind of agriculture by putting money for research and development, for communication and information dissemination, for promotion and upscaling. We look forward to meaningful partnerships with all stakeholders — government, business, civil society, producer organizations to promote this kind of agriculture.
On the other hand….
Urban farmer, ex-basketball player, genius
Did we note that Will Allen, urban farmer extraordinaire, won the Genius Award last year? Congratulations! Via.
Downmarket
More on the effect of the economic downturn on agrobiodiversity. First, there’s a series of reports from markets around the world from the BBC. A couple include information on food. From Beijing:
In the face of the economic crisis, Ms Liu said Chinese people are going back to buying basic vegetables like Chinese cabbage and potatoes.
And from Crawford Market, Mumbai:
Even spice sellers are feeling the pinch. Jabbar Prajapati says the cost of saffron has rocketed from 60 rupees (£0.82 / $1.20) per gram last year, to 300 rupees (£4 / $6) per gram. “People are not ready to buy at those prices,” he says.
Also, The Economist has a story about “victory gardens” in Little Rock, Arkansas. The money quote:
Many gardeners are focusing on “heirloom plants” rare varieties from earlier times that do not appeal to agribusiness.