Restoring diverse grasslands special issue (#journal)

Restoring diverse grassland: What can be achieved where, and what it will it do for us?

Grassland is a major feature of the landscape, and the major resource for livestock production, in the UK and across much of Europe. It is also of vital importance for wildlife and the wider natural environment and many hundreds of millions of pounds have been spent within agri-environment schemes  attempting to restore grassland with a diversity of plants, invertebrates and birds. Restoration of coherent ecological networks is a high priority. Climate change mitigation and adaptation are also imperatives, as is resource protection, and grassland can play a major role by improving soil structure and infiltration, preventing erosion and storing carbon. And food security is a further driver – grassland must support livestock, ideally producing more and of higher quality.

Crop rotation special issue (#journal)

Making Crop Rotations Fit for the Future

Crop rotations play an important role in maintaining crop productivity and soil health in a wide range of farming systems. They are important for sustaining crop yield and fertility building, as well as weed, pest and disease control. UK farming systems have tended to adopt simplified rotations; however, more crops are now available to farmers and there is support to diversify rotations through the inclusion of cover crops as well as new market opportunities for non-food crops. Increased crop diversity is also known to support increased biodiversity on farm. It has also been suggested that increased crop diversity will give added resilience to farming systems in the light of climate change

The local grain growing revolution (book)

Uprisings: A Hands-On Guide to the Community Grain Revolution

If we want to reduce our environmental impact, build resiliency in our community and improve food security, it's up to us to make it happen. In many North American communities, the instrument of change is ... grain. Grain is the perfect metaphor for how we've lost control of our food supply, and with it the skills and tools to feed ourselves. Uprisings shows how communities can take back their power by reviving local grain production to improve food security, local economies, and the environment.

 

Heritage chickens and ducks (book)

Pure Poultry: Living Well with Heritage Chickens, Turkeys and Ducks

Pure Poultry is the first book in nearly a hundred years to focus specifically on heritage breeds of chickens, turkeys and ducks and their role in a self-reliant lifestyle. Providing an alternative to commercial breeds and hybrids, heritage breeds each boast their own unique characteristics and personality traits, and are a valuable (and entertaining) addition to a sustainable food system.

Academic research on essential oils (#journal)

The Journal of Essential Oil Bearing Plants 

Not a journal that The Digest will be featuring regularly, but I wanted to bring it to people's attention if they have an interest in essential oils, their properties and their production.

To celebrate IPC 2013, a Cuban agroecology article (#journal)

Agroecology and the Development of Indicators of Food Sovereignty in Cuban Food Systems

The recent volatility of food crop prices and the rising cost of inputs—fossil fuels, fertilizers, and pesticides—have made it nearly impossible for many of the world's smallholder farmers to continue managing their agroecosystems, leaving their countries dependent on ever more costly food imports. Thanks to its mass organizations and popular participation in national policy, Cuba is one of the few countries with the capacity to implement food sovereignty, which could help it minimize the threats posed by food price fluctuation, extreme climatic events and the persistent U.S. hostility towards its national project. Guided by the principles of agroecology, Cuban researchers are developing indicators of food sovereignty for practical use at the smallholder farm level.

Indonesia's integrated pest management programme (#journal)

Empire Strikes Back: The Making and Unmaking of Indonesia's National Integrated Pest Management Program

Indonesia's 11-year national integrated pest management program (IPM) (1989–1999) is considered to be one of the most successful examples of IPM in a developing country. The program is best known for introducing the innovative farmer field school model of agroecosystem-based experiential learning, subsequentl disseminated and adapted  throughout the world. In the 12 years since the termination of the program in 1999, government support for the national IPM program has wavered, contributing to a resurgence of the pesticide-induced resurgent pest problems that had led to its establishment. This article examines the socio-political basis and drivers of Indonesia's retreat from IPM.