15 new research fellowships (Opportunity)

15 Early Career Research Fellowships

 

RECOMS – Building Resourceful and Resilient Communities through Adaptive and Transformative Environmental Practice – H2020 MSCA-ITN

 

Please find below links to the pre-announcement for the 15 Early Stage Researcher Fellows. I would be grateful if you could assist with publicising this announcement amongst your respective networks. The positions will be open for applications from mid-January 2018.

 

http://www.coventry.ac.uk/research/research-directories/current-projects/2017/recoms/

 

http://www.coventry.ac.uk/research/research-directories/current-projects/2017/recoms/recruitment

Research theme cluster 1: Unlocking and Empowering

ESR2: Urban Agroecology for Health and Wellbeing (Coventry University, England)

ESR3: Co-creating Urban Waterways as Socially Diverse Spaces (Coventry University, England)

ESR5: Perceptions of Risk: Adaptive Community Strategies (University of Groningen, Netherlands)

ESR6: Citizenship and Responsive Governance (University of Groningen, Netherlands)

ESR14: Environmental Justice through Resourceful Engagement (Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Belgium)

Research theme cluster 2: Adapting and Transforming

ESR1: Transforming Urban Environments: a Collaborative Approach (Coventry University, England)

ESR8: Nature Based Cultures in Vulnerable Communities (Natural Resources Institute Finland)

ESR10: Transforming the Bavarian Forest: Historical Perspective (Munich University, Germany)

ESR11: Transformation and Restoration: Portland and Munich (Munich University, Germany)

ESR12: Farms as Coupled Social-Ecological Systems (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria)

Research theme cluster 3: Connecting and Collaborating

ESR4: Building Coalitions: Socio-Spatial Planning (University of Groningen, Netherlands)

ESR7: Climate Adaptation and Socio-Spatial Planning: Waterways (Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Netherlands)

ESR9:   Green Economies and Ecosystem Services (Natural Resources Institute Finland)

ESR13: Managing Social-Ecological Systems for Resilience (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria)

ESR15: Participatory GIS: Community Management of Open Space (Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Belgium)

 

Effectiveness of a permaculture education project in Butula, Kenya  

In the 1980s, agricultural development organizations began promoting permaculture through training programmes in the developing world. Few assessments have measured the effectiveness of such projects. Here we surveyed and interviewed small-scale farmers to assess the perceived impacts of a Canadian permaculture project in Butula, Western Kenya. Two types of projects are evaluated and compared: community projects (CPs) at six primary schools, and an intensive two-week permaculture design certification (PDC) programme. Our results suggest that both PDC and CP participants felt that they had benefited from the projects. However, PDC participants developed a more comprehensive understanding of permaculture, felt empowered and frequently related permaculture to their own traditional cultural values whereas CP participants often misunderstood permaculture, felt frustrated by the limited immediate economic benefits and frequently contrasted permaculture against traditional cultural values. This study emphasizes the importance of direct, reciprocal communication between NGOs and project participants for fostering feelings of autonomy and competence.

Permaculture fungi boost phosphorous uptake (journal)

Application of Mycorrhiza and Soil from a Permaculture System Improved Phosphorus Acquisition in Naranjilla

Naranjilla (Solanum quitoense) is a perennial shrub plant mainly cultivated in Ecuador, Colombia, and Central America where it represents an important cash crop. Current cultivation practices not only cause deforestation and large-scale soil degradation but also make plants highly susceptible to pests and diseases. The use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can offer a possibility to overcome these problems. In this study, the impact of AMF inoculation on growth and nutrition parameters of naranjilla has been assessed. For inoculation three European reference AMF strains and soils originating from three differently managed naranjilla plantations in Ecuador (conventional, organic, and permaculture) have been used. The growth response experiment has shown that two of the three reference AMF strains, a mixture of the three and soil from a permaculture site led to significantly better acquisition of phosphorus (up to 104%) compared to uninoculated controls. These results suggest that the use of AMF strains and local soils as inoculants represent a valid approach to improve nutrient uptake efficiency of naranjilla and consequently to reduce inputs of mineral fertilizers.

Sustainable World Radio: Soil Food Web (podcast)

Sustainable World Radio: The Universe Beneath Our Feet: The Soil Food Web

Episode 128: Dr. Elaine Ingham of Soil Foodweb Inc. guides us on this podcast journey into the world of soil. The meeting place of atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere, soil contains vast numbers of species. Like most places where edges of different worlds meet, the soil is a dynamic interface. Fertile soil is alive with the biodiversity of a thriving forest; complex ecosystems connecting, growing, living, co-existing, and dying. In this episode we learn about the cast of creatures that comprise the Soil Food Web, including Bacteria, Fungi, Nematodes, Protozoa, and Arthropods; and the many ecosystem services that they provide

Glyphosate in European topsoils (journal)

Distribution of glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) in agricultural topsoils of the European Union

The occurrence of glyphosate residues in European water bodies is rather well documented whereas only few, fragmented and outdated information is available for European soils. We provide the first large-scale assessment of distribution (occurrence and concentrations) of glyphosate and its main metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) in EU agricultural topsoils, and estimate their potential spreading by wind and water erosion. Glyphosate and/or AMPA were present in 45% of the topsoils collected, originating from eleven countries and six crop systems, with a maximum concentration of 2 mg kg^− 1. Several glyphosate and AMPA hotspots were identified across the EU. Soil loss rates (obtained from recently derived European maps) were used to estimate the potential export of glyphosate and AMPA by wind and water erosion. The estimated exports, result of a conceptually simple model, clearly indicate that particulate transport can contribute to human and environmental exposure to herbicide residues. Residue threshold values in soils are urgently needed to define potential risks for soil health and off site effects related to export by wind and water erosion.

 

City region food systems (book)

City Region Food Systems and Food Waste Management

This book describes the results of 13 case studies on city region food systems and food waste management. It provides lessons learned on the institutionalisation of city region food policies and programmes; provisioning of national and legal frameworks embedding city region food systems in broader legislation, on strengthening of coordination and collaboration across horizontal and vertical government levels, and on design of specific programmes and policies for sustainable city region food systems.

Industrial food makes us sick (pdf report)

Unravelling the Food-Health Nexus (pdf downloads - full report, exec summary) 

'An overwhelming case for action' - expert panel identifies unacceptable toll of food and farming systems on human health. Industrial food and farming systems are making people sick in a variety of ways, and are generating staggering human and economic costs - according to a major new report from the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food). Decisive action can be taken on the basis of what we know, the Panel found, but is held back by the unequal power of food system actors to set the terms of debate and to influence policy.

Last minute gifts: Green Books (books)

Green Books 

In 1986, Satish Kumar, Diana Schumacher and other members of the Council of the Schumacher Society felt the time was right to launch a book publishing company that would help to spread Green ideas and practices. A limited company was set up, Green Books. Today Green Books want their books to reach many kinds of people – not only those who are already convinced that we need to change our ways of thinking and living, but also those who are looking for new ideas, approaches and information about how to live a more ecological lifestyle. Recent titles include Growing Self-Sufficiency, Martin Crawford's How to Grow Your Own Nuts, Community Energy: A Guide, Living on One Acre or Less, and Edible Mushrooms; A Forager's Guide.

Last minute gifts: Permanent Pubs (books)

Permanent Publications

Established in 1990, Permanent Publications publish inspiring, practical information that encourages people to live more healthy, self-reliant and ecologically sound ways of life. They produce the world’s most innovative range of permaculture books, including titles which instruct on: sustainability, practical solutions for the home, garden & community, education, politics, economy, woodlands, food and cooking, and people. Recent highlights include Maddy Harland's new book Fertile Edges, Tom Henfrey and Gil Penha-Lopes' Resilience, Community Action and Societal Transformation (that's Gil leaping across the cover) and Tomas Remiarz's Forest Gardening in Practice. They've also just published Patrick Whitefields' Minimalist Gardener. If there isn't something amongst that little lot to delight your friends, maybe you need some new ones in the New Year.

Last minute gifts: Chelsea Green (books)

Chelsea Green Publishing

Founded in 1984, Chelsea Green Publishing is recognized as a leading publisher of books on the politics and practice of sustainable living, publishing authors who bring in-depth, practical knowledge to life, and give readers hands-on information related to organic farming and gardening, permaculture, ecology, the environment, simple living, food, sustainable business and economics, green building, and more. New releases include Holistic Goat Care (a must buy, surely?) Joel Salatin's Your Successful Farm Business and Kate Raworth's Doughnut Economics, already a classic.

Permaculture and sales organisations (#journal)

A permaculture primer: Using eco-theory to promote knowledge acquisition, dissemination and use in the sales organization

Responding to evidence in Dixon and Adamson's (2011) “Challenger Sale” that the sales management system employed by most of today's sales organizations failed to detect and respond to significant changes in the sales environment years ago, this research examines the concept of sales system sustainability. Borrowing from the field of eco-science where the concept of sustainability has been largely developed, this theoretical research introduces Holmgren's (2002) permaculture principles to the sales literature and offers a conceptual application of these principles in the context of industrial selling. It posits that application of these principles will aid the sales organization's acquisition, dissemination and application of knowledge, effectively positioning the organization for greater endurance and sustainability going forward. In addition to offering managerial implications throughout, this paper concludes by providing a road map for future research inquiry.

Regenerative farming in India (video)

13th International Permaculture Convergence India 2017

Streamed live on Nov 25, 2017

Live | 13th International Permaculture Convergence India 2017, IPC India 2017

Dr Claude Alvares discusses the crisis of climate change in India, and how permaculture and small scale organic farming can help. Sorry for the poor sound quality and the shaky start!

 

IPC India in 8 minutes (video)

The 13th IPC part 1: Conference

The 13th IPC part 2: Convergence

In this era of recurring economic, ecological and societal crises it is more important than ever to conserve and rejuvenate our natural resources! Based on the three ethics of Earth Care, People Care & Fair Share, permaculture initiatives around the globe are striving to create regenerative systems within a wide range of disciplines like farming, building, economics and education that help achieve sustainable livelihoods and secure basic human needs while protecting the environment. As part of this all-embracing shift towards more stable, harmonious, and resilient living systems, the main theme of the IPC India 2017 is ‘Towards Healthy Societies’.

IPC India: Women in permaculture

IPC India: Robyn Francis on Women in Permaculture

4 myths on women in agriculture (journal)

Women in agriculture: Four myths

Despite the emerging global movement for reliable indicators, well-intentioned but statistically unfounded stylized facts on women, agriculture, and the environment continue to circulate. This paper inspects four pervasive gender myths: 1) Women account for 70% of the world's poor; 2) Women produce 60–80% of the world's food; 3) Women own 1% of the world's land; and 4) Women are better stewards of the environment. These claims are myths. Like all myths, they embody an important truth, that women control fewer resources than those required to fulfill their responsibilities to ensure food and nutrition security. However, none of these myths are based on sound empirical evidence. To develop effective policies to promote food security, it is necessary to have appropriate data on women's and men's roles in food production and natural resource management and the gendered constraints that they face. By evaluating the data and assumptions behind these myths, we contribute to both the academic and policy conversations on gender and rural development, making the case for collecting and using better data to capture the variation—over space and time—in the roles and status of women.

Urban foraging (journal)

Urban foraging: a ubiquitous human practice but overlooked by urban planners, policy and research

Although hardly noticed or formally recognised, urban foraging probably occurs in all urban settings around the world. The authors draw from research in India, South Africa, Sweden, and the US to demonstrate the ubiquity and varied nature of urban foraging. They distil seven themes that characterise urban foraging. The species used and the local practices vary between contexts, and are in constant flux as urban ecological and social settings change. This requires that urban foragers are knowledgeable about diverse species, harvest locations, and rights of access, and that their practices are adaptable to changing contexts. Most cities have some forms of regulations that prohibit or discourage urban foraging, but a few important exceptions that can provide prototypes and lessons for other cities.

Land management can tackle climate change (report)

New Study Finds Nature Is Vital to Beating Climate Change

Better stewardship of the land could have a bigger role in fighting climate change than previously thought, according to the most comprehensive assessment to date of how greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced and stored in forests, farmland, grasslands and wetlands. The findings are expected to bolster efforts to ensure that large scale protection, restoration, and improved land management practices are achieved while meeting the demand for food and fiber from global lands. Accounting for cost constraints, the researchers calculated that natural climate solutions could reduce emissions by 11.3 billion tonnes per year by 2030 – equivalent to halting the burning of oil , and offering 37% of the emissions reductions needed to hold global warming below 2 degrees Celsius by 2030. Without cost constraints, natural climate solutions could deliver emissions reductions of 23.8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, close to a third (30%) more than previous estimates.

Edible green infrastructure (#journal)

Edible green infrastructure: An approach and review of provisioning ecosystem services and disservices in urban environments

Recently published green infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and ecosystem disservices literature have focused primarily on the supply of urban regulating and cultural ecosystem services. Other literature on urban agriculture has mostly studied the role of localized, intensive agricultural practices. The aim of this review is to raise awareness and stress the knowledge gap on the importance of urban provisioning ecosystem services, particularly when implementing an edible green infrastructure (EGI) approach. Authors analyzed more than 80 peer-reviewed publications that focused on food production in urban areas. An EGI approach can contribute socially, economically, and environmentally to urban sustainability and food security. However, such benefits must be weighed against trade-offs, like potential health risks from contaminants. We conclude with recommendations and guidelines for incorporating EGI into urban planning and design, and discuss novel areas for future research.

Sequestering soil carbon (pdf report)

Sequestering Carbon in Soil:  Addressing the Climate Threat. (pdf download)

 

The final report of the May 3-5, 2017 Chantilly, France conference,  Sequestering Carbon in Soil:  Addressing the Climate Threat.  The report attempts to summarize the key discussions and recommendations that emerged from our many breakout and mini-plenary sessions. The report also addresses the technical potential of soil carbon sequestration, integrating findings from our pre-conference webinar and from the Chantilly proceedings. We hope it  contributes to the rapidly growing field of soil carbon sequestration.  

'No Dig Organic Home and Garden' wins prize (book)

Permaculture Publisher’s Gardening Book Wins Award

No Dig Organic Home and Garden by Charles Dowding and Stephanie Hafferty has already sold over ten thousand copies in the UK and North America, promoting the authors' ‘no dig’ gardening expertise to gardeners. Now,  against all the odds, Permanent Publications have just  won the main prize at the 2017 Garden Media Guild Awards (GMG).  No Dig Organic Home and Garden book beat major industry supported celebrity titles to the prestigious Peter Seabrook Practical Book of the Year at the annual event held at The Savoy Hotel, London on Thursday 23rd November 2017. The publisher believes it is evidence that their passion for supporting positive, can-do sustainable living messages are not only needed but are now wanted by a public who are ever more educated about our effects on planet Earth. These methods also help in this age of austerity when many are having to tighten their belts economically.

Organic can feed the world...just (report)

Organic agriculture can help feed world, but only if we eat less meat and stop wasting food

The world's population is expected to hit 9.8 billion by 2050, which means an extra 2 billion or so mouths to feed. This will require increasing agricultural output by an additional 50 percent. However, agriculture could go organic worldwide if we slashed food waste and stopped using so much cropland to feed livestock, a new study finds. The analysis shows that it will take several strategies operating at once to feed the growing human population in a more sustainable way - and some of those strategies may require people to shift their dietary patterns, too. That might be a hrd sell with today's meat filled diets. A more feasible solution might be one where organic crops make up about 50 percent of crops, food waste is cut by half, and the competing feed sources are cut by half (allowing for more acreage to grow human food).

A researcher with no library? Read this (online)

You’re a Researcher Without a Library: What Do You Do?

The world of publishing is evolving frantically, while it remains frustratingly fragmented and prohibitively expensive for many. If you’re a student who just left your academic library behind only to discover you are now locked out of the stacks; a startup researching water usage in Africa and keep hitting paywalls; a local nonprofit that studies social change activism, but all the latest papers cost $30 per read… This article is for you.

Protect small farms to safeguard nutrition (report)

Small farms need protection to safeguard nutrients and diversity

New research shows that a diverse landscape made up of a patchwork of small to medium-sized farms produces the vast majority of the world’s nutrients. As farm size increases this diversity decreases, authors of the study emphasise, in light of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Addressing global food needs is not just about quantity – it’s also about the quality of global food supplies. The study involved more than 400 scientists from 19 different institutions. The researchers found that it is the landscapes with more diversity that produce more nutrients and that the diversity of agricultural and nutrient production diminishes as farm size increases.

Sustainable woodfuel (report)

Sustainable woodfuel for food security A smart choice: green, renewable and affordable

With food insecurity, climate change and deforestation remaining key global issues, this paper highlights the role of sustainable woodfuel in improving food security.

Food insecurity and a high dependence on woodfuel as a primary cooking fuel are characteristics common to vulnerable groups of people in developing regions of the world. With adequate policy and legal frameworks in place, woodfuel production and harvesting can be sustainable and a main source of green energy.

Moreover, the widespread availability of woodfuel, and the enormous market for it, presents opportunities for employment and for sustainable value chains, providing further rationale for promoting this source of energy.

Your Permaculture Research Digest Advent Calendar, 2017

In November there were no posts on the Digest at all! To make up for that, I have decided to follow the old British tradition of the 'Advent Calendar' this month and schedule a post every day between now and 24th December...actually I might go all the way to 31st if time allows. I hope you enjoy them and find them useful. Can I take this chance to thank all those who have been supplying me with content for the Digest, I'll include as many of your suggestions as I can over the next month.

Organic agriculture in America (video series)

The lexicon collaborates with NRCS to shares stories of organic agriculture in America

“Certified organic” is one of the fastest growing segments in agriculture, yet the United States is still a net-importer of certified organic food. To help shift the conversation and find new ways to explain the economic, environmental, and social benefits of organic food, the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) embarked on a two-year journey with THE LEXICON to tell the story of organic agriculture in this country. We began by crossing the country to conduct hundreds of interviews with inspiring organic and transitioning farmers, NRCS soil scientists and district conservationists to learn more about their principles and practices, then translated their insights into a series of short films and information artworks.

Designing bioregions (online)

 Back To The Land 2.0
 – A Design Agenda For Bioregions

What’s needed is a new story in which care for the places where we live is a practical focus for solidarity. In that spirit, a series of xskool workshops called Back To The Land 2.0 brought local actors together, in diverse locations, to flesh out this new story of place with live examples. The text in this article (it’s about 4,000 words, a 20 minute read) is about the lessons we have learned so far.

UN report: 'soil in crisis' (online)

Third of Earth's soil is acutely degraded due to agriculture

A third of the planet’s land is severely degraded and fertile soil is being lost at the rate of 24bn tonnes a year, according to a new United Nations-backed study that calls for a shift away from destructively intensive agriculture. The alarming decline, which is forecast to continue as demand for food and productive land increases, will add to the risks of conflicts such as those seen in Sudan and Chad unless remedial actions are implemented, warns the institution behind the report.

UK Environment Secretary: 'soil in crisis' (online)

UK is 30-40 years away from 'eradication of soil fertility', warns Gove

The UK is 30 to 40 years away from “the fundamental eradication of soil fertility” in parts of the country, the environment secretary Michael Gove has warned. “We have encouraged a type of farming which has damaged the earth,” Gove told the parliamentary launch of the Sustainable Soils Alliance (SSA). “Countries can withstand coups d’état, wars and conflict, even leaving the EU, but no country can withstand the loss of its soil and fertility. If you have heavy machines churning the soil and impacting it, if you drench it in chemicals that improve yields but in the long term undercut the future fertility of that soil, you can increase yields year on year but ultimately you really are cutting the ground away from beneath your own feet. Farmers know that.”

Certificate in holistic agroecology (course)

Crossfields Institute: Researching Holistic Approaches to Agroecology

Postgraduate Certificate (Hochschulzertifikat) leading to Masters

With this blended learning postgraduate course you study from home and in community with others.This course enables you to:

• Develop an understanding of holistic approaches to the study of science, agriculture and agroecology
• Broaden your understanding of theory and practical application of agroecological initiatives
• Deepen your work in an area of your choice (such as biodynamics, permaculture, organics, urban agriculture etc.)
• Network and learn with others who share an interest in the future of our planet
• Carry out research in your own locale
• Communicate your findings widely
• Achieve a Postgraduate Degree

Transition research blog (online)

Transition Research Blog

The Transition Research Network have launched a new blog. Here you will find blog posts from active Transition researchers, telling you about their research. The first blogs are: 1) Researching the Geography of Transition, Dr. Giuseppe Feola, Reading University 2) Comparing the Resilience Alliance and Transition movement approaches to resilience My Sellberg, Stockholm Resilience Centre 3) Resilience, Community Action and Societal Transformation contributor interviews. A series of interviews with contributors to the first TRN book on the Transition Network website.

Free e-book every month

New free e-book every month from The Univeristy of Chicago Press

Go to the offer page. Enter your e-mail address and click "Get E-book." You will receive an e-mail confirmation with a link to download your free e-book. Check back next month for another free e-book!

This month's book: Vegetables: A Biography, by Evelyne Bloch-Dano

Agroecology as the future of global farming (online)

Perspectives: Agroecology as an alternative vision to Climate-smart Agriculture

Taken together, agroecology and food sovereignty represent an alternative paradigm to Climate-smart Agriculture and conventional development. This article focuses on the more transformative elements of agroecology and food sovereignty to clearly identify overlaps and divergences with Climate-smart Agriculture and highlight its incompatibilities with conventional development. It provides a fantastic introduction to one of the most important debates in contemporary agriculture.

Industrial food systems make us sick (report pdf)

Unravelling the Food-Health Nexus

NEW REPORT: 'An overwhelming case for action' - expert panel identifies unacceptable toll of food and farming systems on human health. Industrial food and farming systems are making people sick in a variety of ways, and are generating staggering human and economic costs - according to a major new report from the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food). Decisive action can be taken on the basis of what we know, the Panel found, but is held back by the unequal power of food system actors to set the terms of debate and to influence policy.

Agroecology in Europe and Asia (report)

Report on FAO Symposium on agroecology for Europe and Central Asia

FAO organized the regional Symposium on Agroecology for Europe and Central Asia in Budapest from 23 to 25 November 2016, attended by over 180 participants from 41 countries. The Symposium participants formulated 37 recommendations to develop agroecology for sustainable food and agricultural systems in Europe and Central Asia (see Annex 1 of this report). This summary reflects the discussions among participants on the following five topics:

Agroecological concepts, systems and practices,

Research, innovation, knowledge sharing and agroecological movements,

Agroecology and natural resources in a changing climate: water, land, biodiversity and territories,

Agroecology and sustainable food systems,

Public policies to develop agroecology and promote transition.

The future potential of permaculture growing (report pdf)

THE POTENTIAL OF PERMACULTURE PRINCIPLES IN THE AGRIFOOD TRANSITION

The main question for this research was : How can a production system based on permaculture principles contribute to the agrifood transition? This study answered this question by comparing a permaculture system with a conventional potato system. The Unique Selling Points of permaculture were identified, which determine the future potential of permaculture. Due to its diversity and inherent social and ecological values, permaculture is expected to be able to respond well to future bioclimatic conditions and consumer demands, which conventional systems are less likely to excel in. The underlying ethics and principles foster resilience and flexibility and can be applied in any system, permaculture or not.

Cover crops reduce weed seeds (online)

Cover Crops Increase Destruction of Weed Seed in Fields, Says Study 

Cover crops have been promoted for their abilities to reduce erosion and retain soil nutrients. Now there is evidence that they can significantly reduce weed seeds. Crops such as red clover, planted after a main crop’s harvest, provide cover for insects such as ground beetles that feed on weed seed. Rodents are also important consumers of weed seeds and tend to prefer foraging under the shelter provided by cover. As a result, in fields planted with cover crops, three to four times more weed seed is eliminated.

Forest for Kids (book)

Forests for kids: Learning guide

This beautifully illustrated learning guide aims to introduce students aged 8–13 to the many aspects and roles of forests. It accompanies and complements the Forests for Kids teaching guide, tying in with curricula in the fields of science, geography and citizenship. Drawing inspiration from the internationally recognized enquiry method, the modules promote “learning by doing”, in classrooms or under the trees, although reading and writing exercises are also included. 

Agricultural biodiversity and food sovereignty (journal)

Agricultural biodiversity is sustained in the framework of food sovereignty

There are between 30,000 and 50,000 edible plant species of which about 7000 have been cultivated. 7600 distinct breeds of livestock have been developed. Fishers harvest an estimated 1938 aquatic species. Forest dwellers have selected or developed thousands of tree and other species. Many species of edible fungi, insects, and other invertebrates are harvested. This Agricultural biodiversity is the product of the dynamic management of species and ecosystems, especially by smaller-scale food providers, their families and communities. Working with nature in the framework of food sovereignty, the intertwined actions by smaller-scale food providers in their dynamic management, production, innovation, resistance and protest, continue to give life to agricultural biodiversity.

Agroecology in the Gobi Desert (online)

Agroecology in Extensive Rangeland Pastoralism in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia

Only 1% of the arable land in Mongolia is cultivated with crops. The agriculture sector remains heavily focused on nomadic animal husbandry with 75% of the land allocated to pasture. Dundgobi province is located in the middle part of the Gobi Desert and is a vast dryland steppe with sparsely grown but highly nutritious grass such as wild leek and saxaul. The local community is actively involved in projects for planting trees such as elm and seabuckthorn, bushes and vegetables. The community is a good example of surviving under challenging climate conditions. Their initiatives involve building relationships between herding livestock in a traditional way and planting trees to cope with sand movement and land degradation and putting efforts into spring water conservation.

The Land/water/energy nexus (report)

The Land-Water-Energy Nexus

This report contributes to the discussion of interconnections between scarce resources by highlighting the nexus between land, water and energy. It focuses on a dynamic, integrated, and disaggregated analysis of how land, water and energy interact in the biophysical and economic systems. The report provides projections for the biophysical and economic consequences of nexus bottlenecks until 2060. The analysis is based on coupling a gridded biophysical systems model with a multi-regional, multi-sectoral dynamic general equilibrium modelling assessment. Numerical insights are provided by investigating a carefully selected set of scenarios that are designed to illustrate the key bottlenecks.

Earth, A Tenant's Manual (book)

Earth: a Tenant's Manual

Frank H. T. Rhodes, President Emeritus of Cornell University, provides a sweeping, accessible, and deeply informed guide to the home we all share. Rhodes begins by setting the scene for our active planet and explaining how its location and composition determine how the Earth works and why it teems with life. He emphasizes the changes that are of concern to us today, from earthquakes to climate change and the clashes over the energy resources needed for the Earth’s exploding population. He concludes with an extended exploration of humanity’s prospects on a complex, protean, and ultimately finite world. Only new resources, new priorities, new policies and, most of all, new knowledge, can reverse the damage that humanity is doing to our home—and ourselves. A sustainable human future, Rhodes concludes in this eloquent, sobering, but ultimately optimistic book, will require a sense of responsible stewardship, for we are not owners of this planet; we are tenants.

New Scientist article on sustainable diets (#journal)

The real clean food: How to eat well for yourself and the planet

 It's possible to have a diet that's both healthy and eco-friendly, but would you really want to eat it? Forget the fads, the answer is more straightforward than you think.

Agrobiodiversity essential to sustainable food (book)

Mainstreaming Agrobiodiversity in Sustainable Food Systems

A new book which summarizes the most recent evidence on how to use agrobiodiversity to provide nutritious foods through harnessing natural processes. “With a host of case studies, facts and figures about this growing area of research, this is a must-read for anyone interested in how we can use all our biodiversity resources for more nutritious food while reducing damage to the planet.”
HE Prof. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, President of Mauritius

Dietary diversity, health, and agrodiversity (#journal)

Critical review of the emerging research evidence on agricultural biodiversity, diet diversity, and nutritional status in low- and middle-income countries

The declining diversity of agricultural production and food supplies worldwide may have important implications for global diets. The primary objective of this review is to assess the nature and magnitude of the associations of agricultural biodiversity with diet quality and anthropometric outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. Agricultural biodiversity has a small but consistent association with more diverse household- and individual-level diets, although the magnitude of this association varies with the extent of existing diversification of farms. Greater on-farm crop species richness is also associated with small, positive increments in young child linear stature. Agricultural diversification may contribute to diversified diets through both subsistence- and income-generating pathways and may be an important strategy for improving diets and nutrition outcomes in low- and middle-income countries.

FAO forestry twitter feed (online)

FAO Forestry twitter feed

The Forestry Department of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization helps nations manage forests in a sustainable way. There's an impressive list of links to reports, videos, events and information on their twitter feed.

Soil solutions (online)

Soil Solutions

If you’re like most people, you take soil completely for granted. We know that too much carbon in the atmosphere is warming the planet and increasing the severity of extreme weather events. Yet how many of us know that too little carbon in the ground is causing desertification, hunger, and climate instability? But there is hope: using the power of photosynthesis, we can take excess carbon out of the atmosphere and store it in the ground, where it contributes to soil and climate health. We can feed our soils the carbon they need by adopting regenerative agriculture. Rebuilding soil carbon will make us more resilient in the face of a changing climate, and will help solve our fresh water problems, while helping to ensure enough nutritious food for a growing population. Now that we know there’s a solution to so many of our pressing problems there’s no time to lose.

Assessing sustainability of permaculture farms (online)

The 'SMART' way of assessing the sustainability of English and Welsh farms

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Immo and Alfréd blogged during their field work and you can find out what they got up to!
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four 
Part Five

We assessed 21 different farming systems, mostly productive enterprises. The assessments entailed an in-depth interview with the farm manager and a farm walk. Farm performance was assessed holistically taking into account indicators related to ecologic, economic and social sustainability. Data analysis is still ongoing but from a first look we find that small-scale alternative (organic or permaculture) farms tend to score better within many dimensions of sustainability as opposed to conventional producers; farms committed to Permaculture principles tend to attain the highest scores. The entire project seems to us like a long-awaited pioneering start on putting figures to Permaculture's potential benefits and achievements using an integrated peer-reviewed assessment tool.

Agricology knowledge base and blog (online)

AGRICOLOGY

AGRICOLOGY IS A COLLABORATIVE VENTURE BETWEEN LEADING ORGANISATIONS WORKING TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE FARMING IN THE UK. IT PROVIDES UNRIVALLED ACCESS TO WORLD-CLASS INFORMATION RESOURCES AND CHAMPION GOOD FARMING PRACTICE BASED ON AGROECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES. PRACTICAL, SUSTAINABLE FARMING REGARDLESS OF LABELS.

Holmgren discusses collapse vs self reliance (video)

David Holmgren talks collapse at the SLF Great Debate

 "To Collapse Or Not To Collapse: Pushing for economic ruin or building a great transition" was the topic for this unconventional 'debate' for the Sustainable Living Festival held at Federation Square in Melbourne February 2015. David Holmgren was the first of six speakers.

Principles for converting to agroecology (#journal)

Agroecology: Principles for the Conversion and Redesign of Farming Systems

New farming systems will not emerge from simply implementing a set of practices (rotations, composting, cover cropping, etc.) but rather from the application of already well defined agroecological principles. By breaking the monoculture nature of farming systems, agroecological diversification aims at mimicking ecological processes leading to optimal nutrient cycling and organic matter turnover, soil biological activation, closed energy flows, water and soil conservation and balanced pest-natural enemy populations. All these processes are key to maintaining the agroecosystem’s health, productivity and its self-sustaining capacity. By enhancing functional biodiversity, a major goal of the conversion process is achieved: strengthening the weak ecological functions in the agroecosystem, allowing farmers to gradually eliminate inputs altogether.

Sustainable diets transform the food system (book)

Sustainable Diets. How Ecological Nutrition Can Transform Consumption and the Food System

This book explores what is meant by sustainable diets and why this has to be the goal for the Anthropocene, the current era in which human activities are driving the mismatch of humans and the planet. Food production and consumption are key drivers of transitions already underway, yet policy makers hesitate to reshape public eating habits and tackle the unsustainability of the global food system. The authors propose a multi-criteria approach to sustainable diets, giving equal weight to nutrition and public health, the environment, socio-cultural issues, food quality, economics and governance. This six-pronged approach to sustainable diets brings order and rationality to what either is seen as too complex to handle or is addressed simplistically and ineffectually.

World Nutrition journal, free online (journal)

Relaunched journal: World Nutrition

World Nutrition is the quarterly journal of the World Public Health Nutrition Association (WPHNA) but its articles reflect the opinions of its authors, not of the association. It aims to provide content of value to nutritionists, dieticians, health workers, agricultural specialists, social scientists, students, policy makers, and others interested in public health nutrition or community nutrition. It is global in scope, presenting content of general interest as well as content specific to low-income or high-income settings. The journal has not been published since early 2016, but is now relaunched.

Transition to agroecology (book)

Transition to Agro-Ecology: For a Food Secure World

Our global agricultural and food system is broken and needs to transition to one that is more sustainable and beneficial to the world’s population. This seems hard in the face of the linked challenges of climate change, natural resource depletion, and worldwide economic and social upheaval. At the same time, farmer-led social movements are growing, and there is increasing recognition that agroecology and food sovereignty are key solutions for both nutritious food security and climate change adaptation. This book takes you along in the transition to agroecology, which is already happening, worldwide!

A road map to a sustainable food future (book)

Sustainable Food Futures

Foodgovernance.com hve just pubished their new book, Sustainable Food Futures: Multidisciplinary Solutions. The book includes proposals for solutions to move toward more sustainable food futures.  The solutions, which are based on concrete cases, are organised around 4 themes:

1. Recognizing place
2. Enhancing participation
3. Challenging markets
4. Designing sustainable food futures

The solutions proposed in this book can be read as an atlas of possibilities. There are multiple roads we can, and must, travel to bring us towards our destination: just and sustainable food futures. And yet, instead of moving towards a brighter future, we continue with a status quo that is not good enough. To reach sustainable food futures, we require diligent and creative route planning.

A story of future London, climate changed (online)

Canary Island Commons: 2122-2175 AD

This website tells the history of the Canary Island Commons, a community of climate refugees who found shelter in the former Canary Wharf shopping complex, which rising water eventually turned into an island. The Canaries, as they jokingly referred to themselves, turned the abandoned buildings into a self-sufficient community, complete with a garden and solar-powered electricity. Most of what we know about the Commons comes from The 22nd Century Guide to Commoning, a pamphlet the Canaries wrote to instruct other climate refugees in setting up their own sustainable communities in abandoned locations along the new Thames waterfront, and journals of Sabina Masud. Sabina was eight when she arrived at the Canary Island Commons with her family and wrote consistently until her death at 50.

Organic onions healthier than conventional (online)

Organic onions have more antioxidants than conventional ones

A recent study in Ireland found more antioxidant activity and higher flavonol content in organic onions compared to conventionally grown ones. While it’s a relatively narrow finding, it’s significant because the study lasted six years, which is reported as the longest-running study of its kind. The differences in antioxidant activity and flavonol content were found to be due to different soil managemnet practices used in organic farming, such as organic fertilizer, crop rotation, and cover crop, rather than a lack of pesticide/herbicide use.

Free online book; Transition to Agroecology

 Transition to Agroecology for a Food Secure World

Get access to a free online copy of this book. An eye-opener, taking us along in the worldwide movements to a healthier, more social and ecological way of food producing. Offering you insights, keys for change and how to support this transition yourself.

Permaculture and peace in the Middle East (#journal)

Exploring The Impact of Climate Change on the Outbreak of Early 21st Century Violence in the Middle East and North Africa and the Potential of Permaculture as an Effective Adaptation 

Considering the ongoing violence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, especially within Syria and Iraq, it is essential to provide an accurate explanation of causes. In addition to discussing the climate-related concerns associated with the emergence of violence, this paper considers how tackling the environmental crisis in MENA will improve living standards and lead towards sustainable development. As a supplement to a range of secondary data, a small selection of individuals who have escaped the recent conflicts have been interviewed. Because this sample pool is small, and the ongoing violence precludes fieldwork, this study provides only a preliminary exploration of the topic. As a potential adaptation to climate change in the region, permaculture is presented through illustrations of its capabilities for redressing some of the underlying causes of violence in the region.