Call for sustainable ag. research funding

Scientists call for increased federal investment in sustainable agriculture

Based on a new analysis of federal funding from the US Department of Agriculture, researchers say there is an urgent need for increased investment in research and development aimed at making sustainable food production more effective. The article published in Environmental Science & Policy has been selected for the Elsevier Atlas Award of June 2016. The team searched 824 projects accounting for almost $300 million in funding or 10% of the 2014 USDA Research budget. In many cases, sustainable agriculture was included in projects but not as the primary focus. The findings suggest that significant improvements in sustainable agriculture could be made with additional investments and support. The researchers note an urgent need for additional public funding for research aimed to advance highly promising areas of biologically diversified farming and ranching systems.

Securing affordable farm land in the UK (video)

The Ecological Land Cooperative

The Ecological Land Co-operative (ELC) was set up to address the lack of affordable sites for ecological land based livelihoods in England. This short film introduces you to the ELC staff and the smallholders at their first project site, Greenham Reach, in Devon, UK.

Innovation and research in food and health (Journal, open access until 16th July)

The framing of innovation among European research funding actors: Assessing the potential for ‘responsible research and innovation’ in the food and health domain.

Free access, courtesy of Shumaisa Khan, until 16th July 2016.  

Highlights
• Examines framing of innovation among research funding decision makers.
• Innovation perceived to be focused on biosciences and marketable applications.
• Inadequate consideration of normative issue of who defines the problems.
• Shift in framing is necessary to implement responsible research and innovation.


This paper explores how the concept of innovation is understood and used in policy implementation, with a particular focus upon ‘food and health’ science and research policy and funding. Our analysis is based on 55 interviews of various actors engaged in research funding decision-making across eight European countries. Three themes emerged from the analysis: concept of innovation; conditions for innovation; and drivers of innovation; through these themes, the cognitive framing was drawn out.

The cognitive framing suggests that innovation in the food and health domain is perceived to be focused on biosciences and marketable applications to the neglect of social sciences and broader public interest; that the “innovation network” is primarily viewed as centred around scientific/technical and industrial actors; and that the demand-pull dynamic is relevant to innovation in the area of food and health, despite having been relegated in contemporary thinking and policies around innovation. These findings point to the inadequate consideration of the normative issues—how problems are to be defined and addressed—among national research funders in the food and health domain, and indicate a gap between the ideas of innovation under the terms of RRI and innovation as conceptualised by those involved in its governance.

Khan et al.,  2016. The framing of innovation among European research funding actors: Assessing the potential for ‘responsible research and innovation’ in the food and health domain. Food Policy, 62, 78-87

Agricultural investment data worldwide (report)

Agricultural Investment Data - Landscape Analysis: Executive summary

Investments in agriculture are critical to reducing poverty and improving food security and nutrition. Although billions of dollars are spent on these investments every year, comprehensive and detailed information on these investments is still largely unavailable. This study explores the current landscape of data on agricultural investments. In doing so, it identifies key opportunities and challenges in working for a clearer and more reliable picture of agricultural investments worldwide.

Creating a small dairy business (book)

The Small-Scale Dairy: The CompleteGuide to Milk Production for the Home and Market

The Small-Scale Dairy includes everything you need to know in order to successfully produce nourishing, healthy, farm-fresh milk. Whether for home use, direct sale to the consumer, or sale to an artisanal cheesemaker, high- quality raw milk is a delicate, desirable product. 
Applicable to keepers of cows, goats, or sheep, The Small-Scale Dairy offers a holistic approach that explores the relationships between careful, conscientious management and the production of safe, healthy, and delicious milk.

Included are options for designing a well-functioning small dairy, choosing equipment, and understanding myriad processes—such as the use of low-temperature pasteurization where raw milk sales are prohibited. Whether you have a one-cow home dairy, a fifty-goat operation, or are simply a curious consumer, The Small-Scale Dairy is an accessible and invaluable resource for achieving your goals.

The Small-Scale Dairy The Complete Guide to Milk Production for the Home and Market - See more at: http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/the_smallscale_dairy:paperback#sthash.5qZ4gfxu.dpuf

Creating a small cheese business (book)

The Small-Scale Cheese Business: The Complete Guide to Running a Successful Farmstead Creamery

There has never been a better time to be making and selling great cheese. People worldwide are consuming more high- quality, handmade cheese than ever before. The number of artisan cheesemakers has doubled in recent years, and many of the industry’s newcomers are “farmstead” producers—those who work only with the milk of their own animals. Drawing from her own and other cheesemakers’ experiences, the author brings to life the story of creating a successful cheesemaking business in a practical, organized manner. Absolutely essential for anyone interested in becoming a licensed artisan cheesemaker, The Small-Scale Cheese Business will also appeal to the many small and hobby-farm owners who already have milking animals and who wish to improve their home dairy practices and facilities.

The Small-Scale Cheese Business

The Complete Guide to Running a Successful Farmstead Creamery

by Gianaclis Caldwell

There has never been a better time to be making and selling great cheese. People worldwide are consuming more high- quality, handmade cheese than ever before. The number of artisan cheesemakers has doubled in recent years, and many of the industry’s newcomers are “farmstead” producers—those who work only with the milk of their own animals. Today, more than ever before, the people who choose to become farmer- cheesemakers need access to the knowledge of established cheese artisans who can help them build their dream.
Few career choices lead to such extremes of labor, emotion, and monetary challenge. In The Small-Scale Cheese Business, (originally published as The Farmstead Creamery Advisor in 2010) respected cheesemaker, instructor, and speaker Gianaclis Caldwell walks would-be producers through the many, and often confusing, steps and decisions they will face when considering a career in this burgeoning cottage industry. This book fills the gap that exists between the pasture and cheese plate. It goes far beyond issues of caring for livestock and basic cheesemaking, explaining business issues such as:

• Analyzing your suitability for the Description Prelim/Final Preliminary career;
• Designing and building the cheese facility;
• Sizing up the market;
• Negotiating day-to-day obstacles;
• Ensuring maximum safety and efficiency.

Drawing from her own and other cheesemakers’ experiences, Caldwell brings to life the story of creating a successful cheesemaking business in a practical, organized manner. Absolutely essential for anyone interested in becoming a licensed artisan cheesemaker, The Small-Scale Cheese Business will also appeal to the many small and hobby-farm owners who already have milking animals and who wish to improve their home dairy practices and facilities.
- See more at: http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/the_smallscale_cheese_business:paperback#sthash.nz9gPWbV.dpuf

Live more on less (online)

“There is no wealth but life”: A practical action plan for living more on less.

We all understand the importance of reducing resource and energy consumption and stepping more lightly on the planet. But figuring out exactly how to do this in a consumer society can be very challenging.
The aim of this website is to provide a practical action plan for those people who wish to live a ‘simpler life’ of reduced and restrained consumption. The Simpler Way represents a life with less clutter, less waste, and less fossil fuel use, but also a life with more time for the things that truly inspire and bring happiness.

A global roadmap for economic reform (book)

Occupy World Street - A global roadmap for radical reform Ross Jackson £14.95

An incisive description of the global financial practices that have driven economies to the brink of collapse, it puts forth a compelling plan to let nations regain control of their economies, reorganise human trade, and create institutions that uphold human rights and respect environmental standards.

Future Money - Breakdown or Breakthrough? (book)

Future Money -Breakdown or breakthrough?

Future Money explains how our money system is propelling us toward the self-destruction of our species. It shows how the system operates and how it could be reformed so that it acts for the benefit of people and society, and describes the obstacles that currently prevent that reform.