Permaculture in urban Alaska (book chapter)

Applying Permaculture in Alaska: The Williams Street Farmhouse

Saskia Essinger and Matt Oster turned the small barren lot surrounding their home into an urban oasis in the challenging climatic conditions of Anchorage, Alaska. They utilized permaculture principles to design a beautiful, low maintenance garden that provides much of their vegetables and fruits throughout the year. Their garden was so successful that they undertook a challenge to eat entirely local for a year, with a significant proportion coming from their own property, proving that an all-Alaskan diet is possible.

New EU project supports diverse food systems

DIVERSIFOOD: High quality  food systems

 DIVERSIFOOD (2015-­‐2019) is an EU funded research and innovation programme that will increase    the    performance    and    resilience    of    different    agro-ecosytems and    develop    new    healthy    and    tasty    produce. By  integrating    existing    experienced    networks    and    using    specific    and    relevant    cases across    Europe,    the    project    will    strengthen    food    culture to    improve    economic    viability    of    local    chains    resulting    in    a    greater    diversity    of    produce    with    a    cultural    identity.

Food movements as social networks (#journal)

The food movement in Canada: a social movement network perspective

In the Global North, there has been increasing analysis of the ways that alternative food initiatives (AFIs) are developing viable, place-based solutions that challenge the corporate-led industrial food system; however, there has been little study of the interrelationships among them. In an effort to better understand the possibilities for food system transformation, this paper builds on existing studies to investigate the increasing collaborations among AFIs occurring through provincial food networks in Canada. Contrary to assumptions that AFIs act in isolation, the paper demonstrates that they are part of actual and existing mobilizations through robust social movement networks. Together, these collaborative efforts may be illustrative of a new wave in food activism that is represented by the emergence of a multi-scaled and cross-sectoral ‘food movement’ – a network of networks.

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

Allotments are great for soil quality (journal)

Urban cultivation in allotments maintains soil qualities adversely affected by conventional agriculture  

Maintenance and protection of our soil resource is essential for sustainable food production and for regulating and supporting ecosystem services upon which we depend. This study establishes, for the first time, that small-scale urban food production can occur without the penalty of soil degradation seen in conventional agriculture, and maintains the high soil quality seen in urban greenspaces. Given the involvement of over 800 million people in urban agriculture globally, our findings suggest that to better protect soil functions, local, national and international urban planning and policy making should promote more urban own-growing in preference to further intensification.