The latest news on climate change (website)

Responding to Climate Change

A great site that carries all the latest news on climate change politics, policy and science from around the world. Dozens of articles, with a good mixture of factual reporting and opinion stating, plus headlines and research reports.

Developing sustainable food courses for undergrads (#journal)

Development and Evaluation of an Introductory Course in Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems

 The purpose of this paper is to describe the development, instruction, and evaluation of the undergraduate pilot course, Introduction to Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems (SFBS), at Montana State University. Introduction to SFBS is an interdisciplinary, team-taught, experiential education course designed to introduce students to broad array of SFBS-related topics, expose students to career opportunities in these fields, and enable them to establish relationships with food, agriculture, and energy stakeholders. Introduction to SFBS can serve as a model for such curricula. Courses like this can prepare students to become informed, innovative, critical thinkers capable of excelling in a multitude of food, agriculture, and energy-related careers.

Successful organic market gardening (book)

The Market Gardener: A successful grower's handbook for small-scale organic farming

Jean-Martin Fortier is the founder of a micro-farm in Eastern Quebec. Growing on just 1.5 acres, they feed more than 200 families through their thriving CSA and seasonal market stands. In this book he shares the secret of their success: low-tech, high-yield production methods that focus on growing better rather than growing bigger, making their operation more lucrative and viable in the process. Instead of a tractor they opted to stay small-scale, relying on hand and light power tools. The book is a compendium of proven horticultural techniques and innovative growing methods, packed with practical information.

Anaerobic effluent fertliser in maize (#journal)

The effect of irrigation with anaerobic baffled reactor effluent on nutrient availability, soil properties and maize growth

A glasshouse study was carried out to assess the availability to maize of nutrients from anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) effluent. Maize was grown for 6 weeks in pots with three contrasting soils namely a sandy soil, an organic acidic soil  and a clayey soil. Fertilizer (N, P and K) was applied at the recommended rate, half the recommended rate and zero fertilizer for each of the soils used. Plants were irrigated with either effluent or tap water. Dry matter yields and nutrient concentrations for effluent-irrigated maize were significantly higher than for all water-irrigated plants. The unfertilized, effluent-irrigated plants were not significantly different in above-ground nutrient concentrations from the water-irrigated plants at half fertilization. Plants grown on the clay soil irrigated with effluent and fully fertilized had the highest above-ground dry matter yield and accumulated more N, P, K, Ca and Mg than all other treatments.

Transition's potential to challenge neo-liberalism (online)

ORGANIZING TRANSITION: PRINCIPLES AND TENSIONS IN ECO-LOCALISM

In this chapter, the authors investigate the potential of the transition movement to resist dominant discourses that support neoliberal conceptions of economic growth which deny the environmental consequences of late capitalism, and to transform communities through bottom-up democratic organizing. Although critiques of the transition movement focus on the limitations of eco-localism as a form of resistance to capitalism, the approach in this chapter is deliberately affirmative and is aimed at understanding the potential of the movement as well as identifying issues and challenges it may face. Consideration is given to the transition movement's attempts to be simultaneously responsive to current global environmental and economic crises, while also engaging deeply with issues and dilemmas of democracy.

Green tenants in the private rented sector (#journal)

Green tenants: practicing a sustainability ethics for the rental housing sector

The shift towards social, government and corporate ethics which value environmental sustainability has clearly embraced householders. However, the private rental sector has yet to participate in this shift to an ethics of sustainability. Yet even on such otherwise arid ground, a sustainability ethic is being practiced by green tenants. These activities offer both glimpses of a greening rental housing sector, and a clearer picture of the areas where work remains to be done. It is suggested that these activities are a form of care for the world, similar to Maria Puig de la Bellacasa's practice-based ethics exemplified in the permaculture movement. The stories of the tenants interviewed  also point the way to other changes needed to enable a practice-based sustainability ethic to flourish across the rental housing sector.

SWOT analysis of rice-duck farming (#journal)

Theory and reality of integrated rice–duck farming in Asian developing countries: A systematic review and SWOT analysis

Integrated rice–duck farming, in which ducks feed on insects and weeds in paddies and fertilise rice plants, has been a flagship of Asian sustainable-agriculture movements. Nevertheless, IRDF is not spreading rapidly enough to become a successful alternative agriculture. This paper undertakes a systematic review of experimental IRDF studies to identify the strengths and weaknesses of, opportunities for and threats to IRDF. The most recognisable empirical strength of IRDF is the synergy of rice and ducks. It was found that the establishment of organic food certification systems provides an opportunity for IRDF to grow. On the other hand, labour-intensiveness was found the greatest weakness of IRDF. In order to make IRDF economically more feasible, the non-market ecological benefits of IRDF should be internalised through appropriate policy instruments.