The Digest is taking a break this month

Sorry for the lack of new posts recently. The Digest is taking a break this month while Chris organises the International Permaculture Conference in London (8th and 9th September), helps run the International Permaculture Convergence (10th to 15th September) and then has some holidays. Normal service will be resumed in October.

Live streaming from the IPC Conference

Live streaming from the 12th IPC

The International Permaculture Conference runs from 8th to 9th September in London. Over 600 passionate permaculture practitioners from 70 countries are attending. Watch live streaming of the keynote speakers and a selection of great talks.

Forests for recreation (report)

Forests for Recreation and Nature Tourism

Traditionally the main function of forests in Europe has been wood production.  However, the recreation and tourism functions of forests and woodlands are becoming more important, with benefits for economic development, health and quality of life. There is however a lack of information on both the benefits and costs related to recreation and nature tourism. This EU research project aimed to provide a European focus to forest recreation and tourism research to bring together existing knowledge on these activities and in particular the benefits they can deliver, but also how those benefits might be provided in a way which reduces the economic, social and environmental costs of delivery.

Eco-agriculture, a new landscape paradigm (journal)

Biodiversity conservation and agricultural sustainability: towards a new paradigm of ‘ecoagriculture’ landscapes

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment confirmed that agriculture has dramatically increased its ecological footprint. Fortunately, agricultural landscapes can be managed to host wild biodiversity, with neutral or even positive effects on agricultural production. Innovative practitioners, scientists and indigenous land managers are designing ‘ecoagriculture’ landscapes to generate positive co-benefits for production, biodiversity and local people. We assess the potentials and limitations for successful conservation of biodiversity in productive agricultural landscapes, the feasibility of making such approaches financially viable, and the organizational, governance and policy frameworks needed to enable ecoagriculture at a globally significant scale.

Living with Land 7) Off Grid Living (video)

Living with the Land 7 - Off-Grid Living

 Pat Bowcock explains how she left her 9-5 lifestyle to live in tune with the land, creating her own five acre permaculture smallholding, that is her home, her work and her life. Pat's smallholding, Ourganics Evolving Systems, features a large polytunnel, a flood garden and a forest garden, all of which she harvests and sells to the local community. The local spring is used to water the crops which then joins the River Bride and a small caravan and yurt offer a place to stay, providing extra income. Narrated by international lawyer and author of 'Eradicating Ecocide', Polly Higgins.

Living with the Land 6) Animal free farming (video)

Animal Free Farming

A pioneer in plant-based agriculture, Iain Tolhurst has been a practising organic vegetable producer since 1976, on 18 acres of land in Oxfordshire. Specialising in a "systems approach” to farming, Tolhurst, has developed a stockfree approach to farming — the use of green manures, crop rotations & sustainable practices without recourse to inputs such as animal manures or animal by-products. Narrated by the poet and writer Benjamin Zephaniah

Last chance to buy early bird tickets for IPC Conference

IPC Conference, last chance to buy early bird tickets

The IPC Conference programme has now been finalised, with over 100 amazing speakers including Geoff Lawton, Rosemary Morrow, Ben Law, Graham Bell, Pandora Thomas and Maddy Harland. Nearly 500 tickets have now been sold, with participants coming from 50 countries. Early bird tickets remain available until midnight (GMT) on Saturday 9th August.