Selecting cultivars to withstand climate change (#journal)

Cultivars to face climate change effects on crops and weeds: a review

Yield losses are caused both by direct effects of climate change on crops and by increases in weeds.  Rising temperature will decrease yields of maize, soybean, wheat, rice and cotton, also specialty crops such as almonds, grapes, berries, citrus, or stone fruits. Drought stress should decrease the production of tomato, soybean, maize, and cotton. Temperature increases will mainly affect the distribution of weeds by expanding their geographical range. This will enhance further yield losses.  Selection of cultivars that secure high yields under climate change but also by competing with weeds is therefore of major importance. Traits related with (a) increased root/shoot ratio, (b) vernalization periods, (c) maturity, (d) regulation of node formation and/or internode distance, (e) harvest index variations, and (f) allelopathy merit further investigation.

Stability and resilience in farm systems (#journal)

Stability, robustness, vulnerability and resilience of agricultural systems. A review

This article reviews four concepts: stability, robustness, vulnerability and resilience, commonly used but sometimes difficult to distinguish. Main findings are: (1) agricultural systems face different types of perturbations, from small to extreme; (2) stability, robustness, vulnerability and resilience are increasingly applied to predict the system response under changing conditions; (3) the four concepts are distinguished by the nature of the system components and by the type of perturbation studied; (4) assessment methods must be tested under contrasting situations; and (5) the major options allowing system adaptation under extreme changes are the increase of diversity and the increase of  adaptive capacity.

Assessing the social acceptability of urban farming (#journal)

Socially acceptable urban agriculture businesses

The authors hypothesized that societal acceptability of urban agriculture projects are ruling their success or failure. Surveys show 80 % of respondents preferred accessible systems such as public green spaces and rooftop gardens, but land uses that do not provide accessibility showed acceptance below 40 %. Second, 60 % of participants expressed acceptance of rooftop farming, agriculture in the urban fringe, or in inner-city brownfields, whereas 65 % rejected agriculture in multi-story buildings, agroparks, or aquaponic farms. Third, more than 50 % are willing to buy horticultural products, but they reject products from intensive production systems and animal farming. The highest degree of acceptance is reached for multifunctional urban agriculture that combines commercial with ecological and social goals; projects that are purely production-driven or technologically intensive are more likely to be rejected.

Forest garden wiki (online)

Edible Forest Garden Wiki

The Edible Forest Garden Wiki connects forest gardeners around the world to an editable resource of interconnected plant species, polycultures, and forest gardens. Users can add their own observations and experiments, create new polyculture designs, and manage their own forest garden page! The Wiki creates a self-supporting network that functionally interconnects gardeners, permaculturists, universities, NGOs, for minimal competition and maximum cooperation. This is the cutting-edge research grounds for the next generation of ecological agriculture -- and we'll need your input.

Online permaculture resources evaluated (journal)

Online Permaculture Resources: An Evaluation of a Selected Sample

 

Online resources on permaculture represent a promising direction by supplementing existing printed sources, serving to update and diversify existing content, and increasing access to permaculture information. This study evaluated a sample of online resources using parameters reflecting website usability and content quality. The evaluation revealed good quality and usability in the majority of cases, and suggests a strong online presence among the existing permaculture community, and accessible support for those with an interest in joining the movement.

Forget global tipping points, act locally (journal)

Time to forget global tipping points

The idea that Earth is approaching a point of no return is probably untrue and almost certainly unhelpful. No theoretical or empirical evidence exists for such a claim, and a widespread belief in it threatens to push ecological science in the wrong direction.To deny the likelihood of an impending global tipping point is not to deny that we are transforming the biosphere in ways that are likely to disgrace us in the eyes of future generations. Much of our planet’s ecology can and will be lost unless we focus much greater effort on conserving and restoring it, but it is the local and regional levels that are the key for conservation and management.

French food forest research centre launched (website)

Association La Foret Nourriciere - Projet de Eco-Centre

An announcement (plus fundraiser) for the start of a food forest research center, for research, experimenting, development and education of permaculture in temperate climates. It's an association based in Bretagne, France, established in 2011. The website is entirely in French.