Potential of multi-functional agriculture (journal)

Multifunctional Agriculture in the United States

The authors evaluated possible changes to current farming practices in Minnesota to provide insight into how farm policy might affect environmental, social, and economic outcomes. They found that environmental and economic benefits can be attained through changes in agricultural land management without increasing public costs. The magnitude of these benefits depends on the magnitude of changes to agricultural practices. Environmental benefits include improved water quality, healthier fish, increased carbon sequestration, and decreased greenhouse gas emissions, while economic benefits include social capital formation, greater farm profitability, and avoided costs. We suggest that redirecting farm payments by using alternative incentives could lead to substantial environmental changes at little or no extra cost to the taxpayer

Getting the best from your woodburner (book)

The Log Book: getting the best from your woodburning stove. 

Using a wood burning stove effectively is both an art and a science. In this friendly, comprehensive guide, chartered forester and woodfuel expert Will Rolls talks the reader through the theory and practice of getting the best results from their stove. From finding the fuel and seasoning it, to lighting the stove and operating it cleanly, this book describes the best techniques for looking after your log stove. The Log Book covers log suppliers, avoiding too much smoke and ash, checking fuel quality and picking the best wood for your fire.

A cultural history of sustainability (book)

Sustainability: A Cultural History

From diets to economic growth, everything these days has to be ‘sustainable’. But the word’s currency should not obscure its origins: sustainability is an age-old aspiration; a concept deeply rooted in human culture. Though in danger of abuse and overuse today, it can still be recovered from its present inflationary coinage. In clear and thought-provoking terms, Ulrich Grober reassesses the concept of sustainability using a range of fascinating historical instances of its application. This book offers a historically rich and nuanced introduction to a concept that could not be of more pressing importance for the twenty-first century.

Household waste and what happens to it (film)

Trashed

The first feature-length film to feature on The Digest!

“Trashed” is a provocative investigation of one of the fastest growing industries in North America. The garbage business. The film examines a fundamental element of modern American culture…the disposal of what our society defines as “waste.” It is an issue influenced by every American, most of whom never consider the consequences. Nor, it seems, the implications to our biosphere. At times humorous, but deeply poignant, “Trashed” examines the American waste stream fast approaching a half billion tons annually. What are the effects all this waste will have on already strained natural resources? Why is so much of it produced? While every American creates almost 5 pounds of it every day, who is affected most? And who wants America to make more?

Keeping a famliy cow (book)

Keeping a Family Cow: The Complete Guide for Home-Scale, Holistic Dairy Producers

The cow is the most productive, efficient creature on earth. She gives you fresh milk, cream, butter, and cheese, and promotes human health and happiness. Originally published in the 1970s as The Cow Economy this is the book that launched thousands of holistic small-scale dairy farmers and families raising healthy cows in accordance with their true natures.

The cow is the most productive, efficient creature on earth. She gives you fresh milk, cream, butter, and cheese, and promotes human health and happiness. She helps the homesteaders and small farmers who offer her bounty up to the community with a chance at turning a profit. She provides rich manure for your garden or land, and enriches the quality of your life as you benefit from the resources of the natural world.
Originally published in the early 1970s as The Cow Economy and reprinted many times since, Keeping a Family Cow is the book that launched thousands of holistic small-scale dairy farmers and families raising healthy cows in accordance with their true nature.
- See more at: http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/keeping_a_family_cow:paperback#sthash.HIb7uN8Y.dpuf

Biggest permaculture literature review ever published (journal)

Permaculture for agroecology: design, movement, practice, and worldview. A review

Permaculture is an agroecological movement with a broad international distribution and a unique approach to system design. Despite a high public profile, permaculture has remained relatively isolated from scientific research. Though the potential contribution of permaculture to agroecological transition is great, it is limited by this isolation from science, as well as from oversimplifying claims, and the lack of a clear definition. Here, we review scientific and popular permaculture literature. A systematic review discusses quantitative bibliometric data, including keyword analysis. A qualitative review identifies and assesses major themes, proposals, and claims. The manuscript follows a stratified definition of permaculture as design system, best practice framework, worldview, and movement. 

Silvopasture is the future for livestock (journal)

Sustainable, efficient livestock production with high biodiversity and good welfare for animals

What is the future for livestock agriculture in the world? Consumers have concerns about sustainability but many widely used livestock production methods do not satisfy consumers' requirements for a sustainable system. However, production can be sustainable, occurring in environments that: supply the needs of the animals resulting in good welfare, allow coexistence with a wide diversity of organisms native to the area, minimize carbon footprint and provide a fair lifestyle for the people working there. Silvopastoral systems, pastures with shrubs and trees as well as herbage, are described which are normally more productive than pasture alone. When compared with widely used livestock production systems, silvopastoral systems can provide efficient feed conversion, higher biodiversity, enhanced connectivity between habitat patches and better animal welfare, so they can replace existing systems in many parts of the world and should be further developed.