Transitions to agricultural sustainability (book)

Transition Pathways towards Sustainability in Agriculture

 Based on the research of an interdisciplinary team of sociologists, geographers and economists, this book focuses on understanding farming transitions in Europe. The book discusses the importance of understanding transition pathways towards sustainability using case studies from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Portugal and the United Kingdom. Assessing the utility of the multi-level perspective in transition theory for addressing contemporary issues, the book identifies future research needs and possible approaches, making this an essential read for researchers interested in issues of agricultural change.

Future Earth Research Agenda (online)

Future Earth Strategic Research Agenda 2014

Future Earth is a global research platform providing the knowledge and support to accelerate our transformations to a sustainable world. Bringing together existing programmes on global environmental change, Future Earth is an international hub to coordinate new, interdisciplinary approaches to research. Future Earth's Strategic Research Agenda 2014 is the outcome of a year-long global consultation. Launched ahead of key 2015 policy processes on climate change and new global Sustainable Development Goals, the document calls for a step-change in research to address serious environmental, social and economic threats. It urges the private sector, governments and civil society to work with researchers to co-design and co-produce a more agile global innovation system. The plan is the outcome of an unprecedented global consultation over the past year.

Sustainable land use evaluation tool (report)

Monitoring & Evaluation for Sustainable Land Management: Trainers' Manual

EcoAgriculture Partners teamed up with TerrAfrica to develop this comprehensive M&E currriculum, which is designed to help project leaders in landscape initiatives throughout Africa build the knowledge and capacities of professionals to conduct appropriate, engaging, and cost-effective monitoring and evaluation of their sustainable land management projects. Loaded with links to sample presentations, case studies, training materials, and M&E tools, and including easy to print handouts and exercises, this curriculum is built to work for landscape leaders. The curriculum is relevant to anybody seeking a course plan or guidance in developing and carrying out a community-based, team-focused M&E protocol with high levels of engagement and feedback.

How community food projects succeed (report)

Measuring Your Social Impact: Community Food Projects in Action

This new short paper shares insights on what makes community food projects successful and outlines lessons that can be drawn for others. It suggests how community groups can demonstrate social impacts, in particular the connectedness of the social networks that groups nurture and sustain.The research found that the Incredible Edible project has engaged local communities in Yorkshire in a refreshing way, using growing to encourage people to play a more active role in shaping their place. It is the connectedness and commitment to taking action in a local community which is valuable – but it is also the hardest thing to measure. The report recommends how community-led groups can overcome two common challenges by using network analysis to measure social impact.

Perennial plants from around the world (book)

Around the World in 80 Plants – the inspiring edible adventure!

Around The World In 80 Plants takes us on an inspiring edible adventure across the continents, introducing us to the author’s top 80 perennial vegetables, with inspiration along the way from local foraging traditions and small scale domestication. Each plant has its own ethnobotanical story to tell; introducing Sherpa vegetables of the Himalayas; forest gardened and foraged vegetables of the Sámi people of Arctic Scandinavia; a super-vegetable of the Maori of New Zealand; the traditional veggie roof gardens of Norway; clifftop perennial vegetables of Dorset’s Jurassic coast;  Scandinavias best kept secret, a long-lived spinach that climbs; Prince Charles’ Forest Garden, and inspiring multi-species dishes of the Mediterranean. A thorough description is given of each vegetable, its propagation, cultivation and uses, and also how to source seed and plants. As many of the author’s selections are what he calls ‘edimentals’ – edible and ornamental – Around the World in 80 Plants will be of interest to traditional ornamental gardeners as well as anyone interested in permaculture, forest gardening, foraging, slow-food, gourmet cooking, traditional preservation techniques and ethnobotany.

Exclusive discount at http://www.green-shopping.co.uk/?a_aid=pa

Vegan Permaculture (book)

The Vegan Book of Permaculture: Recipes for Healthy Eating and Earthright Living by Graham Burnett

A vegan cookbook packed with wholesome recipes, veganic growing, forest gardening and eco-friendly living. The Vegan Book of Permaculture gives us the tools and confidence to take responsibility for our lives and actions. Creating a good meal, either for ourselves or to share, taking time to prepare fresh, wholesome home or locally grown ingredients with care and respect can be a deeply liberating experience. It is also a way of taking back some control from the advertising agencies and multinational corporations. In this groundbreaking and original book, Graham demonstrates how understanding universal patterns and principles, and applying these to our own gardens and lives, can make a very real difference to both our personal lives and the health of our planet. This also isn’t so very different from the compassionate concern for ‘Animals, People and Environment’ of the vegan way.

Permaculture tea in India (report)

Hope Brewing: Kotagiri to Kachibari, Case Studies on Ecological Tea Growing

On the occasion of World Food Day on October 16, Greenpeace India released its report "Hope Brewing - Kotagiri to Kachibari', showcasing successfully running tea plantations using ecological approaches across India. These are stories of success, restored biodiversity and prosperity from West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya and Tamil Nadu, where pests and chemical usage have impoverished thousands of farmers. These case studies share a common narrative of hope and of how the pesticide treadmill can be tackled effectively. "All tea companies pursue the flavour in the balance sheet persistently, Makaibari tea and trading company pursues the flavour in the balance sheet of life passionately. The holistic agricultural aspect of Makaibari results in the credo that healthy soil is healthy mankind," said Rajah Banerjee of Makaibari, the world's first commercial permaculture tea plantation.