Great intro film about Bill Mollison from 1980s (video)

Bill Mollison - In Grave Danger of Falling Food - Full video

Want to go back to permaculture basics? Then watch this film from the late 80s. In this introductory video, Bill Mollison, the movement's co-founder, takes the viewer through the history and developments of the movement. With laconic humour and insight he deconstructs the modern agribusiness and the "modern plague" : manicured ornamental lawns. In this video he offers an antidote, which is an antidote to both our currently unsustainable practices and our unsustainable culture. Both of these have to change and adapt. Permanently.

Holistic river management to stop flooding

FLOODING - Understanding The Natural Water Cycle, Why Flooding Happens and The Holistic Management of River Catchments. 

 

Following the catastrophic floods in Northern England at the end of 2015, this report explains why bad management of river catchments greatly exacerbates flood events, and describes in detail how holistic management can significantly reduce flooding. It is full of real examples of successful holistic flood management schemes in Northern England and Wales.

Crowfunder for perennial polyculture wiki

Apios Institute Crowdfunder  for perennial polyculture wiki

The Apios Institute is running an crowdfunding campaign to expand and improve their wiki of perennial-crop polycultures. The Apios Institute exists to share experience and knowledge about food forests (aka homegardens or forest gardens) in order to fill critical knowledge gaps regarding the design and management of these systems. They are raising $10,000 to complete the development of Apios 3.0, which will revamp their platform from the ground up. Their current Wiki has worked for thousands of people in cold climates—but it is incomplete. Many people around the world have asked them to expand to include other climates. We invite you to participate any way you can with this campaign: contribute money, offer help, or share the campaign with your network.

Oxford Real Farming Conference recordings (audio)

2016 Oxford Real Farming Conference recordings now online
 

From practical on-farm experiences, to participatory workshops and talks from the UK’s leading sustainable food experts, the annual Oxford Real Farming Conference  offers a range of ways for delegates to explore agroecological solutions to common farming challenges. 

Filling the Oxford Town Hall for two days, delegates explore issues from bees & neonicotinoids to grain and bread, the benefits of putting trees on farms, to better jobs in better farming. For those of you who weren't able to make it to the ORFC, the recordings and slides from the 2016 Conference are now available online.

The carbon farming solution (book)

The Carbon Farming Solution: A Global Toolkit of Perennial Crops and Regenerative Agriculture Practices for Climate Change Mitigation and Food Security

In this book the term carbon farming is used to describe a suite of crops and agricultural practices that sequester carbon in the soil and in perennial vegetation like trees. If widely implemented, these practices could sequester hundreds of billions of tons of carbon in the coming decades. And if we combine carbon farming with a massive reduction in fossil fuels, it can bring us back from the brink of disaster and return our atmosphere to 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide. Unlike high-tech geoengineering strategies, these practices can also feed people, build more fertile soils, and contribute to ecosystem health.
Despite the challenges and the need for additional research, the evidence is already clear: these practices can contribute mightily to the most pressing issue of our time.

Why British diets are so unhealthy (report)

Food Foundation Launches its First Report - Force Fed

This new report assesses how difficult it is for British families to eat a healthy diet. Through original research and a literature review, it shows that poor diets now pose the greatest threat to our health. It demonstrates how much of our calories come from foods high in fat, sugar or salt. It documents weaknesses in planning regulations, advertising regulations, labeling, formulations and marketing. It assesses why the price balance of our foods is wrong, and argues that education on healthy eating can’t work when so many other factors push in the opposite direction. The onus must instead be placed on government to introduce a sugar tax and policies for the fruit and veg sector which could get a healthier balance of prices, and a fairer deal for farmers.

Where was The Digest in February?

Where was The Digest in February?

Sincere apologies for the recent lack of any posts! Unfortunately, in spite of having a whole extra day this year, February was too short for me. Funding deadlines, organising interns, a big new research project, the development of PIRN and a really horrible cold meant that I had too much on my plate to make a single post. And as long as The Digest remains unfunded, it will never be top of my priority list. Hopefully March will prove better and I can get back on track for my '20 posts a month' target. Let's start with half a dozen right now...