Saturday, December 31, 2005
Food Growing / Solutions
Organic Methods Tried and True
WEB Reference, Dec. 2005 (The Pesky Skeeter, quoting David Suzuki) - It might seem like a hip new trend, but various forms of organic agriculture have been around for some 6,000 years. While organic farming almost disappeared in North America during the latter half of the 20th century, it has recently taken off as both consumers and farmers have discovered the benefits of a more holistic approach to agriculture. Long before science could tell us why certain farming methods produced greater crop yields, organic farmers were learning what worked and what didn't - the hard way - and sharing their knowledge with others. New studies show that organic agriculture can often match, and sometimes exceed, yields from conventional agriculture, while eliminating the need for pesticides and, at the same time, conserving soil quality. For some crops, like corn and soybeans, organic farming systems produce the same yields as conventional systems, but use 30 percent less energy, less water and no pesticides. In fact, during drought years, corn yields in the organic systems were 30 percent higher than those in the conventional system. Researchers state that the organic systems were able to perform better in drought conditions because their soils contained much larger amounts of carbon and organic matter. Increased organic matter also led to a more diverse mix of creatures in the organic plots, including twice the number of earthworms. In turn, increased diversity helped reduce damage from insect pests, by introducing a greater number of natural predators. Far from being a quaint throwback to an earlier time, organic agriculture is proving to be both a serious contender in modern farming practices, and a more environmentally sustainable system over the long term. With consumers expressing a preference for organics, and farmers realizing the benefits, this is one trend that's likely to stay. (Excerpted: David Suzuki-Sept.2005- www.davidsuzuki.org)
Organic Methods Tried and True
WEB Reference, Dec. 2005 (The Pesky Skeeter, quoting David Suzuki) - It might seem like a hip new trend, but various forms of organic agriculture have been around for some 6,000 years. While organic farming almost disappeared in North America during the latter half of the 20th century, it has recently taken off as both consumers and farmers have discovered the benefits of a more holistic approach to agriculture. Long before science could tell us why certain farming methods produced greater crop yields, organic farmers were learning what worked and what didn't - the hard way - and sharing their knowledge with others. New studies show that organic agriculture can often match, and sometimes exceed, yields from conventional agriculture, while eliminating the need for pesticides and, at the same time, conserving soil quality. For some crops, like corn and soybeans, organic farming systems produce the same yields as conventional systems, but use 30 percent less energy, less water and no pesticides. In fact, during drought years, corn yields in the organic systems were 30 percent higher than those in the conventional system. Researchers state that the organic systems were able to perform better in drought conditions because their soils contained much larger amounts of carbon and organic matter. Increased organic matter also led to a more diverse mix of creatures in the organic plots, including twice the number of earthworms. In turn, increased diversity helped reduce damage from insect pests, by introducing a greater number of natural predators. Far from being a quaint throwback to an earlier time, organic agriculture is proving to be both a serious contender in modern farming practices, and a more environmentally sustainable system over the long term. With consumers expressing a preference for organics, and farmers realizing the benefits, this is one trend that's likely to stay. (Excerpted: David Suzuki-Sept.2005- www.davidsuzuki.org)
Cooperative Media / Food Security
Deconstructing Dinner
EMAIL, Dec. 27m 2005 (Kootenay Co-op Radio) - If you are receiving this message, you are affiliated with the effort to create more sustainable food systems within your local community, province and/or across Canada. On January 5, 2006, Kootenay Co-op Radio of Nelson, British Columbia commences the broadcast of "Deconstructing Dinner" - a new project directed towards the province’s general public. By deconstructing the routines so many North Americans perform on a daily basis, the program has been designed to cultivate a greater understanding of the implications surrounding our food choices. Read more.
Deconstructing Dinner
EMAIL, Dec. 27m 2005 (Kootenay Co-op Radio) - If you are receiving this message, you are affiliated with the effort to create more sustainable food systems within your local community, province and/or across Canada. On January 5, 2006, Kootenay Co-op Radio of Nelson, British Columbia commences the broadcast of "Deconstructing Dinner" - a new project directed towards the province’s general public. By deconstructing the routines so many North Americans perform on a daily basis, the program has been designed to cultivate a greater understanding of the implications surrounding our food choices. Read more.
Food Security / Water
Global Food Crunch Solutions
WEB Reference, Dec. 2005 (The Pesky Skeeter, quoting Guy Dauncey, BCSEA) - The water tables are falling in several of the world's grain-growing areas: the North China Plan; most of India; and in the US, the southern Great Plains and the southwest. No water, no food. Enough! This is the kind of stuff that gives environmentalists a bad name: - gloom, doom, and worst-case scenarios. But let's assume there will be a global food crunch, as temperatures rise, water tables fall, oil and gas become too expensive to use, and the world population keeps rising. Where will our food come from, then? The answer lies in our own backyards, and in a worldwide shift to organic production. If Cuba can do it, what's to stop the rest of us? As the food crisis deepens and the price of oil keeps rising, the cost of food will go up, making it more attractive to grow local, organic food. As oil-driven cars and trucks disappear from our streets, making way for bicycles, biofuelled buses, and electric vehicles, the air will become cleaner too, making people feel better about growing food in the city. The next time you wander around your neighbourhood, make a mental note of how much land could grow food. It's everywhere! When we grow food organically, there's no need for pesticides and fertilizers, and the food is healthier, too. Could the prairies go organic? Of course they could, and many farmers are already growing organic crops. The shift entails smaller farms with more people working, a great benefit to rural life as homesteads grow into rural ecovillages. The yields from organic farming can be just as high as yields from chemical farming, so there's no need to worry about declining harvests. http://www.thepeskyskeeter.ca/dec2005.htm. Scroll down 3/4 of the screen. (Excerpted: Guy Dauncey-president BC Sustainable Energy Association-Vancouver Island-Sept.2005- www.bcsea.org )
Global Food Crunch Solutions
WEB Reference, Dec. 2005 (The Pesky Skeeter, quoting Guy Dauncey, BCSEA) - The water tables are falling in several of the world's grain-growing areas: the North China Plan; most of India; and in the US, the southern Great Plains and the southwest. No water, no food. Enough! This is the kind of stuff that gives environmentalists a bad name: - gloom, doom, and worst-case scenarios. But let's assume there will be a global food crunch, as temperatures rise, water tables fall, oil and gas become too expensive to use, and the world population keeps rising. Where will our food come from, then? The answer lies in our own backyards, and in a worldwide shift to organic production. If Cuba can do it, what's to stop the rest of us? As the food crisis deepens and the price of oil keeps rising, the cost of food will go up, making it more attractive to grow local, organic food. As oil-driven cars and trucks disappear from our streets, making way for bicycles, biofuelled buses, and electric vehicles, the air will become cleaner too, making people feel better about growing food in the city. The next time you wander around your neighbourhood, make a mental note of how much land could grow food. It's everywhere! When we grow food organically, there's no need for pesticides and fertilizers, and the food is healthier, too. Could the prairies go organic? Of course they could, and many farmers are already growing organic crops. The shift entails smaller farms with more people working, a great benefit to rural life as homesteads grow into rural ecovillages. The yields from organic farming can be just as high as yields from chemical farming, so there's no need to worry about declining harvests. http://www.thepeskyskeeter.ca/dec2005.htm. Scroll down 3/4 of the screen. (Excerpted: Guy Dauncey-president BC Sustainable Energy Association-Vancouver Island-Sept.2005- www.bcsea.org )
Local Living Economies / Food Systems
Vancouver Food System Assessment
WEB Reference, Dec. 2005 (SSFPA) – Small Scale Food Processor Assn. co-founders Sandra Mark and Frank Moreland were among the several gifted analysts and researchers who worked on this assessment, which can be found on the City of Vancouver website. This document explores "how the [food] system might be transformed to enhance food security for all residents through community-led economic development and promotion of policies that build food system sustainability." Among its several recommendations are to "market Chinatown food resources to surrounding neighbourhoods," "promote sustainable food procurement for the 2010 Olympics," and "expand the role of urban agriculture in City-led developments such as Southeast False Creek and the Woodward's building." http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/socialplanning/initiatives/foodpolicy/pdf/vanfoodassessrpt.pdf.
Vancouver Food System Assessment
WEB Reference, Dec. 2005 (SSFPA) – Small Scale Food Processor Assn. co-founders Sandra Mark and Frank Moreland were among the several gifted analysts and researchers who worked on this assessment, which can be found on the City of Vancouver website. This document explores "how the [food] system might be transformed to enhance food security for all residents through community-led economic development and promotion of policies that build food system sustainability." Among its several recommendations are to "market Chinatown food resources to surrounding neighbourhoods," "promote sustainable food procurement for the 2010 Olympics," and "expand the role of urban agriculture in City-led developments such as Southeast False Creek and the Woodward's building." http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/socialplanning/initiatives/foodpolicy/pdf/vanfoodassessrpt.pdf.
Science & Technology / Berries
Berry Good For You
WEB Reference, Dec. 2005 (SSFPA) - We hear more and more about the beneficial effects of berries on human health. DeBoer Consulting (located on Vancouver Island) has compiled a 100-page report compiling data on the properties of berries and their chemical compounds, including summaries of clinical trials sponsored by the National Institute of Health. If you are a berry producer or processor, you may find this resource of particular value. http://www.deboerconsulting.com/reports.html.
Berry Good For You
WEB Reference, Dec. 2005 (SSFPA) - We hear more and more about the beneficial effects of berries on human health. DeBoer Consulting (located on Vancouver Island) has compiled a 100-page report compiling data on the properties of berries and their chemical compounds, including summaries of clinical trials sponsored by the National Institute of Health. If you are a berry producer or processor, you may find this resource of particular value. http://www.deboerconsulting.com/reports.html.
Local Economics / Food Miles
With the Grain on the Hundred Mile Diet
WEB Reference, Dec. 31, 2005 (The Tyee) - Stalking barley and wheat, some of it 9,000 years old. http://thetyee.ca/Life/2005/12/02/Grain100MileDiet.
With the Grain on the Hundred Mile Diet
WEB Reference, Dec. 31, 2005 (The Tyee) - Stalking barley and wheat, some of it 9,000 years old. http://thetyee.ca/Life/2005/12/02/Grain100MileDiet.
