Community | March 30, 2009 | 1 comment

UK gardeners take tips from small farmers worldwide

source: http://us.oneworld.net/article/361364-subsistence-farmers-advise-uk-allotment-gardeners

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JanforGore
These are the kind of stories we need to see more of. It is the small farmers in these developing countries who plant and farm and live sustainably under all circumstances who must play a part in the future of feeding our world. We cannot rely entirely on industrial agriculture monocrops with restrictive planting guidelines, untested test tube "foods", and expensive seeds and herbicides to sustain the growing populations of these areas, especially when they support taking land away to grow ethanol. We cannot rely on these large multinational conglomerates simply out for profit to have the same love for the land and the knowledge of it that these farmers have. Only through sustainable practices that save biodiversity, soil, and water will we be able to meet this crisis head on.
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1 comment // UK gardeners take tips from small farmers worldwide

  • JanforGore
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      JanforGore  

    • From the article:

      Small-scale farmers who rely on their land to keep their families and communities fed are helping Britain’s new breed of gardeners and allotment holders take the first steps to producing their own fruit and vegetables. Their tips have been collected by international development agency Progressio as part of a drive to highlight the crucial role played by small-scale farmers across the globe.

      Coming from countries as far apart as Honduras and Malawi, these ‘land-to-mouth’ farmers use organic farming methods which have been finely tuned by centuries of reliance on the land for survival. Their tips are being launched as 100,000 credit-crunched Britons queue up for allotments, vegetable plots are created in many more of our 15million gardens, and sales of fruit and veg seeds have jumped by 28%.

      Expert advice from small farmers – though digging family wells might cause problems!

      No area is so small that it can’t be put to good use. Faustino Reyes Matute, a 52-year-old farmer from San Marcos in Honduras, says: “Don’t despair if you haven’t much room – you can still get produce from plants grown in old tins and tubs on window sills or balconies.”

      Preserving precious resources is second nature to small-scale farmers. “Collect and save rainwater to water your plants, by investing in a water butt,” advises Mary Gerald, a 40-year-old farmer from Chiola village, Lilongwe, in Malawi. Mary grows enough organic produce on her small farm to feed her family of eight, as well as a small surplus she sells at the local market.

      The tips, which have been given the thumbs up by the Royal Horticultural Society, include advice on ways to tackle pests and control weeds organically, and to maximise crop yields.

    • 2 years ago
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