tagged w/ Organic Farming
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You too can be a part of the food justice movement. I am scouting out areas of my city that can grow food and putting them together in a a letter to my city council. Getting involved on a local level helps out globally. On that score, Will Allen is a true inspiration.You too can be a part of the food justice movement. I am scouting out areas of my city... more
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We can all be farmers!
In your face, Monsanto.
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More and more we see papers and opinions written recommending the end of the destructive nitrogen based /fossil fuel intensive agricultural policies that have not only laid waste to our soil and environment, but that have also brought poverty to the very people they claimed to be helping. Getting back to basics naturally is essential to Earth and human health and to also breaking the cycle of greed that has made agriculture in our world all but unrecognizable as a life sustaining resource.More and more we see papers and opinions written recommending the end of the... more
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A new test conducted for Consumer Reports magazine found toxic bisphenol A leaching into food from nearly all canned goods, even those labeled as being "BPA-free" and "organic." The magazine tested items such as canned corn, chili, tomato sauce and corned beef, and found BPA levels varied widely, but some BPA was found in nearly all of them.A new test conducted for Consumer Reports magazine found toxic bisphenol A leaching... more
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"Is it possible to live without spending any cash whatsoever? After becoming disillusioned with consumer society, one man decided to give it a try.
An excerpt:
"I suppose the seeds of my decision to give up money – not just cash but any form of monetary credit – were sown seven years ago, in my final semester of a business and economics degree in Ireland, when I stumbled upon a DVD about Gandhi. He said we should "be the change we want to see in the world". Trouble was, I hadn't the faintest idea what change I wanted to be back then. I spent the next five years managing organic food companies, but by 2007, I realised that even "ethical business" would never be quite enough. The organic food industry, while a massive stepping stone to more ecological living, was rife with some of the same environmental flaws as the conventional system it was trying to usurp – excess plastic packaging, massive food miles, big businesses buying up little ones.
My eureka moment came during an afternoon's philosophising with a mate. We were chatting about global issues such as sweatshops, environmental destruction, factory farms, animal testing labs, wars over resources, when I realised I was looking at the world the wrong way – like a western doctor looks at a patient, focusing on symptoms more than root causes. Instead, I decided to attempt what I awkwardly term 'social homeopathy'."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/09/mark-boyle-money
He became joyful cooking outside even with rain and snow, he used a solar panel to power his cell phone, laptop, shower, lived with a compost toilet and growing organic food.
An other big lesson learned from this way of living beside being free and independent was bonding with others for kindness not for money.
What a beautiful story, what a beautiful person and great example for us all, I admire your experiment which is probably, now, your way of life.
Join Organic:
http://current.com/groups/organicgreen/"Is it possible to live without spending any cash whatsoever? After becoming... more
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Excerpt:
"Dupont, Monsanto, Syngenta, and Groupe Limagrain control 75 percent of the seed marketplace and this Saturday at 9:00 am pst, Michael Olson's Food Chain Radio hosts Steve Hixson from Steve's Seed Conditioning to discuss the politics of seeds. Currently, Monsanto and Dupont are going head to head for a bigger piece of the seed profit pie.
So what exactly does such dominance mean for our nation's food chain? With four massive corporations controlling the marketplace, it undoubtedly will have repercussions for the food industry. I wrote back in
September that farmers are essentially giving up the wheel to corporate entities that research, develop, and mass produce seeds. Tracts of land planted with commercial seeds are pushing out local crop varieties and erasing the knowledge gained from 10,000 years of farming."
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/11/the-politics-of-seeds.php
I will always quote this, it is so true:
" Societies and economies can be destroyed by bombs. Societies can also be destroyed by locking every aspect of life like provision of food and water through an economic war.”
By Vandana Shiva
Join Organic:
http://current.com/groups/organicgreen/Excerpt:
"Dupont, Monsanto, Syngenta, and Groupe Limagrain control 75 percent of the... more
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From: http://www.i-sis.org.uk/list.php
"The scientists are extremely concerned about the hazards of GMOs to biodiversity, food safety, human and animal health, and demand a moratorium on environmental releases in accordance with the precautionary principle.
They are opposed to GM crops that will intensify corporate monopoly, exacerbate inequality and prevent the essential shift to sustainable agriculture that can provide food security and health around the world.
They call for a ban on patents of life-forms and living processes which threaten food security, sanction biopiracy of indigenous knowledge and genetic resources and violate basic human rights and dignity.
They want more support on research and development of non-corporate, sustainable agriculture that can benefit family farmers all over the world.
Previous versions of this letter were submitted to many governments and international forums including:
World Trade Organization Conference in Seattle (November 30 – Dec. 2, 1999)
UN Biosafety Protocol Meeting in Montreal (24 – 28, Jan. 2000)
UN Commission on Sustainable Development Conference on Sustainable Agriculture in New York (April 24-May 5, 2000)
UN Convention on Biological Diversity Conference in Nairobi (May 16-24, 2000)
United States Congress (29 June, 2000)
Signed by 828 scientists from 84 different countries..."
More at the link above.
Excerpt from the letter:
"We urge the US Congress to reject GM crops as both hazardous and contrary to the interest of family farmers; and to support research and development of sustainable agricultural methods that can truly benefit family farmers all over the world.
We, the undersigned scientists, call for the immediate suspension of all environmental releases of GM crops and products, both commercially and in open field trials, for at least 5 years; for patents on living processes, organisms, seeds, cell lines and genes to be revoked and banned; and for a comprehensive public enquiry into the future of agriculture and food security for all.
1 Patents on life-forms and living processes should be banned because they threaten food security, sanction biopiracy of indigenous knowledge and genetic resources, violate basic human rights and dignity, compromise healthcare, impede medical and scientific research and are against the welfare of animals(1). Life-forms such as organisms, seeds, cell lines and genes are discoveries and hence not patentable. Current GM techniques which exploit living processes are unreliable, uncontrollable and unpredictable, and do not qualify as inventions. Furthermore, those techniques are inherently unsafe, as are many GM organisms and products.
2. It is becoming increasingly clear that current GM crops are neither needed nor beneficial. They are a dangerous diversion preventing the essential shift to sustainable agricultural practices that can provide food security and health around the world.
3. Two simple characteristics account for the nearly 40 million hectares of GM crops planted in 1999(2). The majority (71%) are tolerant to broad-spectrum herbicides, with companies engineering plants to be tolerant to their own brand of herbicide, while most of the rest are engineered with bt-toxins to kill insect pests. A university-based survey of 8200 field trials of the most widely grown GM crops, herbicide-tolerant soya beans - revealed that they yield 6.7% less and required two to five times more herbicides than non-GM varieties(3). This has been confirmed by a more recent study in the University of Nebraska(4). Yet other problems have been identified: erratic performance, disease susceptibility(5), fruit abortion(6) and poor economic returns to farmers(7)."
More: http://www.i-sis.org.uk/list.php
Take action, add your name to the list, please do so to support this cause.
Join Organic:
http://current.com/groups/organicgreen/From: http://www.i-sis.org.uk/list.php
"The scientists are extremely concerned... more
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Is your lawn perfectly manicured but only contains un-edible plants? Why not transform your backyard into an edible garden. Imagine never having to shop for salad or veggies again, how much would you save? Watch this video of an urban family in LA and discover how they are able to harvest 3 tons of organic food annually from their 1/10 acre garden.
Homegrown Revolution is a short informational introduction to a homegrown project that has been called a new revolution in urban sustainability. In the midst of a densely urban setting in downtown Pasadena, California, radical change is taking root. For over twenty years, the Dervaes family have transformed their home into an urban homestead and a model for sustainable agriculture and urban living. Calling this project, “Path to Freedom,” the Dervaes Family shows that change is possible.
As a family for this new paradigm, they harvest 3 tons of organic food annually from their 1/10 acre garden while incorporating many back-to-basics practices, as well as solar energy and biodiesel in order to reduce their footprint on the earth’s resources. Environmentalism and the health of our planet is a theme that weaves through their life. It is meant to inspire and encourage others - young and old - to take a look at what they have and realize that change can begin with a single step and can be created right in our own backyards.
Unfortunately the feature length film is not yet available but here is the family's website: www.pathtofreedom.comIs your lawn perfectly manicured but only contains un-edible plants? Why not transform... more
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We limit the combined total dollar amount of item-labeled produce that any single grower can sell under our two item labels to less than $1 Million US dollars annually. This is our small effort to even the playing field between larger and smaller farms. Research shows that larger farms, particularly those with annual revenues in excess of $1 Million per year have a significant competitive advantage as compared to small family farms. Top 10 Produce LLC will invite socially conscious consumers to play a role by alerting the consumer that our brand provides a strategic advantage in favor of smaller farms, and by reminding buyers that we only license independent growers. 100% of our items have a transparency enabling barcode.
This item level barcode will be scanned by mobile phones to tell the consumer about the farmer, whether the produce is locally grown (including a map showing the location of the farm as compared to their current location based on their cell phone's GPS ), and anything else the consumer is interested to know about that produce item. Consumer reviews of fresh produce will be available to shoppers and chefs alike.
Suggestions are encouraged and welcome, so please share thoughts, concerns, criticisms and questions. We are listening carefully.We limit the combined total dollar amount of item-labeled produce that any single... more
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How long before he is gagged or threatened?
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Senior US scientist Dr Michael Hansen has said genetically modified crops are not the panacea for food security. Rather, the answer to food security lies with small-scale, ecologically rational, sustainable agriculture that focuses on local food systems.
“If you look carefully at global data, the most engineered crop is soybean. Ninety per cent of US acreage, 98 per cent of Argentina acreage and 60 per cent of Brazil are engineered,” he said.
“Scientific data show that on an average Roundup soybean has 10 per cent lower yield than non-engineered soybean. So if you want to feed more people, genetically-engineered soybean will not be the answer,” he said.
In an exclusive interview with The News recently, Dr Hansen, who is associated with the Consumers Union (USA), a non-profit publisher of consumer reports, said: “There is a global agreement under the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTDI) and it basically answers the question what kind of agriculture will be most useful in feeding the poor of the world. This four-year assessment, involving 400 scientists, concluded that ‘business as usual is not acceptable.’ They say the answer is not high technology such as genetic engineering or nano technology; rather the answer lies with small scale, ecologically rational agriculture that focuses on local food systems, reforms of trade laws and enabling policy environment and paying attention to gender issues.”
Asked to comment on giant US multinational Monsanto’s claim that Bt cotton requires less water and is pest free, he said: “It’s wrong! In 2002, Bt cotton smuggled from Australia was planted in Sindh. A detailed survey of 138 farmers in four districts reporting growing Bt cotton on 4,249 hectares showed that local cotton variety non-engineered NIAB-78 received six irrigations while Bt cotton received 11 to 12 irrigations which resulted in increased cost of 1,750 rupees per acre. That clearly shows that Bt cotton uses more water.
“Similarly, in 2002, farmers were surveyed in five districts in Punjab. There the cost in terms of rupee per acre for water was Rs2,600 for Bt cotton and Rs2,100 for non-Bt cotton. Bt cotton used 25 per cent more water in Punjab than non-Bt cotton and almost 100 per cent more water in Sindh.”
Asked to what extent the apprehension was true that with the introduction of Bt cotton and other genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) seed business in Pakistan is likely to be monopolised, he said: “The answer is yes.”How long before he is gagged or threatened?
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Senior US scientist Dr Michael... more
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While at Organic Valley headquarters in Wisconsin, the OrganicNation.tv crew got a chance to speak with Tim LaSalle, CEO of the Rodale Institute about the way organic farming can help mitigate global climate change.
Rodale Institute research shows that organically managed soils can store (sequester) more than 1,000 pounds of carbon per acre, while non-organic systems can cause carbon loss. For consumers, this means that the simple act of buying organic products can help to reduce global climate change.
For more information about organic production and carbon sequestration, visit: www.rodaleinstitute.org/global_warming
For more videos visit: http://www.Organicnation.tvWhile at Organic Valley headquarters in Wisconsin, the OrganicNation.tv crew got a... more
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Celebrate your own beauty.
Each piece is an original, one of a kind hand sculpted image of its owner to remind her that regardless of what the world and the people in it may tell her: she is beautiful.Celebrate your own beauty.
Each piece is an original, one of a kind hand sculpted... more
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We are the Organic movement!
Organic agriculture and beyond can combat deforestation, soil, water and air contamination,water scarcity,hunger, poverty,energy consumption,economic injustice,illnesses,desertification,climate change,species extinction and the subjugation of human rights.
No GMO, no toxicity.
One with our beautiful blue planet, we advocate justice,respect for our Health and Nature, hoping to restore its harmonious balance and biodiversity.
Discuss, create solutions and take action.
Thank you from my heart to all that did join and will.
Thanks to Current.com
Watch the video below.
Join ORGANIC:
http://current.com/groups/organicgreen/We are the Organic movement!
Organic agriculture and beyond can combat deforestation,... more
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Excerpts from Rodale Institute CEO Tim La Salle's PowerPoint presentation, "Regenerative 21st Century Farming: A Solution to Global Warming & The Organic Green Revolution."
LaSalle summarizes Rodale research that shows how the combination of organic agriculture, managed grazing and restorative forestry could sequester 100% of global greenhouse gas emissions.Excerpts from Rodale Institute CEO Tim La Salle's PowerPoint presentation,... more
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The solutions to climate change, hunger, and poverty are in the soil. The key to reducing and sequestering greenhouse gases and increasing yields safely is to phase out the use of fossil fuel fertilizers and replace them with sustainable methods including cover cropping, rotation and composting. This is easier to accomplish in developing countries and would allow more farmers control over their seeds thus bringing them out of poverty and giving them food sovereignty.
Local control of food that farmers can grow for their communities and benefit from in a fair market without having to grow luxury export crops to satisfy World Bank loans thus leaving them short of food will also cut down on reliance of GM food aid from the U.S. Don't then wonder why these methods are shunned by the agricultural elitist corporations and the governments in their back pockets.
A healthier more productive world awaits us if we take it into our own hands and make the choice to stand up to those who would subjugate us to globalization at the expense of sustainability and our rich biodiversity.
Please watch this informational video on soil, agriculture and climate change and then think about supporting a campsesino group or making yoir voice heard regarding sustainable agricultural methods which have been proven to not only increase productivity, but benefit the health of the environment and those who partake of its bounty and preserve biodiversity.
As with solving the climate crisis, it is up to us.The solutions to climate change, hunger, and poverty are in the soil. The key to... more
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"The Environmental Protection Agency today reversed its stance on the potential hazards of atrazine, one of the most commonly-used herbicides in the country, saying it will re-examine how the chemical affects human health."
Wouldn't you say that all herbicides affect one's health? I mean, even if it seems safe, I don't think they can be 100% safe all the time. Is there a natural herbicide that exists?"The Environmental Protection Agency today reversed its stance on the potential... more
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October 16 was World Food Day. In honor of the day I sent a letter to my community paper regarding GMOs and calling for a boycott of them. Whether it has any effect remains to be seen, but hopefully it will make more people aware of just what is being done to our food supply for proft and how the poor in our world are paying the biggest price for it.
Just as with water, I believe food is a human right that should not be denied to anyone. However, we see this right denied more and more in the developing world and much of the hunger we see is perpetuated by the WTO, World Bank, and IMF policies that keep access of food from the poor to create speculation that drives up prices of food. This keeps Western imports coming into countries whose land is now used to grow luxury crops for export to foreign markets rather than having food sovereignty.
So in honor of World Food Day, pledge to make every day World Food Day and write a letter to a newspaper, or blog, or send a note to someone in government, or simply pledge to take it upon yourself to boycott those who use food simply as a profit motive and call for food sovereignty for farmers, seed saving, water, and environmental democracy for all.
Thanks.October 16 was World Food Day. In honor of the day I sent a letter to my community... more
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