The Town That Food Saved

Thursday, 16 September 2010

 The Town That Food Saved: How One Community Found Vitality in Local Food
Through the last decade the Northern Vermont town of Hardwick, population 3200, gradually evolved into a nationally respected source of local food and began to reap benefits. Hewitt, an area resident and family farmer, previously wrote about the area as a potential example of localized agriculture and economics, especially for a population whose residents' median income was below state average. But curiosity and healthy skepticism, along with his own investment, spurred him to this deeper investigation into the local personalities (and characters) driving the movement, and to observe, participate and reflect upon such odiferous activities as pig slaughtering. The resulting blend of analysis and reflection highlights the possibilities and perils of what Hewitt argues will impact the agricultural and economic future for better or worse. (Apr.) 
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Revolution Down on the Farm

 A Revolution Down on the Farm: The Transformation of American Agriculture since 1929
Author and Vanderbilt University history professor Conkin (The State of the Earth: Environmental Challenges on the Road to 2100) grew up on a subsistence farm in Tennessee, working summers as a harvest hand, and members of his family still farm. As such, he's personally witnessed many of the radical changes he covers in this practical, thorough and clearly-written story of the American farm's 20th century transformation into the world's breadbasket. Along the journey from family homestead to hyper-efficient industrial farm, the most useful chapters explain the origin and development of convoluted federal and state farm policy (and why attempts at reforms so often fail) for both rural and urban taxpayers. Throughout, Conkin documents from all sides the clever advances that began mechanizing agriculture right after the Civil War, driving spectacular improvements in efficiency, but also a complete dependence on cheap oil and a cycle of debt many farmers cannot escape. A final chapter examines even-handedly various types of "alternative" farming, proving Conkin no dreamy devotee of "organic" trends. This cogent, thorough history should prove fascinating for anyone interested in the changing landscape of American agriculture. 198 photographs. 
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.

Organic Farming, Its Impact on Biodiversity

Saturday, 21 August 2010

Organic farming (OF) is leveraging nature and natural processes to grow crops or rear animals without damage to the environment. The 'natural' orientation of organic farming suggests that fertilizers and pesticides are not used in the process. It is this feature of organic farming has a significant impact on biodiversity.

Biodiversity refers primarily to the variety of life forms in the context of a specific geographical area. Rapid industrialization, urbanization and mass farming techniques decrease the biodiversity of geographical areas. Inorganic agricultural methods exacerbate this by emphasizing mass production and efficiency without encouraging a thriving natural environment for animals and crops.

It is easy to understand the direct impact a natural farming system, such as OF, has on wildlife in their natural environment. The application of principles of OF leads to an increase in biodiversity in comparison with other farming methods.

Organic farming has also been shown to increase the abundance of wildlife in addition to increasing biodiversity. Conventional farming methods suggest that pests should be destroyed so that they would not interfere with crops and livestock. OF embodies the view that balance in nature would reduce the effect of pests' on farming without the use of pesticides, for example.

That organic farming encourages pests also suggests that it encourages natural predators. What some farmers regard as pests are really food for some other animal. The absence of worms and insects would lead to the absence of birds as well. That basic logic governs the impact of OF on biodiversity.

The use of the mixed farming' and crop rotation' methods has also resulted in greater biodiversity through organic farming. With mixed farming, different crops are planted in a particular area. This variety creates room for more groups of organisms to thrive among the crops that constitute their habitat. Crop rotation has a similar effect and encourages more micro-organisms to inhabit fertile soils through natural means.

Organic farming might not provide high-yield harvests, but can increase biodiversity. However, improper use of its methods may hinder biodiversity as well. It is important to recognise that an increase in the quantity and variety of life forms are likely effects of natural farming methods - but they are not necessarily guaranteed effects.

The organisms that are likely to benefit from OF include many forms of flora and fauna associated with farmlands. Farmland birds, insects, micro-organisms, arachnids, weeds, fungi and bacteria are just some of the organisms that are directly impacted by organic farming. With benefits such as abundant life forms and an increase in the diversity of farm life; OF can help to ease the environmental burden created by anti-conservation activities.

The Benefits of Organic Farming

Organic farming is a wonderful endeavor for anyone who would like to grow beautiful and tasty vegetables on their own land in an environmentally friendly way. The methods of organic farming combines the knowledge of ecology and modern agricultural technology with traditional farming practices based on naturally occurring biological processes. This type of farming uses many different methods to improve the fertility of the soil. These methods include crop rotation, cover cropping, and application of nutrient rich compost. Contrary to popular beliefs, organic farming can compete with traditional farming practices quite effectively in growing corn, soybeans, wheat, barley and other grains as well as many types of vegetables and fruits.

Organic fertilizers are an important part of an organic farming operation because the fertility of the soil is vital to healthy and bountiful crops. Organic fertilizers are made from many different types of naturally occurring substances such as bat guano, feather meal, and fish meal. Commercially manufactured organic fertilizers include compost, bloodmeal, bone meal, humic acid, amino acids, brassin and seaweed extracts. The advantages to using organic fertilizers are many but one of the main benefits is that these fertilizers and soils are proven to be better for your health as well as the environment and will not affect the size of your yield. Organic fertilizers also have the advantage of not having certain problems associated with the regular heavy use of artificial fertilizers. Reapplying artificial fertilizers regularly and with ever increasing amounts to sustain soil fertility becomes necessary when synthetic fertilizers are used. Also eutrophication of bodies of water can occur resulting in polluted water supplies and large scale fish kills. Because of their natural makeup, organic fertilizers increase physical and biological nutrients in soils and help the soil retain them, thus minimizing the risks of over-fertilization.

Organic farming may be most widely recognized for what methods it does not use like artificial fertilizers and synthetic herbicides; however, it is more important to define organic farming by the methods that are being used. Farming organically entails the development and preservation of an ecological system where problems are solved naturally and this balance is maintained through the proper implementation and management of such practices. Organic farming has become one of the fastest growing segments of the agricultural industry in the United States recently and today, the vision of organic farming as ecologically sustainable agriculture practiced by small farmers is headed toward more large scale farming operations to provide ethically sound and healthy food for many.

Information Technology in Agriculture

Today's Scenario

Agriculture is the sector which continues to sit on the driver's seat and will remain so forever as long as we don't get rid of stomachs; So it becomes fairly important for any reform or revolution to address this sector and in this race information technology has been the front runner.

Information technology has led from the front in the information sharing process among the Agro scientists, Engineers, Farmers and Students. Because of the core dependency of information technology on Internet might have restricted the reach of the information but situation will not remain so for long.

Now scientists from all over the world collaborate over the internet, for sharing the information about the research on land fertility, seed hybridization, reducing the man efforts and making the farming environment less challenging and cost effective.

Future Guidelines

In an edition of "The economist", I encountered something which could trigger anxiety in anyone when it states "1974 Henry Kissinger, then America's secretary of state, told the first world food conference in Rome that no child would go to bed hungry within ten years. Just over 35 years later, in the week of another United Nations food summit in Rome, 1 billion people will go to bed hungry. This failure, already dreadful, may soon get worse. None of the underlying agricultural problems which produced a spike in food prices in 2007-08 and increased the number of hungry people has gone away. Between now and 2050 the world's population will rise by a third, but demand for agricultural goods will rise by 70%." Usual business is not going to better the estimates, as the panacea lies in the maximum involvement of information technology in agricultural research and knowledge transfer.

Agriculture sector has stood against the time and achieved green, white, yellow, blue and cyber revolutions over the time.

Availability of information and effectively using this information is crucial for successful economic development. Information about expert suggestions, material inputs, financial support, technological innovations and changing market conditions have huge impact on agriculture equally as the case with any other sector.

How well the Agriculture involves information technology in itself, will play a major role in determining the future well being of those who have direct dependency on agriculture for livelihood, especially in developing countries like India.

In this context, it is most prudent to extend the benefits of IT to agriculture and not to underestimate the tremendous growth potential to be unleashed in this sector.

Planting a New Lawn From Seed the Right Way

So your decision is made to save some money and plant your new lawn from seed. This route may take a little longer, but it gives a better degree of control in what will be going on in your lawn for the next couple of months. Unlike when you sod, seeding gives you a chance to remediate a problem area in your soil without having to remove a dead patch of sod. The best time to plant your new seed is in the late summer or early fall. This type of climate with warm days, cold nights, and increased rainfall, provides an ideal environment to germinate your new turf seeds. Another benefit of this timing is that most weeds will have stopped germinating by this point and will not compete with your new seeds for nutrients and water. If late summer or early fall are not an option then the next best time to plant would be early spring. One thing to note here is that if you do plant in the early spring your planting steps will be a little different. For more info on early spring planting consult a local nursery or gardening center for specific info on you region.

Seed selection is another area you can benefit from your local experts. Do to advances in recent years in agriculture, your choices for grass have increased dramatically. No longer do you have to settle for a strain that you don't want because it isn't "right" for your climate. To get even more foolproof results you can go with seed mixtures. Seed mixtures will give you the best results because you will get a variety of various species that are selected for a specific trait. These mixtures will provide you with your best chance for a successful lawn if your yard has a combination of different types of soil (ex. Wet, dry, sunny, or shady).

Now it's time to get dirty. Before you can begin planting your seed you need to make sure your soil is prepared and up to par. To find out more on this go to. I cannot stress this point enough, final soil prep, seeding, and insuring your seed is planted at the proper depth is absolutely critical. The soil should be raked free of all unwanted debris. Large stones or clumps of soil will prevent good root propagation in the area so make sure you remove undesirable material. Large stones may also become a safety hazard upon your first few times mowing your new law so take extra care in this area.

Next step is to spread your seed. Whatever the recommended seed count (per square inch) is, divide that in half and set your spreader up for that seed count. Once you have your spreader all set up, going in one direction only, completely cover the area where you want to have your lawn. With that done, prepare to do a second pass but this time make your pass perpendicular to your initial pass. This method will give you your best coverage. Now that your seed is down you need to rake your seed to approximately a quarter inch in depth and then use a water roller that is only a quarter full to lightly pack that soil down on the seeds.

Now all that is left is for you to ensure your soil stays moist. The top two inches must stay moist until your seeds have good root development. Some slight drying on the surface is fine but should be kept to a minimum. To aid in moisture retention you can use multiple light waterings and straw mulch that stays moist and prevents moisture evaporation. If straw is used spread it out so you can see about a third of the soil through it.

You may also consider using a herbicide for weed control. Make sure to use a product that is labeled for Newly Seeded Lawns. If you do not feel comfortable working with chemicals there are numerous professional pesticide applicators for hire in the phone book.

When it Comes to Organic Vegetable Seeds Or Plants

Grow fresh organic vegetables and herbs in your own back yard. Thought you were too busy to have a garden this year. Growing your own organic vegetables ensures that your vegetables are free from pesticides and chemicals. It is also often considerably more affordable to grow your own organic vegetables than to purchase organic foods at the store.

Organic vegetables are cultivated using the most primitive form of agriculture that is organic agriculture. Organic agriculture or organic gardening for vegetables does not involve the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Organic Vegetables uses Cascadian Farm's innovative steam seam technology to perfectly steam cook the pouch of frozen fresh-from-the-field vegetables and retain more of their natural taste and Pure Goodness!

Broccoli and Carrots are accentuated with a special blend of garlic and herbs and lightly seasoned, creating a flavorful side dish to add to your table. Organic vegetables are tastier, prettier and healthier than their non-organic counterparts. Organic gardening benefits not only you and your family, but your land, animals and the earth.

Plants such as marigolds, sunflowers, and dill can attract beneficial insects that will help control pest populations. Crop rotation can reduce the build-up of certain pests. Tomatoes are a favorite crop to grow in any body's garden, and are delicious, nutritious and versatile. If you grow them using organic methods , you know how much tastier they are than conventionally-grown ones. Tomato plants can be grown in a container if you don't have access to a garden.

Growers can purchase certified organic potting mixes from a commercial supplier, or mix their own. Organic bag cultured vegetables may include a combination of incorporated, topdressed, liquid-fed, and foliar fed fertilization systems. Growing our own allows us to truly know exactly what is on our vegetables and exactly what went into the soil that it grew in. Organic Vegetable Seeds are very inexpensive and with a little care will produce several months worth of food and more for the winter if you store them properly .