the difference between intensive and extensive agriculture in livestock production
What is the difference between intensive and extensive agriculture? Explore how land use, resource input, and sustainability vary between these two farming systems.
a history of domestic (American) agricultural policy
Although much of the original motivation to settle America was fueled by a divine imperative to ‘go forth and conquer’ in the name of God, domestic farm policy also played a large role in motivating both citizens and newly arrived immigrants to settle the lands of the vast unknown. This began in the 1800s when…
Economics | Environment | Food
what are open-source seeds? why are open-source seeds important?
Perhaps you have heard the term open-source. Maybe you heard about it within the context of software and technology as the open-source movement originated within the software development community as a means to encourage innovation and knowledge sharing. As such, the open-source concept is best-known within the technological paradigm. However, the essence of open-source can…
Economics | Environment | Food | Health
covid-19 and our food system: the wake up call we need?
The whole world is dealing with the consequences of the novel coronavirus – everyone from the residents of European capitals to members of indigenous Amazonian tribes is feeling the effect. COVID-19 is the main topic of discussion and has been for a few months now and will continue to be for many months to come….
the main challenges to alternative food networks
Alternative food networks (AFNs) aim to help connect food consumers with food producers in the hope that the resocialization of consumption will drive change within the food system. Such changes are generally geared towards promoting social and environmental sustainability. However, even with holistic intentions, alternative food networks [AFNs] are not without their challenges, limitations, and…
the food systems approach
“The world now produces enough food to feed its population. The problem is not simply technical. It is a political and social problem. It is a problem of access to food supplies, of distribution, and of entitlement. Above all it is a problem of political will.” Boutros-Ghali, November 1993 925 million people were food insecure…
the green revolution
There is no doubt about it – there are a lot of people in the world: more than 7 billion. The sheer number of humans is probably even too much for our brains to process. Still, we’re all here and more people are coming joining the global population and every day. Feeding so many people…
community gardens discussed and analyzed
“The greatest fine art of the future will be the making of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.” – Abraham Lincoln Agriculture is defined as the science, art, and business of cultivating soil, producing crops and raising cattle. It is more commonly referred to as farming. Without it, society as we know…
book review: everything i want to do is illegal by joel salatin
Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal is a satirical, yet very serious first-hand account of how government regulations affect small-scale farmers. The author, Joel Salatin, full-time ecological farmer, part-time public speaker and educational leader, details various encounters he and those like him have had with the food police, politicians, industrial farmers, customers, regulating agencies,…
horticulture
WHAT IS HORTICULTURE? Horticulture is a $17 billion [USD] industry that produces more than 2.4 billion tons of goods annually. It provides employment and income [something particularly beneficial to women in developing countries], as well as aesthetic, sociological, and psychological benefits. Civilization is dependent on the products produced by horticultural endeavors for the food that…