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#Post#: 14506--------------------------------------------------
Yes, Indoor Agriculture Can Feed the World
By: AGelbert Date: November 21, 2019, 10:58 am
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[center]Yes, Indoor Agriculture Can Feed the World[/center]
[center]And for many food crops, it already does[/center]
[center][img
width=840]
HTML https://miro.medium.com/max/1994/1*gVrWI2YU-h1v4utAo5mOIQ.png[/img][/center]
[center]Source: Rabbobank World Vegetable Map 2018[/center]
By Micki Seibel (six minute read)
HTML https://medium.com/land-and-ladle/yes-indoor-ag-can-feed-the-world-3e1d5a9484c1<br
/> [img
width=175]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-060914180936.jpeg[/img]
#Post#: 14508--------------------------------------------------
Re: Sustainable Farming
By: AGelbert Date: November 21, 2019, 11:41 am
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Agelbert NOTE: This article is from 2017, but it shows that the
great progress happening around the world in growing crops
sustainably is not "hopium".
HTML https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/2/3-300919160019-22741031.png<br
/>
HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/1/3-120818185039-1655102.gif
[center]What’s happening around the world?[/center]
The US is a relatively small producer of greenhouse vegetables.
In fact, the US represents only about 0.2% of the global
greenhouse vegetable market, with the rest of the world
producing over $300B of vegetables in greenhouses year-round.
[center][img
width=640]
HTML https://miro.medium.com/max/1069/1*jYhE9ElvvWOnJ6m1QNtnBA.png[/img][/center]
read more:
By Allison Kopf May 19, 2017 · 5 min read [img
width=40]
HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/1/3-120818184310-1635923.gif[/img]<br
/>
[center]Indoor farming is a way for farmers to protect crops
against the risk of weather, while using less resources and
producing more 🎋🎍 per square foot.
HTML https://medium.com/artemis/lets-talk-about-market-size-316842f1ab27[/center]
#Post#: 14636--------------------------------------------------
Regreening
By: AGelbert Date: November 30, 2019, 6:54 pm
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[center]BLACK BEAR NEWS - Paris Agreement Breached - Regreening
[/center]
218 views•Nov 30, 2019
[center]
HTML https://youtu.be/OJqedzpKukQ[/center]
Black Bear News
2.49K subscribers
#FridayGasStrike #ExtinctionRebellion #ClimateStrike
#GretaThunberg #ClimateChange #CompassionateDegrowth
#BlackBearNews
The breach of the Paris Agreement
HTML http://arctic-news.blogspot.com/2019/...
Twitter @BlackBearNews1
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Category People & Blogs
#Post#: 14664--------------------------------------------------
Why Ploughing Is Such A Bad Idea
By: AGelbert Date: December 3, 2019, 7:12 pm
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[center][img
width=840]
HTML https://miro.medium.com/max/2625/1*Nj2Rl0V2fsnWlu--HcXPaQ.jpeg[/img][/center]
[center]Tractor ploughing the fields. From
That’sFarming.[/center]
[center]Why Ploughing Is Such A Bad Idea[/center]
By Daan [img width=25
height=30]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-080515182559.png[/img]
Feb 20, 2019 · 8 min read
Part of the series “Quest for Drawdown”. For anyone who has
walked around farming areas, you’ll be aware that ploughing is
an integral part of agriculture as we know it — widespread
throughout many countries. However, what you might not know is
that it has a very big negative impact on biodiversity and
global warming.
There are many different processes involved in modern-day
conventional agriculture. Ploughing (which comes in many forms)
is a process whereby the top layer of soil is overturned — like
flipping a pancake [1]. Tilling is another process, similar to
ploughing, whereby soil is cut and broken into smaller pieces;
like pulling a comb through the soil [1]. What these two
processes have in common is that they both break up and disturb
the soil causing a lot of disruption and problems — let me
explain…
Firstly, when ploughing and tilling through the fields, the
plants in the top layer of the fields rot and decompose,
producing and releasing carbon dioxide and methane in the
process [2]. Also, fields that are not tilled (so-called “zero
tilled” fields) contain sub-soil fungi and plants with roots
that extend deep and allow carbon sequestration (absorbing CO2
from atmosphere) [3]. Hence, by not ploughing or tilling, the
potential for carbon sequestering (uptake of CO2 from
atmosphere) is unleashed. Within the EU under current
conventional farming methods, 5% of total greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions come from agricultural soils [4] (just soils, no
animals!). That’s more than aviation and shipping combined
[5],[6].
[center][img
width=840]
HTML https://miro.medium.com/max/1201/1*Dlv-By-C_XvtM0rZNi4_hg.jpeg[/img][/center]
[center]Difference between tilled and no-till ecosystems. From
United States Department of Agriculture, USDA.[/center]
Secondly, by disturbing the top layer of soil small pores
present in the soil structure that are responsible for the
uptake of water are destroyed. In fact, tilling or ploughing a
field often results in soil compaction [7]; which reduces
overall soil porosity. This leads to reduced water holding
capacity and an overall less hospitable environment for all life
in the soil [7]. As a result, the farmer has to water more and
there is an increased risk of flooding during heavy rains [8],
[9].
Thus, thirdly the natural microbiome of the soil is compromised
by the disruption and then subsequent compaction caused by
tilling or ploughing. Soil, much like our guts, relies for its
“health” on the biodiversity of naturally occurring organisms
including bacteria, fungi, worms, and insects that are to be
found there [10],[11]. All of these different organisms
contribute to the stability and porosity of the soil structure,
as well as to the richness of the soil in the forms of the
organic matter broken down from plant and animal material.
Mineral materials are also made more bio-available by these
organisms to the plants grown as crops [10],[11]. Furthermore,
these organisms form the bottom of the food chain for bigger
animals such as voles and birds [12]; which in turn form a
pyramid of biodiversity further outside the fields, and into the
trees and hedgerows and beyond. All major disruptions to the
soil mean major disruptions to the home of all these vitally
important organisms [13].
[center][img
width=840]
HTML https://miro.medium.com/max/3017/1*aDsohpPz1k-7HGzaoovYRQ.jpeg[/img][/center]
[center]The soil food web nourishes the crops that grow in
fields. From USDA.[/center]
Fourthly, any soil contains a large amount of seeds buried in
the soil, like a giant seed bank. When buried, these remain
dormant [14]. However, when tilling or ploughing these seeds are
brought to the surface and are allowed to germinate, [15],[16].
As a result, more weeds are present and the farmer has to apply
extra herbicides.
Fifth, breaking up the soil leaves it more exposed to wind and
rain erosion [17]. During a single rainstorm 2,000 tons of
topsoil slipped into the river Wye, in England [18]. Once lost,
this soil cannot be recovered. Furthermore, rain erosion causes
runoff of farming additives, such as fertilisers, pesticides,
and herbicides. These are carried along with the soil and enter
waterways, streams, rivers, and eventually seas and oceans
ultimately causing dead zones (places where the aquatic habitat
is altered in such a way that it becomes inhospitable to most
life forms) [19], [20]. There are currently 500 dead zones in
the world, compared to 50 in 1950 [20].
[center][img
width=840
HTML https://miro.medium.com/max/1400/1*TpOIIhtH8EibGCY2utNHNQ.jpeg[/img]http://[/center]
[center]Oceanic deadzone. From AquaViews.[/center]
Last but not least, dragging a one and half tonne piece of steel
equipment [21] through soil is actually quite a big effort, and
requires a lot of energy. That energy comes in the form of
diesel, burnt to power the tractor — thus adding to the GHG
emissions of regular farming.
To see the global picture, roughly 30% of global land area has
been acutely degraded, with over 3.2 billion people already
affected [22]. Every year we additionally lose an area the size
of Greece of fertile soil [23], [24]. For the economists amongst
us, that amounts to an annual loss of 10% of global GDP (which
is more than what it costs to prevent it) 👀 [23].
This human-induced loss of natural resources paves the way for
hunger and conflict [22]. To plough, or not to plough, plays a
crucial role in that downward spiral [24].
[center][img
width=840]
HTML https://miro.medium.com/max/2240/1*bjpbKncGGQmAhKflfhelRw.jpeg[/img][/center]
[center]Degraded land. From Eric van den Elsen 2014,
Ecologic.[/center]
Why is that so?
HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/1/3-210818163123-16662165.gif
Now you may wonder, why is that so? Why would farmers use
techniques that have so many downsides? One reason is that in
conventional thinking farmers have to deal with two main
struggles: the weather and weeds. In order to get rid of weeds,
three common options exist: ploughing (which makes the weeds
decompose), herbicides and shading the weeds to death [18]. In
some cases where farmers have abandoned tilling, such as in the
US, the amount of herbicides used (such as glyphosate) has
increased [18] (although this is not necessary). In other cases
there are initial investments that need to be made, such as
purchasing a “cross-slot-drill” [25], a machine that can sow
seeds into the ground without ploughing or tilling.
Additionally, when switching to no plough/no till farming, in
the first few years there can be a decreased yield of crops,
leading some farmers to return to old practises [26]. However,
after these initial years yield in many cases is actually higher
than in conventional farming [26],[25],[27].
Beyond that, the topic of no-till/no-plough farming is
relatively unresearched [25],[2]. Another important factor is
that many farmers have quite a lot of debt, [28], [29], and are
stuck between this high debt and ever higher demand for low
consumer prices [30]. This means that farmers will be reluctant
to try anything new that might not absolutely guarantee them
from day one the profits they are used to [30].
What are the alternatives [img
width=20]
HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-301014182447.gif[/img]
There are a plethora of alternative approaches that involve
no-till, and many of these have been shown to be more profitable
than conventional methods [31], [32] . These include adapted
forms of no-till organic farming, direct soil drilling,
restorative agriculture[33], agroforestry (syntropy) [34],
permaculture, using perennial crops [35] etc. There is such a
vast abundance of possibilities that I will not cover them in
this article, however, I will talk about them in the future.
What must be noted is that all of these methods are dependent
and adaptable to the type of crops chosen, the soil type, and
the local climate.
For what remains, we need to rethink the way we do agriculture
and give farmers the attention and help they deserve in the face
of our current ecological crisis. In the end, it affects all of
us; the food that we eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
References:
[1] “Agriculture: What is the difference between tilling and
plowing? — Quora.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://www.quora.com/Agriculture-What-is-the-difference-between-tilling-and-plowing.
[2] S. Mangalassery, S. Sjögersten, D. L. Sparkes, C. J.
Sturrock, J. Craigon, and S. J. Mooney, “To what extent can zero
tillage lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from
temperate soils?,” Sci. Rep., vol. 4, p. 4586, Apr. 2014.
[3] “The importance of soil organic matter.” [Online].
Available:
HTML http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0100e/a0100e0a.htm#bm10.
[4] “Archive:Agriculture — greenhouse gas emission statistics —
Statistics Explained.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Archive:Agriculture_-_greenhouse_gas_emission_statistics.
[5] “Facts & figures aviation.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://www.atag.org/facts-figures.html.
[6] “Reducing emissions from the shipping sector | Climate
Action.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/transport/shipping_en.
[7] “Soil compaction | UMN Extension.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://extension.umn.edu/soil-management-and-health/soil-compaction.
[8] “Frequent tillage and its impact on soil quality |
Integrated Crop Management.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/frequent-tillage-and-its-impact-soil-quality.
[9] “Improving Water Retention with Cover Crops | No-till on the
Plains | Agriculture Production Systems Modeling Nature.”
[Online]. Available:
HTML http://www.notill.org/improving-water-retention-with-cover-crops.
[10] “Earths natural internet.”,
HTML http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141111-plants-have-a-hidden-internet
[11] “Healthy Soil Microbes, Healthy People — The Atlantic.”
[Online]. Available:
HTML https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/06/healthy-soil-microbes-healthy-people/276710/.
[12] “Soil Food Web | NRCS Soils.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detailfull/soils/health/biology/?cid=nrcs142p2_053868.
[13] “Crop cultivation and wild animals.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://reducing-suffering.org/crop-cultivation-and-wild-animals/#No-till_farming.
[14] “Wikipedia Soil Seed Bank.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_seed_bank.
[15] “Tilling is one chore you might be able to skip —
FineGardening.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://www.finegardening.com/article/tilling-is-one-chore-you-might-be-able-to-skip.
[16] “Cultivating Vs. Tilling — The Difference & Why You
Should Cultivate.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://mantis.com/cultivating-the-soil-why-its-important-and-how-it-differs-from-tilling/.
[17] “Heavy Rain, Soil Erosion and Nutrient Losses | Integrated
Crop Management.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/cropnews/2008/06/heavy-rain-soil-erosion-and-nutrient-losses.
[18] “Kill the Plough, Save Our Soils.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://www.newsweek.com/2014/06/06/kill-plough-save-our-soils-252623.html.
[19] “Managing Runoff to Reduce the Dead Zone | GEOG 3: The
Future of Food.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://www.e-education.psu.edu/geog3/node/1114.
[20] “Oceans suffocating as huge dead zones quadruple since
1950, scientists warn.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/04/oceans-suffocating-dead-zones-oxygen-starved.
[21] “Mounted Reversible Plough • MASS.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://en.mass.bg/134/mounted-reversible-plough.
[22] “Land degradation threatens human wellbeing, major report
warns | Environment | The Guardian.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/26/land-degradation-is-undermining-human-wellbeing-un-report-warns.
[23] “Media Release: Worsening Worldwide Land Degradation Now
‘Critical’, Undermining Well-Being of 3.2 Billion People |
IPBES.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://www.ipbes.net/news/media-release-worsening-worldwide-land-degradation-now-‘critical’-undermining-well-being-32.
[24] “Third of Earth’s soil is acutely degraded due to
agriculture | Environment | The Guardian.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/12/third-of-earths-soil-acutely-degraded-due-to-agriculture-study.
[25] “Farmers are abandoning traditional ploughing — BBC News.”
[Online]. Available:
HTML https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38332276.
[26] “Better soil quality and yield by no longer ploughing maize
soil — WUR.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://www.wur.nl/en/show/Better-soil-quality-and-yield-by-no-longer-ploughing-maize-soil.htm.
[27] “Does ploughing actually damage soils and crops? — BBC
News.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-40166313.
[28] “‘Bad debt’ on the rise in farming and agriculture sector —
NEWS — Farmers Guardian.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://www.fginsight.com/news/news/bad-debt-on-the-rise-in-farming-and-agriculture-sector-65810.
[29] “What Every New Farmer Should Know About Farm Debt —
Upstart University.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://university.upstartfarmers.com/blog/new-farmer-farm-debt.
[30] “De boer moet uit de spagaat: ‘Schulden en steeds goedkoper
produceren zet de boeren klem’ | De Volkskrant.” [Online].
Available:
HTML https://www.volkskrant.nl/economie/de-boer-moet-uit-de-spagaat-schulden-en-steeds-goedkoper-produceren-zet-de-boeren-klem-~b90315fd/.
[31] “Wayback Machine.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://web.archive.org/web/20110727131205/http://www.notill.org/KnowledgeBase/03_economics_derpsch.pdf.
[32] D. L. Beck, J. L. Miller, and M. P. Hagny, “Successful
No-Till on the Central and Northern Plains.”
[33] “Wikipedia Regenerative Agriculture.”,
HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenerative_agriculture
[34] “Differences between organic and syntropic farming — Agenda
Gotsch.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://www.agendagotsch.com/2018/04/24/differences-between-organic-and-syntropic-farming/.
[35] “Perennial Crops | Drawdown.” [Online]. Available:
HTML https://www.drawdown.org/solutions/coming-attractions/perennial-crops.
Climate Change - Environment - Agriculture - Global Warming -
Ecology
WRITTEN BY Daan
The Quest for Drawdown — I intend to write for as long as
necessary to halt the current sixth mass extinction and achieve
climate drawdown.
HTML https://medium.com/datadriveninvestor/why-ploughing-is-such-a-bad-idea-62956c17967c
[center][img
width=640]
HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/2/3-251218182119-20151475.png[/img][/center]
#Post#: 14871--------------------------------------------------
Second of 2 articles by Organic Consumers Association on what th
e GND could mean for the local food
By: AGelbert Date: December 16, 2019, 5:36 pm
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[center][img
width=640]
HTML https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/oztYq5AbpB26Ma6wSysP0TG81oB4JfFRUar2JRIZG865ap6Q4b5cyLf9iyb2wUDtIXTgjcgYmiFWfRQU4sgizDoj5REMoGoO9nNxdCAdl3rI2F9XvUKtLcrmm6GtPnS9AnQ3T6CRq9TFK4fRbFE3wAuCnYvZBQV2zmQ=s0-d-e1-ft#https://gallery.mailchimp.com/33602bebba8fb7dd6e71fb413/images/0bb0ece7-9ce7-4ab4-9a36-6f3ca6a7db37.png[/img][/center]
[center][img
width=640]
HTML https://popularresistance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2017/12/1googlenotice.png[/img][/center]
[quote]Clearly, there’s an extreme disconnect between our public
policy, on the one hand, and what would be good for consumers,
family farmers and the ecosystem, on the other hand.[/quote]
[center][img
width=150]
HTML https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/wBjIjEDlKbM-N91wpYQXk5u5jSLiWn93ZPQYMdbIvMj2PNegRp3rjlm2SJcLLR3liPOgFDVxvcur_iMSi_8QLIo9RUNVbLiytvNHY6-CRGihLUuAIyQ_OhCE7CV_aqlF2NWUNyWavCJa2AshU2Xp8n8vkknxtMZtDdxNNLYg_vOi1YCJzYE6=s0-d-e1-ft#https://popularresistance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2019/12/farm_red-barn_1920x980-e1576416766838-150x150.png[/img]<br
/>Three Steps For Building A Million-Person Food Citizen
Force[/center]
By Anthony Flaccavento, Organic Consumers Association
December 15, 2019 | ORGANIZE!
Americans cherish the “family farm.” Most are also happy to be
able to buy local foods at farmers markets, grocers or their
favorite restaurants. In the marketplace, consumers are sending
the message that they want more sustainable and organic food,
sales of which exceeded $50 billion last year. And the vast
majority of people in our nation believe that climate change is
real, and that urgent action needs to be taken.
While there is some variability depending upon one’s political
affiliation, Democrats and Republicans alike hold these views.
If this is what we... -more-
HTML https://popularresistance.org/three-steps-for-building-a-million-person-food-citizen-force/
#Post#: 15092--------------------------------------------------
Cuba’s Urban 🎍 Farming Shows Way to Avoid Hunger​
By: AGelbert Date: January 6, 2020, 3:01 pm
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EcoWatch
November 12, 2019
By Paul Brown [img
width=40]
HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/1/3-120818184310-1635923.gif[/img]<br
/>
[center][img
width=640]
HTML https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/Hg9UkG8h9Kraruc2R4-fMcUS1OQyDNMGIUTlEuu_WcW8rZOkLA3ZoDnN4CDb9tfhgx1CQ_A5MRqgBlBbe87HwwIcM85lliVBOpSNSFZVfM01uKea30EeciayBaPK3rBE-mAHvnu5NAIIYp9CdbUT6sv85icM_LA_xec=s0-d-e1-ft#https://gallery.mailchimp.com/214ab5fbb3f6015d74ffab4ec/images/b493ba64-a5cc-4ebd-85cd-70a208c83195.png[/img][/center]
[center]A verdant and productive urban garden in Havana. Susanne
Bollinger / Wikimedia Commons[/center]
[center]​Cuba’s Urban 🎍 Farming Shows Way to Avoid
Hunger​
HTML https://www.ecowatch.com/urban-farming-cuba-2641320251.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=aa3b50ca1d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-aa3b50ca1d-86021645[/center]
#Post#: 17342--------------------------------------------------
"Cropland has expanded ... 🚩 often at the expense o
f forests and other natural ecosystems.
By: AGelbert Date: March 1, 2022, 2:30 pm
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HTML http://www.wri.org/sites/all/themes/wri/images/logo.png
March 1, 2022
[center][img
width=640]
HTML https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/styles/1024x450/s3/2022-02/cropland-expansion-people-planet-ciat.jpg?VersionId=H5iHln6BW4r5buJPl8lkkkK6uStjQbCD&h=1bf718f7&itok=9TUzT5OA[/img][/center]
[center]What Cropland Expansion Means for People and the
🌎 Planet [/center]
While crops are essential to feed the world’s growing
population, a new study in Nature Food
HTML https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-021-00429-z?utm_campaign=wridigest&utm_source=wridigest-2022-03-01&utm_medium=email&utm_content=content<br
/>shows that current practices are not sustainable. Cropland has
expanded by an area the size of Egypt in just two decades, often
at the expense of forests and other natural ecosystems.
Five major takeaways emerged from this study, including where
this expansion is happening, how fast it’s happening and what
impacts might occur without better global land use. You can see
a visualization of the data by the Land and Carbon Land
HTML https://www.landcarbonlab.org/data?utm_campaign=wridigest&utm_source=wridigest-2022-03-01&utm_medium=email&utm_content=text.<br
/>
Learn more.
HTML https://www.wri.org/insights/cropland-expansion-impacts-people-planet?utm_campaign=wridigest&utm_source=wridigest-2022-03-01&utm_medium=email&utm_content=learnmore<br
/>👀
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[center][img
width=640]
HTML https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/4/3-010322155855.png[/img][/center]
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