State of the World 2011 is available now!

Click here

Jan 30

Okra: Southern Charm and Resilient on the Farm

Nourishing the Planet Africa, Agriculture, Farmers, Indigenous, Indigenous Vegetables, Nourishing the Planet, Nutrition

By Kate Rosenberg

Okra, also known as lady’s fingers or gumbo, is among the most popular indigenous vegetables grown in Africa and Asia. This uniquely-shaped pod vegetable is believed to have originated in Southeast Asia, with the most common of the okra species, Abelmoschus esculentus, particularly popular in tropical Africa, Southeast Asia, and Brazil, and another species, Abelmoschus caillei, popular in West Africa. The pods can be cooked and eaten, or dried or pickled for preservation, while the leaves can be eaten like spinach. Okra is not only nutritious – its seeds contain protein – but it also adds taste and variety to staple foods around the world, including sorghum, rice, and maize. While some find its slimy texture unpleasant, it works as a natural thickener in soups and stews.

Okra pods. (Photo credit: Bill Tarpenning, USDA)

Okra was introduced to the United States in the eighteenth century and became a staple of southern food, eaten not only in gumbo, but fried in cornmeal and cooked in a variety of other ways. In West Africa, okra pods are picked and eaten while small and tender, while in India, okra is harvested when pods are more mature. Around the world, okra can be found in India’s sambar, thick stews in the Mediterranean, canh chua in Vietnam, and callaloo in the Caribbean. It is also a master of disguise: when coffee was in short supply during the Civil War, many people resorted to a coffee substitute made from okra seeds.

In addition to being delicious, okra has a number of truly surprising uses. Okra mucilage has been used as a plasma replacement and blood volume expander. Okra bark fiber can be spun into rope and used to manufacture paper. And a 2009 report in Applied Energy found okra seed oil to be a suitable feedstock for biodiesel.

Read the rest of this entry »


, , , , , , , , , , ,

Jan 29

Meet the Nourishing the Planet Team: Laura Reynolds

Nourishing the Planet Nourishing the Planet

We have a whole new crop of staff and interns joining the Nourishing the Planet team this spring. Today, meet Laura Reynolds.

Laura Reynolds

Laura Reynolds graduated from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland in 2010, where she studied Modern History and Philosophy. While in college, Laura became interested in agricultural and natural resource systems around the world, and she wrote her senior thesis on the impact of British imperial rule on the forests of India. Laura has completed research internships at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and Humane Society International. She has also worked on a goat farm in Oregon, volunteered at a school in Panama, sold produce at farmers markets in Washington, D.C., and spent the 2011 growing season apprenticing on an organic vegetable farm in Sperryville, Virginia. While she enjoyed waking up at 5:30 a.m. to harvest tomatoes, Laura is very excited to join the Nourishing the Planet team!

In her free time, Laura loves to run (she is aiming to finish her third marathon this year), read, and play ultimate frisbee.


, , ,

Jan 29

Landscapes for People, Food and Nature Initiative to Launch New Blog on January 30

Nourishing the Planet Agriculture, Climate Change, Innovation

By Kate Rosenberg

The Landscapes for People, Food and Nature (LPFN) Initiative is a collaborative initiative working at the landscape level in over 60 countries, from China to Costa Rica, which aims to promote and scale up successful “ecoagriculture” strategies. Ecoagriculture is rooted in managing the complex dynamics among plants, animals, water, soil, insects, and other micro-fauna to produce crops and livestock in environmentally sustainable ways. LPFN’s overseeing partner is EcoAgriculture Partners, which supports diverse individuals and organizations working at the local, national and international levels to create and sustain ecoagriculture landscapes around the world.

Permaculture Project in Gaborone, Botswana (Photo credit: Bernard Pollack)

On January 30, LFPN will launch its new blog, which will provide perspective and discussion from innovators seeking to advance integrated approaches to agriculture that simultaneously meet goals for food production, ecosystem health, and human well-being. LPFN’s new blog will also serve as a sounding board for discussing how to most effectively scale up these ecologically-oriented agriculture practices.

Around the world, farmers, NGOs, policymakers, businesses, and other players in the global food system are finding ways to make agriculture more ecologically sustainable. Many communities are already practicing ecoagriculture—they’re creating livestock corridors through fields in Benin, silvopastoral systems (combining pasture with increased tree cover) in Nicaragua, and increasing productivity through the introduction of agroforestry trees as an alternative source of timber, fuel, fodder, and food in Kenya.
While many effective and encouraging innovations are taking place, time isn’t on our side—ecosystems around the world are showing signs of distress and climate change is altering agricultural landscapes. Now, more than ever, resources for and communication among practitioners is needed to scale up effective agriculture strategies that are capable of improving food security, protecting ecosystems, and revitalizing local economies.

Read the rest of this entry »


, , , , ,

Jan 29

In Case You Missed it: This Week in Review

Nourishing the Planet Uncategorized

This week, we highlighted a new report by the Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change that provides a summary of concrete policy recommendations toward achieving food security in the face of climate change. In this post we highlighted Food + Tech’s article on how international development organizations, such as the Africa Rice Centre, are using educational videos to reach out to farmers. And in this post, we examined Bill Gates’ recently released 2012 annual letter, where he stressed the need for agricultural innovations, such as improved seed varieties, to further development efforts around the world.

Photo credit: Bernard Pollack

And our 12 recommendations to go green in 2012 continue to receive exciting media coverage and were featured in The Japan Times.

Highlights from this past week:

Beyond the traditional lessons on reading, writing, and math, schools across America are now teaching their students about another crucially important subject that will build the foundation for the rest of their lives: nutrition. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 17 percent of children in America are obese.  These children face higher risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other diseases when they become adults. In this post we highlight five school programs that are teaching children about agriculture and cooking, so that they gain a better understanding of where their food comes from and how it is produced, all while improving their health.

Our Nourishing the Planet TV episode this week discussed how incorporating an Integrated Food and Energy System (IFES) can give rural and impoverished communities better access to food and reliable energy. Farmers can incorporate IFES in two ways—by using intercropping methods and growing food and fuel-generating crops, such as acacia trees, or by integrating livestock onto their farms and using biodigesters to capture methane from composting manure to use as energy.

And our indigenous crop of the week is cañihua, a crop similar to quinoa, which thrives in high elevations, making it a staple in the Andean highlands for thousands of years. In addition to its hardiness, Cañihua is notable for the usefulness of the entire plant. Its leaves can be cooked and eaten like spinach and the entire plant can be dried and used as feed for livestock. And cañihua seeds contain up to 19 percent protein and are rich in amino acids.

Now it’s your turn: What were your favorite posts from the week? What do you hope we’ll write about next week? Let us know in the comments!

To purchase State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet please click HERE. And to watch the one minute book trailer, click HERE.


Jan 28

Meet the Nourishing the Planet Team: Kevin Robbins

Nourishing the Planet Nourishing the Planet

We have a whole new crop of staff and interns joining the Nourishing the Planet team this spring. Today, meet Kevin Robbins.

Kevin Robbins

For the last two years Kevin has explored his interest in food and agriculture on adventures ranging from fishmongering at a D.C. area market and helping out as a farm hand on a sustainable family farm in Southwest, Virginia, to cooking in farm-to-table restaurants, including Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse in Berkley, California.

He studied Political Science and Religion at Columbia University and spent a year volunteering abroad. He worked with human rights observers in Chiapas, Mexico, Haitian rights activists and orphanages in the Dominican Republic, and organizations that promote reconciliation among former child soldiers in Liberia. His interest in workers rights then led him to eight years of work as a union organizer and labor educator with a progressive healthcare workers union in California.

Along with interning at Worldwatch, Kevin is applying to graduate schools here in D.C. to continue his quest of combining his commitment to social justice with his passion for food and agriculture.


, , ,

Jan 28

Meet the Nourishing the Planet Team: Marissa Dwyer

Nourishing the Planet Nourishing the Planet

We have a whole new crop of staff and interns joining the Nourishing the Planet team this spring. Today, meet Marissa Dwyer.

Marissa Dwyer

Marissa is currently studying at the London School of Economics for an MSc in Urbanisation & Development. She is particularly interested in urban agriculture and sustainable initiatives in cities. She especially enjoys shopping for seasonal produce at Borough Market.

A Philadelphia native (and sports team enthusiast), she completed her BA in International Relations at the University of Pennsylvania. It was during her time at Penn,   while volunteering on a farm in Costa Rica over break, that she developed a passion for food. Following this experience she decided to get involved in environmental issues around the city. She completed coursework on Philadelphia’s sustainability initiatives incorporated in the Greenworks plan, with a particular focus on efforts to start up farmers’ markets in neighborhoods designated as food deserts. She’s thrilled to be working with the Nourishing the Planet team this winter.

When she’s not experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, she can usually be found playing ice hockey, brushing up on her scrabble skills, or indulging in afternoon tea.


, , ,

Jan 28

Family Farmers Get Their Day In Court Against Monsanto

Nourishing the Planet Farmers, Farmers Groups, GE, Nourishing the Planet, organic

By Leah Baines 

On January 31st, family farmers will begin the first stage of a court case filed against agro-business powerhouse, Monsanto. The goal of the case, Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA) vs. Monsanto, is to protect the 300,000 organic and non-GMO American farmers from the genetic trespass of Monsanto’s genetically modified seeds, which contaminate organic crops and often leave farmers vulnerable to harmful patent infringement lawsuits.

On January 31st, American family farmers will fight for their right to grow organic crops with fear of genetic trespassing against Monsanto. (Image credit: Food Democracy Now!)

Monsanto currently controls the genetics of nearly 90 percent of 5 major commodity crops including corn, soybeans, cotton, canola and sugar beets. Many farmers who do not use Monsanto seeds have had to stop growing their own crops in order to avoid genetic contamination from those used in fields nearby. According to OSGATA, Monsanto has “created an atmosphere of fear in rural America and driven dozens of farmers into bankruptcy.”

Food Democracy Now!, an organization working towards building a sustainable food system, says that Monsanto has filed 144 lawsuits against farmers, and settled out of court for undisclosed amounts of money for an additional 700 cases. These lawsuits leave farmers broke and unable to afford the legal costs associated with fighting Monsanto for something beyond their control in the first place.

Click here to learn how you can support these farmers. If you live New York City, you can attend OSGATA’s Citizen’s Assembly on the day of the trial to show farmers that you care about their right to grow crops without fear and the threat of injustice.

What are your thoughts about the case? Let us know in the comments section!

Leah Baines in a research intern for the Nourishing the Planet project.

To purchase State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet please click HERE. And to watch the one minute book trailer, click HERE.


, , , , , , , , , ,

Jan 27

Closing the gender gap to end hunger

Nourishing the Planet Agriculture, Women

By Arielle Golden

Take a look at this moving video from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, about the enormous effect we can have on food security by closing the gender gap.

More than half of the agricultural producers worldwide are women. In some countries, they make up over three-quarters of the agricultural workforce. This video calls for women to have equal access to land, education, agricultural training, seeds, water and tools, and technology.

When women have equal rights, they can farm more effectively. This means they can generate more income for their families and contribute to their communities. When they have equal rights, they have decision-making power in the household, giving them a voice and the social tools to effect change in their lives and in their communities. And investing in women’s education is one of the most effective ways to reduce poverty.

Watch the full video here.

Arielle Golden is a research intern with the Nourishing the Planet project.

To purchase State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet please click HERE. And to watch the one minute book trailer, click HERE.


, , , , , , , ,

Jan 27

Achieving Food Security in the Face of Climate Change

Nourishing the Planet Agriculture, Climate Change, Environment, Ethiopia, Food Security, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda

By Jeffrey Lamoureux

The Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change (CSACC), a roundtable of senior natural and social scientists from across the globe, recently released its Summary for Policymakers. The commission is working to promote concrete policy recommendations toward achieving food security in the face of climate change, and its summary is a synthesis of its final report, due in early 2012. Aimed at global policymakers at the recently concluded United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban and the upcoming Rio+20 Earth Summit, CSACC hopes to bring agriculture into discussions of climate change mitigation.

At the local level, sustainable intensification of production must be achieved (Photo credit: Bernard Pollack)

“Efforts to alleviate the worst effects of climate change cannot succeed without simultaneously addressing the crises in global agriculture and the food system,” said Dr. Bruce Campbell, director of the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security, which convened the independent commission in February 2011.

The global food system is plagued with structural issues: a billion are hungry while another billion over-consume, and inefficient practices cause tremendous amounts of waste and make agriculture the single biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. As the world’s population grows, the tastes of an ever-expanding middle class lean towards consumption of resource-intensive protein-heavy diets, and climate change threatens to disrupt much of the world’s arable land, the food system could reach critical thresholds. “Food insecurity produces widespread human suffering, even in the world’s wealthiest countries, as well as political and economic instability, so it is clear the status quo is not an option,” said Commissioner Professor Tekalign Mamo, Advisor to the Ethiopian Minister of Agriculture.

Read the rest of this entry »


, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jan 26

Six Months Later, Situation in Somalia “Still Desperate”

Nourishing the Planet Africa, Drought

By Leah Baines 

Six months after famine struck the Horn of Africa, leaving 12 million people at risk of starvation, the situation in Somalia is still dire. Although the designation of famine in some areas of the country has been lifted, the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), a collaboration of 14 leading U.K. aid agencies, says that there are four million people still in urgent need of aid in a drought that has already killed tens of thousands.

Women wait for food rations at Bondere Camp for Internally Displaced People in Mogadishu. (Photo credit: Brendan Paddy, Disasters Emergency Committee)

The famine designation has been lifted in the Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle regions in southern Somalia, but rates of malnutrition and death remain extremely high. Throughout the rest of the country, millions of people continue to suffer despite £75 million (approximately USD $115 million) in aid money raised recently by the DEC. Many have been forced to abandon their homes, and flee to refugee camps.

Islamic Relief, one of the DEC’s member charities is calling for “more international aid and an increased diplomatic effort,” so that those displaced and affected by the famine can receive the food supplies and medical attention they need and finally begin to rebuild their lives.

Read the rest of this entry »


, , , , , , ,

Jan 26

Videos Help Farmers Learn New Techniques

Nourishing the Planet Agriculture, Development, Education, Farmers, Technology, Training

Check out this post by Food + Tech, an organization that connects decision makers with the information and technology they need to support food production innovations.

Many development organization are using educational videos to help spread their messages. (Photo credit: Food+Tech)

According to the article, “Cuts to agricultural extension programs have left agents in many countries now attempting to serve tens of thousands of farmers and many farmers do not live near farm field schools.” But many organizations, including the Africa Rice Centre and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, are designing and disseminating educational videos on agricultural techniques, such as seed preparation, to reach out to those farmers.

Click here to read the full article and to check out some of the videos.

To purchase State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet please click HERE. And to watch the one minute book trailer, click HERE.


, , , , , , , , , ,

Jan 25

Agricultural Innovation: Creating a Second Green Revolution

Nourishing the Planet Agriculture, Development, Innovation, Technology

By Marissa Dwyer

Bill Gates released his 2012 annual letter, stressing the need for agricultural innovation to further international development. He has written annual letters since 2009, each of which outlines the key areas of focus for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for that year. Gates discusses the need for continued effort for other global health issues, including Polio vaccination, family planning programs, and HIV/AIDS prevention approaches. For all of these global health issues, he explains that, “Innovation is the means, and equity is the end goal” for the Foundation. Each letter has highlighted innovation as a means to greatly improve the world.

Use of a solar-powered drip-irrigation system in Niger. (Photo credit: Bernard Pollack)

His call for new solutions comes at a time when roughly 15 percent of the world population—1 billion people—are living in extreme poverty. Gates explains that, despite not having enough food for their families to eat, many of these people are small farm owners. In developing countries, malnutrition is a contributing factor in over half of all deaths of children under the age of five. Additionally, over 270 million children “are suffering long-term malnourishment and micronutrient deficiency,” seriously hampering their growth and development.

Gates states the need to build upon the work of the “Green Revolution” in the 1960s and 1970s, when existing technologies on irrigation, improved seed varieties, and synthetic nitrogen fertilizer were spread to farmers in developing countries. Governments today, he says, are paying less attention to and spending fewer resources on agriculture in their countries. The world spends US$3 billion per year on researching major crops, and very little of that funding is directed toward the needs of small-scale farmers.

According to Gates, modest amounts of investment can have a significant impact on the lives of millions of people. He concludes his letter by stating that he is optimistic about the potential of innovative partnerships between the private sector, developing countries, and aid organizations to greatly improve agricultural productivity throughout the world.

What do you think? Will a green revolution in Africa work? Let us know in the comments section! 

Marissa Dwyer is a research intern with the Nourishing the Planet project.

To purchase State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet please click HERE. And to watch the one minute book trailer, click HERE.


, , , , , ,

Jan 25

Nourishing the Planet TV: Creating Farms that Produce Food and Energy

Nourishing the Planet Africa, Agriculture, Climate Change, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Energy, Farmers, Fertilizer, Fuel, Income, Livestock, Nourishing the Planet TV, Soil

In this week’s episode, we discuss how incorporating an Integrated Food and Energy System (IFES) can give rural and impoverished communities better access to food and reliable energy. Farmers can incorporate IFES in two ways–by using intercropping methods and growing food and fuel-generating crops, such as acacia trees, or by integrating livestock onto their farms and using biodigesters from their manure to generate energy.

Video: http://youtu.be/gPlSroOqNaY

To read  about IFES, see: Innovation of the Week: Creating Farms that Produce Food and Energy.

To purchase your own copy of State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet, please click HERE. And to watch the one minute book trailer, click HERE.


, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jan 24

Five School Programs Feeding America’s Children

Nourishing the Planet Education, Nutrition, School, Youth

By Jenna Banning

Beyond the traditional lessons on reading, writing, and math, schools across America are now teaching their students about another crucially important subject that will build the foundation for the rest of their lives: nutrition.

Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids partners with schools in Delaware to build vegetable gardens. (Photo credit: Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 17 percent of children in America are obese.  These children face higher risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other diseases when they become adults.

With approximately 55 million children enrolled in the U.S., schools can play a powerful role in the efforts to combat obesity. Every day, over 31 million children receive their lunches through the National School Lunch Program. These meals are subsidized the government, and made available to low-income students for free or reduced rates.  In addition, by teaching children about agriculture, cooking, and gardening, students gain a greater appreciation and understanding of where their food comes from and how it is produced. Today, Nourishing the Planet highlights five initiatives helping to teach children about nutrition across the country.

1. Louisville, Kentucky

In 2003, according to a report by the Trust for America’s Health, Kentucky had the third highest level of overweight high school students, as well as the third highest number of low-income children between two and five years old in the country. Since then, Kentucky has made significant improvements in their school lunches and nutrition programs.

Read the rest of this entry »


, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jan 23

Cañihua: Quinoa’s Little Cousin Packs a Nutritional Punch

Nourishing the Planet Uncategorized

By Isaac Hopkins

Many areas in the Andean highlands of Peru and Bolivia are above 3800 meters in elevation. These highlands regularly experience extreme fluctuations in temperature—around 30°C (86°F)—and often  drop well below freezing at night. The area is also prone to drought, due to erratic mountain weather patterns and a winter dry season. It takes a special range of crops to feed the inhabitants of such an environment.

Cañihua plants near ripeness. Only partially domesticated, its genetic diversity is apparent from the wide range of colors. (Photo Credit: ccbolgroup.com)

The Chenopodium genus is known as the “goosefoots,” and is comprised of some 150 species. Two of these species are Quinoa and its lesser-known cousin, Cañihua. Specialized to grow at high elevations, Cañihua has been a staple crop in the Andean highlands for thousands of years.

Farmers in Peru and Bolivia produce almost all of the Cañihua grown in the world, but exports are minimal. At one time, much of South America, especially along the Andes Mountains, thrived on Quinoa and Cañihua, but the introduction of barley and wheat by Europeans caused a shift in agricultural production.

Still, these new cereal crops are usually difficult to grow at high elevations, as they are sensitive to frost and lack of rainfall, so some communities still rely on Cañihua for food. The plant is sown in the fall and can withstand night frosts, temperatures up to 28°C (82°F), or extended drought.

Read the rest of this entry »


Jan 22

In Case You Missed it: This Week in Review

Nourishing the Planet Uncategorized

This week, we highlighted a new report released by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and Tufts University’s Global Development and Environment Institute that discusses important policy reforms to resolve the food crisis that has been affecting people since 2007. We also highlighted a new video released by the Just Label It! campaign that urges people to sign a petition to encourage the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to label genetically engineered foods. You can sign the petition here.

Photo credit: Bernard Pollack

And our Nourishing the Planet TV episode this week discussed Land O’Lakes’ International Development’s work to tackle poverty through programs focused on dairy and livestock production and the establishment of cooperatives that are helping to increase farmers’ access to markets and better prices.

Also check out Nourishing the Planet and the Institute for Sustainable Development’s 12 recommendations that people in developing countries can take to go green in 2012.

Highlights from this past week:

Innovations like the internet and satellite technology are changing the face of food system solutions in even the poorest countries. Nourishing the Planet examined five forms of media that can use the power of information to combat hunger.

And our innovation of the week is the Jordan Valley Permaculture Project that is working to create a model of sustainable agricultural development in an arid environment in the Dead Sea Valley. The project, started in 2008 by the Permaculture Research Institute (PRI) in Australia, has already restored 10 hectares of previously unproductive land. According to PRI, this project demonstrates “all the basic needs for a healthy, meaningful, peaceful lifestyle [that] can be affordable, understood, and achieved by poor local people.”

Now it’s your turn: What were your favorite posts from the week? What do you hope we’ll write about next week? Let us know in the comments!

To purchase State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet please click HERE. And to watch the one minute book trailer, click HERE.


Jan 21

Denmark’s Tax on Fat: Trimming Waistlines or Wallets?

Nourishing the Planet Diet, disease, Disease Prevention, Food, Health, Nutrition

By Marissa Dwyer

In October, Denmark implemented the world’s first tax that directly targets saturated fat in foods.  Saturated fat, according to the World Health Organization, raises low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels which can increase the risk of cardio vascular disease. Saturated fat is found in foods from animal sources, such as butter and bacon. Any products which contain more than 2.3 percent saturated fat are subject to the tax. The consumer must pay an additional 16 Danish kroner (US$2.85) per kilogram (or 2.2 pounds) of any food product which has more than 2.3 per cent saturated fat. For example, consumers now have to pay 37 Danish kroner (US$6.50) instead of 34 Danish kroner (US$6) for a pound of cheese.

The Danish pastry: this butter-intensive dessert is one example of the foods that will be taxed under the recently implemented law. (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

This tax was passed overwhelmingly by the Danish Parliament this past March. But there are serious concerns by the food industry, particularly organic dairy farmers, who worry about the potential loss in revenue from the tax and believe that the government is unfairly deeming their products unhealthy. According to an article in The Washington Post, the tax could prove to be regressive, putting a heavier burden on lower-income consumers.

Furthermore, the likelihood of the tax to change dietary behavior is debatable. A study conducted by Lisa Powell and Frank Chaloupka of the University of Illinois at Chicago determined that, “Small taxes or subsidies [of unhealthy, energy-dense foods] are not likely to produce significant changes in BMI or obesity prevalence but that nontrivial pricing interventions may have some measurable effects.” Based on these findings, the tax could have little or no effect on food consumption habits in Denmark if it remains at the current rate. An alternative of directly taxing the producers of these food products would not likely lead to a different outcome, since the cost would be passed on to consumers anyway via price increases.

Read the rest of this entry »


, , , , , , ,

Jan 20

Changing the Way We Eat

Nourishing the Planet Diet, Food, Food safety

Tomorrow, TEDxManhattan will be hosting a panel discussion on steps needed to change the way we eat.

Tune in to hear experts discuss how we can, and should, change the way we eat. (Photo credit: Bernard Pollack)

The panel will feature president of the board of Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture and former director of Iowa State University’s Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Fred Kirschenmann and Senior Advisor at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, David Wallinga, among other experts.

Although the event is already sold out, you can view the livestream here. Click here for more program details.

To purchase State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet please click HERE. And to watch the one minute book trailer, click HERE.


, , , , , ,

Jan 20

Resolving the Food Crisis

Nourishing the Planet Agriculture, Development, Economy, Farmers, Food, Food Security, Investment

The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and the Tufts University’s Global Development and Environment Institute have released a new report that highlights important policy reforms to resolve the food crisis that has been affecting people since 2007.

According to a new report, although there has been an upsurge in attention towards agricultural development, there is still room for more growth in investments. (Photo credit: Bernard Pollack)

The report, Resolving the Food Crisis: Assessing Global Policy Reforms Since 2007, is based on a comprehensive assessment of the policies and actions taken since 2007 by four international groups of actors: the UN, the G-20, the World Bank, and international donors. Although there has been an upsurge in attention towards agricultural development, there is still room for more growth in investments. The report authors, Timothy A. Wise and Sophia Murphy, urge policymakers to pay attention to three key issues: reducing financial speculation on commodities markets, halting “land grabs,” and limiting the expansion of crops and land dedicated to biofuels.

Click here to read the full report.

To purchase State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet please click HERE. And to watch the one minute book trailer, click HERE.


, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jan 19

Innovation of the Week: Greening the Desert

Nourishing the Planet Farmers, Innovation, Innovation of the Week, Permaculture

By Emily Gilbert

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), there are 1 billion hungry people in the world, most of who live in poor rural areas. As the world’s population is set to hit 7 billion, policy-makers are struggling to find ways to nourish our planet’s growing population.  Traditionally, the answers have been sought in higher-yield seed varieties, vast dams for irrigation, and tons of artificial fertilizer.  But these approaches have proven to be costly both for the environment and for poor farmers, often without addressing the fundamental issues affecting our food systems.

The Jordan Valley Permaculture Project. (Photo credit: Dan Smith)

With this in mind, the Permaculture Research Institute (PRI) of Australia established the Jordan Valley Permaculture Project in 2008, to create a model for sustainable agricultural development in an arid environment that, according to PRI, demonstrates “all the basic needs for a healthy, meaningful, peaceful lifestyle can be affordable, understood, and achieved by poor local people.” In the process, the project has restored 10 hectares of previously unproductive land.

The Jordan Valley Permaculture Project is located in the Dead Sea Valley.  With months-long drought and temperatures reaching 122°F (50°C) during the summer months, it is difficult to imagine anything growing here.

To tackle this deficit of freshwater, Geoff Lawton, founder and director of the Permaculture Research Institute, and his team designed a swale, or landscaped contour system, over the project’s 10 acres. This allows millions of liters of water to store up during the winter months and soak back into the earth, creating an underground reservoir for the hot summer months.  After collecting excess and scrapped organic matter from neighboring farms, the team was able to plant nitrogen-fixing tree species which help rehabilitate the soil and provide shade for successor species.  Within four months of planting, fig trees were over a meter high and already bearing fruit

Read the rest of this entry »


, , , , , , , , ,

« Older Entries