food

Permaculture found to be a sustainable alternative to conventional agriculture

RPTU University of Kaiserslautern-Landau has shown for the first time, in a joint study with BOKU University, that permaculture brings about a significant improvement in biodiversity, soil quality and carbon storage.

In view of the challenges of climate change and species extinction, this type of agriculture proved to be a real alternative to conventional cultivation—and reconcile environmental protection and high yields.

Permaculture uses natural cycles and ecosystems as blueprint. Food is produced in an agricultural ecosystem that is as self-regulating, natural and diverse as possible. For example, livestock farming is integrated into the cultivation of crops or the diversity of beneficial organisms is promoted in order to avoid the use of mineral fertilizers or pesticides.

(https://phys.org/news/2024-07-permaculture-sustainable-alternative-conventional-agriculture.html)

Breadfruit: The Caribbean’s hurricane-resistant food

Originally brought to Jamaica from the Pacific Islands by the HMS Bounty in 1794, breadfruit was an inexpensive, nutritious food for enslaved Africans labouring on British-owned sugar plantations. The trees grow quickly and fruit within a year of planting, producing 200 to 400 fruits per year the size of a large grapefruit or small watermelon. Breadfruit contains all nine essential amino acids and is a good source of fibre, protein and several minerals and vitamins.


In the centuries since their introduction, breadfruit trees were abundant across Jamaica, and the fruit has been a staple of the country’s cuisine. In recent years, as communities have sought out more sustainable, local and healthy food sources – especially ones that can withstand extreme weather (a breadfruit tree that’s damaged in a hurricane can regrow itself) – breadfruit has experienced renewed interest as a nutritious and versatile option, providing both health and economic benefits.

(https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240221-breadfruit-the-caribbeans-hurricane-resistant-food)

Farm vehicles have become so heavy they’re affecting the world’s soils

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Vicki Robin—NYT best-selling author, Post Carbon board member, and host of our What Could Possibly Go Right? podcast—says:
“If global supply chains are disrupted, we need more local food and local energy. The question isn’t how can corporations feed the world, but how can our  laws and institutions increase the ability of regions to feed themselves?”

What do you think? How do we convince our lawmakers that building #communityresilience and investing in #localization efforts are our BEST avenues forward?

Farm vehicles have become so heavy they’re affecting the world’s soils
May 17, 2022: The total weight of farming machinery has increased tenfold in the last 40 years, as machines become bigger and stronger. As they operate across fields, these machines slowly crush the soil and make it harder for plants to grow, risking reducing harvests across global cropland in the next decades, a new study found.
The average weight of modern agricultural machinery (36,000 kilograms or 80,000 pounds) exceeds by far the heaviest living terrestrial animals (the African bush elephant, which has a maximum body mass of 8,000 kilograms). Modern tractors are even heavier than some of the sauropod dinosaurs, the heaviest land animals that ever walked on Earth.