Saturday, April 24, 2010






Sustainable agriculture takes many forms, but at its core is a rejection of the industrial approach to food production developed during the 20th century.

This system, with its reliance on monoculture, mechanization, chemical pesticides and fertilizers, biotechnology, and government subsidies, has made food abundant and affordable. However, the ecological and social price has been steep: erosion; depleted and contaminated soil and water resources; loss of biodiversity; deforestation; labor abuses; and the decline of the family farm.

The concept of sustainable agriculture embraces a wide range of techniques, including organic, free-range, low-input, holistic, and biodynamic.

The common thread among these methods is an embrace of farming practices that mimic natural ecological processes. Farmers minimize tilling and water use; encourage healthy soil by planting fields with different crops year after year and integrating croplands with livestock grazing; and avoid pesticide use by nurturing the presence of organisms that control crop-destroying pests.

Beyond growing food, the philosophy of sustainability also espouses broader principles that support the just treatment of farm workers and food pricing that provides the farmer with a livable income.

Critics of sustainable agriculture claim, among other things, that its methods result in lower crop yields and higher land use. They add that a wholesale commitment to its practices will mean inevitable food shortages for a world population expected to exceed 8 billion by the year 2030. There's recent evidence, though, suggesting that over time, sustainably farmed lands can be as productive as conventional industrial farms.


(national geographic)

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Moving Colours In Snowy Storm

New video. A drone for ears and eyes:

The Sleeping Sea - Moving Colours In Snowy Storm from sleeping sea on Vimeo.

Palms

live recording of palms at Rohs Street Cafe via courtesy of luke cole:

Monday, February 8, 2010

Bad Panda!



Bad Panda did a little special on us today :)

enn joo ee

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Thursday, January 14, 2010

HAITI DISASTER

Victims have spent their second day amongst the battered landscape, with legions of people confirmed dead and thousands more feared trapped under rubble.

The Red Cross in Haiti fears up to 50,000 people were killed in Tuesday's earthquake, but Haitian officials say it could be twice that.





If you're looking to give money to help these relief activities, we've compiled a list of some of the larger, established international aid organizations responding to the disaster:

American Jewish World Service
AmeriCares
CARE
Catholic Relief Services
Direct Relief International
Doctors Without Borders
International Committee of the Red Cross
International Rescue Committee
Mercy Corps
Oxfam
Partners in Health
The Salvation Army
Save the Children
UNICEF
World Food Programme