Peace for Somalia & Its People
Deforestation, Economics, Food Shortages, Global Warming/Climate Change, Health & Disease, Society, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Water Contaminaton & Loss — by Rhamis Kent August 9, 2011
A comprehensive, lasting security is created through giving people a viable means to provide for themselves.
The ultimate goal should be to enable the country of Somalia and its people to create a self-sustaining economy of their own. Only then will there be a meaningful, lasting peace.
Comments (0)Autotrophic Infrastructure & How Real Work Gets Done: A Historical Dilemma
Biodiversity, Consumerism, Deforestation, Economics, Global Warming/Climate Change, Society, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Water Contaminaton & Loss, peak oil — by Rhamis Kent July 9, 2011
All photographs © Craig Mackintosh
I’d like to revisit a few points I brought up in a piece that appeared here at the PRI Australia website in April last year; “Things That Can’t Last Forever, and Things That Can: A Few Thoughts”.
I’d like to begin with the following premise:
Economics is a continuation of energy by different means.
Classical physics defines energy as the ability to do work. Money represents the ability to do work. Fossil fuels furnish the ability to do work — quite a great deal of it — and, for the moment, relatively cheaply when one accounts for the finite nature of its supply in relation to what it facilitates.
Comments (6)“Debunking the Stubborn Myth that Only Industrial Ag Can ‘feed the world’”
Biodiversity, Food Shortages, Global Warming/Climate Change — by Rhamis Kent March 17, 2011
Image courtesy of Marc Roberts
Tom Philpott has been writing great articles covering issues related to agriculture & food security issues for quite some time at Grist. These two are no exception. With the recent global unrest being partially attributed to sky rocketing food costs and widespread environmental & ecological destruction directly tied to abysmal land management methods, and the increasing scarcity of arable land becoming prominent we are drawing closer to having to take definitive action to "right the ship".
Be sure to look at the United Nations reports he references in the articles. Huge credit goes to Mr. Philpott and all others shedding light on this critical topic:
- Debunking the stubborn myth that only industrial ag can ‘feed the world’
- The Economist dismisses organic ag, while also making the case for it
Further Reading:
- Monsanto Has Us Walking the Gangplank, and Wants to Give That Final Push
- The Food Crisis: “A Perfect Storm” – and How to Turn the Tide
- Food Futures Now – Feeding People & Place Without Fossil Fuels
- A Call to Large Scale Earth Healing and Lessons from the Loess Plateau (Video)
The Price of Food is at the Heart of this Wave of Revolutions
Economics, Food Shortages, Global Warming/Climate Change, Society, peak oil — by Rhamis Kent March 9, 2011
It seems as though the wheels are continuing to show signs of coming off as it concerns the issue of global food security. The recent unrest in the Middle East and North Africa are a testament to that. It has caught everyone by surprise — experts and laypeople alike. The article that follows, which was published by the UK Independent 27 February 2011, provides some of the detail. Click the link at bottom of the quoted paragraph here to read the whole thing:
Comments (9)The Need for Sustainable Agriculture – It’s So Obvious and Inevitable That Even The UN Has To Admit It
Biodiversity, Consumerism, Deforestation, Food Shortages, Global Warming/Climate Change, Rehabilitation, Society, Soil Conservation, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Water Contaminaton & Loss, peak oil — by Rhamis Kent February 25, 2011
Editor’s Note: Quite some time ago, I shared the big 400-scientist-strong IAASTD worldwide study that concluded that small scale, localised, ecological agriculture was an imperative we cannot afford to ignore any more. The post was titled The Food Crisis: “A Perfect Storm” – and How to Turn the Tide. If you missed it, do check it out, and if you’re already conversant in the multiple crises we’re dealing with, then simply jump to the ‘The Solutions’ section. Now, halfway through 2010, whilst I had my head down, working on a tool to help fast track the aforementioned solution — www.permacultureglobal.com — yet another study shares the same holistic, science-based vision. Read on.
The great need to stop burning out our soils, wasting precious water, and polluting both, is no longer open to dispute. A rapid transition to sustainable methods of agriculture simply needs to be implemented on a massive scale — and it needs to be done yesterday.
This is the great task of our age.
"Agroecology outperforms large-scale industrial farming for global food security," says UN expert. — The United Nations Office at Geneva
In the aforementioned article (first reported 22 June 2010), UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Professor Olivier De Schutter "makes an airtight case for a global policy shift toward agroecological production."
Comments (1)Support the Latest PDC in the West Bank!
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Courses/Workshops, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres, Urban Projects — by Rhamis Kent January 13, 2011
The view at sunset, westwards from Marda, Palestine
Photograph © copyright Craig Mackintosh
Preparations are being made for the upcoming April 2011 PDC taking place at Marda Permaculture Farm, located in the village of Marda, Palestine, the occupied West Bank.
There have been a number of great pieces written about this project on the PRI Australia website, providing great insight and background about the people responsible for this effort and the place itself. Just follow the links below for more information about the project site, and click here to learn about the course and teachers.
- A report from Craig Mackintosh from his visit in mid-2010.
- An older video covering the now-defunct Marda Sustainable Development Centre, and how it influenced locals, one Murad Alkufash in particular, to give birth to Marda Farm, the site of the upcoming PDC.
- A January 2010 overview of the Marda situation.
- Patrick Blampied talks to Murad Alkufash
Step By Step Earthship Construction in Normandy
Building — by Rhamis Kent December 21, 2010
Further to our recent Earthship post, I’m adding this nice step-by-step video for good measure. We’ve put it at the end of the earlier post as well for your convenience.
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An Agriculture that Stands a Chance: Perennial Polyculture & the Hard Limits of Post-Carbon Farming
Animal Forage, Economics, Food Forests, Food Plants - Annual, Food Plants - Perennial, Livestock, Plant Systems, Rehabilitation, Society, Soil Conservation, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Trees, Village Development, Water Contaminaton & Loss, peak oil — by Rhamis Kent December 16, 2010
More and more articles are being written that continue to hit the proverbial "nail on the head". This one was posted to the Energy Bulletin website a couple of days ago. It does a great job of summarizing the problems with annual monoculture-based food systems and the advantages of those which are perennial polyculture-based.
The evidence is undeniable and overwhelming. It has been for a very long time. Now it’s just time to "do the damn thing".
I’ve included a portion of this piece summarizing "The Four Smiling Faces of Perennial Polyculture":
Comments (4)Earthships & Permaculture: A Potent Tag-Team
Building, Eco-Villages, Energy Systems, Material, People Systems, Village Development, Waste Systems & Recycling — by Rhamis Kent December 14, 2010
I’ve recently been doing research on Earthships after being formally introduced to them while talking to my friend Paul "Ringo" Kean. For those who don’t check this website often, Ringo is a professional earthmover who is one of our more skilled PC field operators, having worked with the likes of Darren Doherty – definitely one of our most valued, skilled, and experienced people.
Michael Reynolds is the gentleman credited with creating this concept and housing technology. It’s worth a look and is very "permaculture" in its functioning and outlook. Credit also goes to commenter Chloe Wolsey for previously introducing the topic of Earthships on this site:
Earthships 101 parts I & II:
Part I
Sustainable Agriculture and the Green Energy Economy
Economics, Food Shortages, Global Warming/Climate Change, Society, peak oil — by Rhamis Kent December 7, 2010
I have recently been focusing on the work and contributions of Dr. Mae Wan Ho and the Institute of Science in Society, UK . Here is a paper she presented at Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland 24-25 March 2010 entitled "Sustainable Agriculture and the Green Economy" (PDF).
The importance of agriculture within the context of the establishment of a viable green economy is surprisingly overlooked still – even with all of the data and information made available, which more than adequately speaks to this fact. This was certainly the case with much of the planning behind Masdar City, for example, touted as the world’s first zero emissions/carbon neutral city. The problem with that claim is there exists no chance for it to be true unless a serious, sustainable local food production capability is developed — and it can’t look anything like we have at present.
As long as most of the "green economy" discussion — and funding — is only dedicated to matters connected to power generation, architecture, and transportation we will fail to notice and, more importantly, do what’s needed to address the "elephant in the room" that is the problem of sustainable food production, which is arguably the most critical problem facing us.
Comments (2)Green Manure Resources
Animal Forage, Medicinal Plants, Plant Systems, Rehabilitation, Soil Conservation, Structure — by Rhamis Kent August 31, 2010
Editor’s note: Red clover is a useful leguminous green manure. Growing taller than
other clovers, it can be easily cut down with a scythe or other when it starts to
flower, so that it doesn’t scatter seed where you don’t want it.
You can never have enough information about Earth Repair/Ecosystem Restoration tools, techniques, and strategies. As most of you know, a couple among the many in use are green manuring and cover cropping.
Over the past year of my really digging into this topic I’ve come across a number of useful links to downloadable PDFs that allow for easy access and use.
Comments (9)Making The Case for Earth Repair Work – Part III
DVDs/Books, Economics, Food Shortages, Society, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Water Contaminaton & Loss — by Rhamis Kent August 19, 2010
In addition to my last two posts (here and here), here are a couple of additional information sources to help make the case for major investment to be made into global earth repair/ecosystem restoration work.
The United Nations Environment Programme recently published a report titled "Dead Planet, Living Planet – Biodiversity and Ecosystem Restoration for Sustainable Development: A Rapid Response Assessment" (15mb PDF). What makes this document so useful and important is that it presents compelling arguments for performing this work that speak to the concerns of business & economics just as much as it does of those concerned about the state of our global ecology and environment. Doing so will prove to be invaluable in helping to attract funding in amounts befitting the vital importance of this work.
Below, I’ve excerpted portions of the report’s summary that are of particular interest:
Comments (8)Making The Case For Earth Repair Work – Part 2
Biodiversity, Deforestation, Development & Property Trusts, Economics, Ethical Investment, Food Shortages, Global Warming/Climate Change, People Systems, Population, Rehabilitation, Society, Soil Conservation, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Village Development, Water Contaminaton & Loss — by Rhamis Kent August 5, 2010
Over the past couple of years, there has been quite a bit of attention paid to the purchase of massive amounts of agricultural land by rich countries and corporate entities in the developing world. Craig Mackintosh wrote about this on this site, as have many other very informative reports and press stories.
To summarize, there has been approximately US$100 Billion mobilized to purchase somewhere between 40 – 50 million hectares (roughly 100 – 125 million acres) of agricultural land worldwide.
Comments (6)Making the Case for Earth Repair Work
Economics, Ethical Investment, Global Warming/Climate Change, Society — by Rhamis Kent July 23, 2010
I put together a brief document for an acquaintance of mine who said she recently met Juergen Voegele, Chairman of the World Bank’s Agriculture and Rural Development Department. She asked me to prepare something for him as it relates to what I had described as earth repair work – a term of course used often by Geoff, Paul Taylor and a number of others.
It was an attempt to make a case for having these efforts adequately funded given the importance of the work. This certainly isn’t an exhaustive, comprehensive reference (it was done with very short notice), but I’d like to think it conveys the basic premise behind the work and why it needs to be done – and, more importantly, deserves real financial backing.
Click to open (152 kb PDF):
Economic Support for Global Earth Repair Work & Ecosystem Restoration: Making The Case
Comments (4)The Food Nightmare Beneath Our Feet: We’re Running Out of Soil
Compost, Consumerism, Deforestation, Food Shortages, General, Rehabilitation, Soil Biology, Soil Conservation, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Structure — by Rhamis Kent May 1, 2010
It’s good to see someone from the American press shine a light on what is arguably the most pressing ecological issue facing us. It effects any and all aspects of environmental health and stability. Without significant efforts made to address the massive amounts of topsoil lost each year, all of our “environmentalism” rings rather hollow, I’m afraid.
The following article is highly recommended reading:
The Food Nightmare Beneath Our Feet: We’re Running Out of Soil
Further Reading:
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