Trying to create the shortest supply chain possible, a supermarket in Brussels is selling produce grown on its own roof only hours after being harvested. Delhaize, a Belgian supermarket chain part of Ahold Delhaize, said it launched the “Urban Farm” project to satisfy the growing number of consumers who are concerned about where their food is sourced and eating … [Read more...]
How planting wildflowers could reduce the need for pesticides
While driving through the fields of Switzerland, you may come across neatly tailored stripes of bright red poppies or radiant blue cornflowers planted amongst the crops in the countryside. Beautiful as they may be, these wildflowers serve as a practical, environmentally-forward approach to agriculture that may hold the answer to reducing pesticides for good. Swiss farmers, … [Read more...]
Monsanto ‘bullied scientists’ and hid weedkiller cancer risk, lawyer tells court
Monsanto has long worked to “bully scientists” and suppress evidence of the cancer risks of its popular weedkiller, a lawyer argued on Monday in a landmark lawsuit against the global chemical corporation. “Monsanto has specifically gone out of its way to bully … and to fight independent researchers,” said the attorney Brent Wisner, who presented internal Monsanto emails that … [Read more...]
Children may be eating cereal laced with toxic weed killer
The probable carcinogen glyphosate has been detected in popular cereals, but the EPA is ready to approve its use for 15 more years. Quaker Oats “Life” and “Squares” cereals. Gerber and Beechnut baby oatmeal. Cheerios. Store brand “O” cereals from Target, Safeway, Walmart, Trader Joe’s and Kroger. All those products were contaminated with glyphosate (often sold as Roundup) in … [Read more...]
Beekeepers file legal complaint over glyphosate in honey
Bayer, which recently wrapped up its takeover of Monsanto, now owns glyphosate and the liabilities surrounding it. Last Thursday, the same day the $63 billion acquisition closed, a beekeeping cooperative in northern France filed a legal complaint against the German chemical giant after the controversial weedkiller was detected in honey produced by one of its … [Read more...]
R15m borehole intervention to save Sutherland farms
Farmers in Sutherland can breathe a little easier after the successful drilling of new boreholes as part of a R15 million project to save farms in the area. The Gift of the Givers project follows one of the worst droughts the province has seen. Eleven Sutherland farms were lost, livestock died and 56 farms remain at risk. Gift of the Givers decided to step in to drill 200 … [Read more...]
Landmark lawsuit reveals 35 year weedkiller cancer cover-up
At the age of 46, DeWayne Johnson is not ready to die. But with cancer spread through most of his body, doctors say he probably has just months to live. Now Johnson, a husband and father of three in California, hopes to survive long enough to make Monsanto take the blame for his fate. On 18 June, Johnson will become the first person to take the global seed and chemical … [Read more...]
Take the path of abundance with Permaculture Design Course
Empower yourself and learn how to become self-sufficient in any situation. The Permaculture Design Course teaches essential skills to meet the challenges of a world beset with climate change, economic meltdown, and diminishing natural resources. Learn to design regenerative human living environments that will provide for your every need in a way that benefits everything and … [Read more...]
Study urges action to save Philippi’s farms
Philippi farmer Achmat Brinkhuis does not sleep most nights, but stands guard over his vegetable crops, pump-house and irrigation pipes. He resorted to this after thieves stole farming equipment from his small-holding 17 times in the space of 12 months. “Sometimes in the morning, I can’t stay awake,” Brinkhuis said. Brinkhuis was one of a group of farmers briefed by the … [Read more...]
Pesticides and human health: the UK government’s ‘elephant in the room’
The UK Government currently has a consultation running until 8th May entitled ‘Health and Harmony: the future for food, farming and the environment in a Green Brexit.’ A promising title I thought! That was until I read the various consultation documents - produced by DEFRA - where it became abundantly clear that, despite the title, there is a glaring omission of anything human … [Read more...]
Europe poised for total ban on bee-harming pesticides
The world’s most widely used insecticides would be banned from all fields across Europe under draft regulations from the European commission. The documents are the first indication that the powerful commission wants a complete ban and cite “high acute risks to bees”. A ban could be in place this year if the proposals are approved by a majority of EU member states. Bees … [Read more...]
New Zealander attempts an ethical, sustainable dairy farm
He founded an ethical dairying company that would allow calves to stay with their mothers. Last week, Glenn Herud had to admit that his enterprise had failed. I’m a third generation dairy farmer. The milk business is the only business I know. Four years ago I decided to find a way to do dairy in a more sustainable way. I know New Zealanders want this. They want the land … [Read more...]
Hope and mourning in the Anthropocene era
We are living in a time of extraordinary ecological loss. Not only are human actions destabilising the very conditions that sustain life, but it is also increasingly clear that we are pushing the Earth into an entirely new geological era, often described as the Anthropocene. Research shows that people increasingly feel the effects of these planetary changes and associated … [Read more...]
