The Hemp Casita of Rezolana — Rising up from the Ground
Closely weaving together habitation, community, and society, Arnie pays attention to how culture was and is created.
rebuilding resilient food and farming systems
The Lost Forest Gardens of Europe
As we search for ways to remake the way we garden, farm, and live in a time of climate change, extreme inequality, and political disarray, looking back at the innovations of Europe’s hidden agroecological past can provide invaluable lessons on how we might collectively move forward.
This Texas Town Is Growing Stronger By Thinking *Inside* the Box
A half hour from El Paso, TX, lies a small, young town that is piloting a creative local food program to help keep residents fed and encourage entrepreneurship—all while focusing on native plants that grow quickly and cheaply.
Making And Keeping Soils Fertile: The Case of the Island Poel
The fertility of the soil is one of the most vital, if not the most important factor in farming. The soil is the very basis of agriculture!
Farming on a Human Scale: How Small and Localised Supply Chains Can Adapt in a Crisis
Times of turbulence usually precipitate great change, and we are certainly on the brink of great change. Which direction we go in is entirely down to us – how we spend our money, how we vote, how we engage with our community. I hope the opportunity isn’t wasted.
The Powerful Alliance Between Integrated Science and Traditional Food Systems
We are in desperate need of more integrated approaches that recognize our interdependent place in the natural world. Strengthening interdisciplinary and intercultural collaboration will encourage a paradigm-shift towards integration, as will the sharing of knowledge between people with different worldviews.
Milpa in Mexico: Defending a Way of Life
Defending the native corn is a matter of life or death. To say that we are a people of corn is not a pretty metaphor, but rather, it is the state of things. Our life is associated with corn, and not just as a source of food. It defines a way of life and an affirmation of our relationship with Mother Earth.
Loss of a Small Abattoir and a Small Farm Future
To me, the more telling vandalism is in the gutting of local economies, wrought by the huge industrial abattoirs, markets, feedlots and all the other paraphernalia of modern large-scale farming which has been removed from public view. In the past, towns and cities usually grew up around working functions, as commercial or industrial centres.
The JX Ranch
In 2004, cattle ranchers Tom and Mimi Sidwell bought the 7,000-acre JX Ranch, south of Tucumcari, New Mexico, and set about doing what they know best: earning a profit by restoring the land to health and stewarding it sustainably.
The Future of Wheat
“It’s important that we take care to do things right, not to rush, and to make sure that the power in these new economies is equitable, There is always the danger of re-building the old system and re-commodifying these precious seeds.”
Flour Power
As Trevino highlights, the struggle to transform industrial grain is no small battle. If All Purpose Flour is a symptom of a sociopolitical logic determined to concentrate power and quash difference, then fixing the problem starts with reasserting the distinctive ecological and social fabric of diverse communities.
How Eating Heritage Barley Could Be a Useful Weapon in the Fight against Climate Change
Re-discovering how to cook and eat heritage barley – especially in the world’s biggest barley-growing nations of Europe, Australia and North America – could encourage farmers to grow special landrace heritage varieties. These could be grown in marginal climates and make a substantial contribution to ensuring global food security in the face of climate change.