Helping Farmers Conserve Wildlife and Make Money

Conservation Agriculture: Keeping People and Wildlife Safe by Danielle Nierenberg on April 12, 2010 One of the first things you notice about grocery stores in Zambia is the plethora of processed foods from around the world, from crackers made in Argentina and soy milk from China to popular U.S. breakfast cereals. Complementing these foreign foods, […]

Ecological Design Tranforms Mexican Community

Mexican Farmers Turn Milpas into Forest Gardens by Fred Bahnson on March 9, 2010 When government extension agents first came to Juan Bautista’s Yucatan village of Chun-Yah, a tiny pueblo in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, they told him he should start growing pitaya, also known as dragonfruit. Originating in Meso-America, this cactus is […]

Farm-to-School Programs Improve Nutrition

Farm to School Efforts Double in Minnesota Demand from students, farmers and schools grows for farm to school programs   MINNEAPOLIS, Minn – March 9 – The number of Minnesota school districts purchasing fresh food from local farms has more than doubled in the last 15 months, according to a survey released today by the […]

In Defense of School Gardens

School Adds Weeding to Reading and Writing By KIM SEVERSON THOSE who believe trends start on the West Coast and are perfected on the East Coast might add to their argument a garden planned for an elementary school in Brooklyn. This summer, supporters will tear up a quarter-acre of asphalt parking lot behind P.S. 216 […]

Growing Food On Multiple Levels in the Rainforest

Posted On: Worldwatch Institute Blog ECHO’s Global Farm is divided into six agro-ecological zones—Hillside Farming, Urban Rooftop Gardens, Tropical Monsoon, Rain Forest Clearing, Semi-arid Tropics, and Hot Humid Lowlands—which are maintained by the farm’s eight interns.  Each intern is responsible for one section for the entire one-year internship, allowing for a completely hands on learning […]

Urban Gardens for All Kinds of City Lots

by Danielle Maestretti  Finally: Garden guidance for those of us who don’t have big, sunny, plant-friendly backyards. The Baltimore-based magazine Urbanite offers gardening tips for difficult city lots (scroll down a bit for the article), suggesting what to grow in each of four funky urban yards: the shady yard, the all-concrete yard (a.k.a. the “no-yard […]