Tag Archives: water

A neonic that’s bad news for birds

Posted on July 25, 2014 by argylesock

Here in Europe, three insect-killing neonicotinoids are under a temporary ban. One of the banned neonics is called imidacloprid. Six months into the neonic ban, here’s new science about imidacloprid and insect-eating birds in the Netherlands. The chemical and biotech … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecology, horticulture, knowledge transfer | Tagged apple, arthropod, Bayer, bird, crop, DDT, ecosystem, Europe, European Food Safety Authority, history, imidacloprid, insect, insecticide, insectivore, invertebrate, knowledge, law, pest control, pesticide, plant_dicot, poison, pollution, research, seed, seedling, soil, sugar beet, tomato, vertebrate, water, wildlife | 2 Comments

What is biodiverse food?

Posted on June 13, 2014 by argylesock

Ann Tutwiler of Bioversity International tells us why in the 21st century, we need biodiverse food. And she tells us what that could mean. Ms Tutwiler doesn’t mince her words, saying that a need for dramatically increased food production is … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food, horticulture, knowledge transfer | Tagged amaranth, banana, barley, biodiversity, biotechnology, cacao, cassava, climate, commodity, corn, crop, development, fertiliser, food, food security, food sovereignty, fossil fuel, foxtail millet, genetic diversity, grain, grass, Green Revolution, grocery, knowledge, maize, neglected crop, oats, pearl millet, plantain, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, politics, pollution, potato, poverty, prosperity, public_private partnership, quinoa, research, rice, rye, small millet, smallholder, soil, sorghum, staple food, supermarket, sustainable, teff, trade, water, wheat, wild rice | 3 Comments

When your produce gets wasted, it’s really a cry for help

Posted on April 24, 2014 by argylesock

Posted in agriculture, food, horticulture | Tagged fertiliser, food waste, fruit, garden, gardener, grocery, organic, vegetable, waste, water | 3 Comments

Trade across the Pond

Posted on April 23, 2014 by argylesock

The World Development Movement (WDM) wants poverty to end. ‘WDM campaigns against the root causes of poverty and inequality. We are a democratically-governed movement made up of local campaign groups based in towns and cities around the UK. Our staff … Continue reading →

Posted in food, human health, knowledge transfer, money and trade | Tagged Africa, America, Asia, Cable_Vince, Department for Business Innovation and Skills, education, energy, Europe, food, housing, human, internet, knowledge, land, law, politics, poverty, trade, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, transport, water | 1 Comment

Food security and biofuels

Posted on April 15, 2014 by argylesock

Biofuels are renewable because they’re made from plants or animals, which grow. But sometimes biofuels are produced in ways that are not sustainable. Hungry people sometimes pay the cost. Can food security and biofuels go hand in hand? Today Léna … Continue reading →

Posted in food, knowledge transfer, money and trade, weather and climate | Tagged access to land, algae, biodiversity, biofuel, climate, development, export, farmer, fire, food security, knowledge, land grab, land use, law, livestock, plant_dicot, plant_gymnosperm, plant_monocot, politics, poverty, prosperity, tillage, trade, tradition, waste, water | 7 Comments

Wild weather and a rubbish response

Posted on January 31, 2014 by argylesock

Yesterday our British Met Office announced an incredibly wet January in parts of Southern England. Before the month was over, ‘the southeast and central southern England region has already had its wettest January in records going back to 1910.’ The … Continue reading →

Posted in weather and climate | Tagged Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, drainage, Environment Agency, farmer, flood, Paterson_Owen, politics, rain, water, waterway, weather | 10 Comments

Who’s the most hated company? Monsanto!

Posted on November 24, 2013 by argylesock

The chemical and biotechnology giant, Monsanto, calls itself ‘a sustainable agriculture company.’ If you want to know more of its viewpoint you can read its blog, Beyond the Rows. Not everybody thinks that Monsanto is all about sustainable agriculture. Do … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food, human health, money and trade, weather and climate | Tagged BASF, Bayer, biotechnology, climate, climate-ready crop, conservation, crop, development, Dow, DuPont, evolution, fertiliser, food, food safety, genetic modification, herbicide, history, human, invasive species, Monsanto, pesticide, politics, seed, sustainable, Syngenta, trade, water, weed, yield | 8 Comments

Agricultural biodiversity and climate change

Posted on November 22, 2013 by argylesock

Smallholders around the world favour diversity as they face changing, unpredictable climates. Bioversity International tells us how smallholders use biodiversity to adapt. ‘Given the prevalence and effectiveness of planting new crops and varieties as a coping mechanism, ensuring access to … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food, knowledge transfer, weather and climate | Tagged agroforestry, America, Asia, barley, biodiversity, biotechnology, breeding, cañahua, climate, climate-ready crop, conservation, crop, crop diversity, crop variety, disease, drought, farmer, finger millet, food, fruit, genetic modification, grain, isaño, kodo millet, late blight, legume, local variety, lychee, millet, neglected crop, nut, oca, papalisa, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, potato, potato Double H, potato Luki, pseudocereal, quinoa, rice, rice 1442, selective breeding, small millet, smallholder, spice, staple food, temperature, tradition, tuber, vegetable, water, weather, wheat, wheat NL297 | 9 Comments

Could Food Insecure Africa Have Found a Saviour in Farming God’s Way?

Posted on August 13, 2013 by argylesock

argylesock says… I wasn’t going to read this article, because I don’t believe in God. But lots of people do, and anyway the ideas now labelled ‘Farming God’s Way’ sound very sensible.

Posted in food, knowledge transfer | Tagged arthropod, compost, conservation, corn, crop, crop rotation, development, disease, erosion, farm, farmer, fertiliser, finance, food, food security, history, insect, intensive, irrigation, knowledge, labour, land use, maize, mulch, pest, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, population, religion, research, seed, soil, technology, tillage, trade, transport, waste, water | 2 Comments

How UK water companies are polluting Britain’s rivers and beaches

Posted on August 10, 2013 by argylesock

Originally posted on Stop Making Sense:
From The Guardian: The most persistent and frequent polluters of England’s rivers and beaches are the nation’s 10 biggest water companies, an Observerinvestigation has revealed. The companies, which are responsible for treating waste water and delivering clean…

Posted in ecology, money and trade | Tagged coastline, ecosystem, law, pollution, sea, water, waterway | Leave a comment