Climate change is the most widespread & complex problem humanity has ever faced! There is no time to waste and we need to turn green talk into profound green action. This is the intention of the GREEN TIMES.
Far be it from me to climb onto a bandwagon – as greenies we set rather than follow trends. I do believe in always keeping an open mind, though, and not judging anything until I have first-hand experience. So when I heard about banting earlier this year and the tremendous health benefits reported, I had to find out more. Of course reading the book was not enough for me, I … [Read more...]
Experts warn that Eskom’s power cuts could have a disastrous affect on agriculture which could result in food shortages and a spike in food prices. According to the Sunday Times, CEO of Potato South Africa Andre Jooste said workers in pack houses could not work during load shedding. This, he said, creates backlogs, which in turn creates problems as produce has a limited … [Read more...]
A combination of overfishing and the use of illegal fishing gear has seen fish stocks in Lake Malawi dwindle to the point that local people's livelihoods and food security are now under threat. Not so long ago, scores of women and girls carrying baskets full of fish flocked to commuter buses at bus stops and police checkpoints along the lakeshore roads trying to coax … [Read more...]
Governments must shift subsidies and research funding from agro-industrial monoculture to small farmers using ‘agroecological’ methods, according to the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food. And as Nafeez Ahmed notes, her call coincides with a new agroecology initiative within the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation. Modern industrial agricultural methods can no … [Read more...]
Healthy, well-functioning natural systems play a vital role in supporting the country’s food and water security, whilst also maintaining healthy communities and sustained livelihoods. This was highlighted during a two-day field trip through the Umgeni catchment in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands, co-hosted by WWF South Africa and Nedbank. “Food and water security are deeply … [Read more...]
In a small army field-hut Dr Arjen de Vos shows off his irrigation machine with pride. Pipes lead out to several acres of muddy field, where only a few stragglers from the autumn harvest of potatoes, salads, carrots and onions are left. The tubes are lined with copper to stop corrosion because – in a move that defies everything we think we know about farming – de Vos is … [Read more...]
The West Virginia State Supreme Court finalized a big blow to the biotech giant Monsanto in August, finishing a settlement causing Monsanto to pay $93 million to the tiny town of Nitro, West Virginia for poisoning citizens with Agent Orange chemicals. After years of litigation those living near the former Monsanto factory, which produced toxic, cancer-causing chemicals, are … [Read more...]
When a local organic wine shows the world stage what we are capable of, there is every reason to raise a glass in a special toast. Waverley Hills organically certified SMV (Shiraz Mourvedre Viognier) 2010 won a platinum award, their MCC 2011 won Gold, and they also scooped Best Organic Trophy at this year’s Michelangelo Awards. The 18th Michelangelo Awards had a record … [Read more...]
Farmers around KwaZulu-Natal are hoping fervently that the rain that has fallen in parts of the province since Saturday night will spell the end of a period of drought that is threatening to ruin many of them. Inadequate rainfall earlier this year and the delayed spring rains have resulted in rivers drying up and dam levels falling to crisis levels. Farmers are suffering … [Read more...]
Millions of tons of India’s major crops get damaged yearly due to air pollution – leaving a third of the country’s impoverished people short on nutrition, a joint US-India study reveals. In the space of just one year, ozone pollution has deprived the Indian economy of millions of tons of wheat, rice, soybean and cotton – the country’s main crops. Losses of $1.29 billion … [Read more...]
Monarch butterflies are declining in number due to herbicide spraying related to biotech crops, according to environmental groups in the US. Environmental groups seeking federal protection for monarch butterflies blame the use of genetically modified crops for the insect’s steep decline. Petitioners claim that while there were as many as 1 billion monarchs as recently as … [Read more...]
Food forests or Forest gardening have been around for a long time with many of the native cultures practicing this form of sustainable agriculture. It is a form of low-maintenance plant-based food production which replicates natural ecosystems, incorporating fruit and nut trees, shrubs, herbs, running vines and perennial vegetables. Beneficial plants and companion planting is a … [Read more...]
A recent rise in drug resistant human pathogenic fungi may be fueled by the use of fungicides (pesticides that kill fungi) on agricultural fields, according to research led by Manchester University in the United Kingdom. Aspergillus, the genus of common soil-dwelling fungi analyzed by researchers, include an incredibly diverse group of mold species. Although some provide … [Read more...]
