Tag Archives: agriculture

Species in the Spotlight: Red and White Clover

If you are talking to an organic farmer and the subject of clover comes up in conversation, prepare to be there for a while. Why are farmers (and especially organic farmers) so interested in clover? Well, both red (trifolium pratense) and white (trifolium repens) varieties (there are about 300 species of clover or trefoil inContinueContinue reading “Species in the Spotlight: Red and White Clover”

Update on Bovine TB and the UK Badger Cull

Environment Secretary Owen Paterson (shown above) has described Bovine TB as ‘the most pressing animal health problem facing this country’. It has led to the slaughter of more than 28,000 cattle in England in the last year at a cost to the taxpayer of nearly £100 million and it will cost an estimated £1 billionContinueContinue reading “Update on Bovine TB and the UK Badger Cull”

How We Can Eat Our Landscapes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=4KmKoj4RSZw&list=PLa5_CCZ0k9jHQtKYDl1c1vmhRaKP15dDE Pam Warhurst is a very inspirational speaker in this, a TED talk on possible ways for communities to make use of land. I would certainly recommend you spare ten minutes or so to watch this and think again about how we can structure our communities,using food production as a common purpose.

The biodiversity challenge in Europe

Yesterday evening I attended the 43rd Annual Bristol University Alumni Convocation Lecture. The subject chosen was something of great interest to me personally, ‘Biodiversity in Europe’, delivered by Dr Hans Friedrich, who only recently left his post as the European Regional Director of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Dr Friedrich, a Dutch geographerContinueContinue reading “The biodiversity challenge in Europe”

The Future of Wheat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=QZz86KgoM_E It is estimated that in the next 50 years we will have to produce more wheat than we have over the past 10,000 years. Innovation is apparent in the agricultural sector. From engineering to plant science, specialists have been steadily moving forward. But are we moving forward quickly enough to sustain a rapidly growingContinueContinue reading “The Future of Wheat”