Category Archives: Environment, society, politics and economics
Agriculture’s Max 8 moment
On Thursday I spoke at the Economist Sustainability Summit in London. The event was sponsored by Bayer, owners of Monsanto. Several speakers pointed out the galling irony that a sustainability summit is sponsored by a company which is the antithesis … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, society, politics and economics
Tagged agriculture, Bayer, biodiversity, insectageddon, Monsanto
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Bird-friendly farming
Bird-friendly farming is a way of farming which, as well as profitably producing food for humans, preserves habitat for birds and other wildlife; protects and nurtures invertebrates; and regenerates the soil. This is done by avoiding agrichemicals, by avoiding compaction … Continue reading
Everything we eat is from a place which was once wilderness
The Guardian has recently reported on destruction of forest in the Ivory Coast for growing chocolate: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/sep/13/chocolate-industry-drives-rainforest-disaster-in-ivory-coast It is horrifying and but we should not be surprised, self-righteous or indignant: everything we eat is from a place which was once … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, society, politics and economics
Tagged avocado, bird-friendly farming, chocolate, coffee, farming, food, wilderness
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LAPWING: a small levy on middle-class coffee drinkers to finance bird-friendly farming
Stephen Moss’ book, Wild Kingdom, is about bringing back Britain’s wildlife. Industrialised farming since the Second World War has devastated Britain’s landscapes and the birds and animals that lived in it. Originally the destruction of our historical, zoologically rich farmland … Continue reading
Nature notes – Nature’s builders and more death gardening
Nature’s builders Although calcium is recommended by doctors, the taste of cement and plaster, which are rich in calcium, is not pleasant. Yet, during a construction project you get a lot of calcium in your mouth. Consider, then, two creatures … Continue reading