so honored to be a part of this teach-in w @sftporg tomorrow morning!
come listen to us discuss our experiences in the intersections of sustainability, self-sufficiency & art! there’s also a Q&A after to sate all your curiosities.
We are GARDENING! We are growing! ❤️ We LOVE Being outside! Working in the dirt! Learning! Learning! Using Team Work! Growing Together!! Families GARDENING!! We love it all! Alamo RCD Growing Rural Garden Program!! … #waterlandyou ❤️
Refined is a photographic body of work embellishing the issues of petrochemistry in our agriculture in hopes to spark awareness.
Each image depicts a subject derived of highly polluting crops, that is unveiled by a stream of “petroleum”; the chemical used to create most of our pesticides and insecticides.
The contrast between the visible petroleum and the invisible food is representative of the dependency these crops have on the petrochemicals used in their production.
While these images are perhaps aesthetically pleasing, their background should remind us that not all progress is progressive.
From our Landscape Architecture holdings, the early plans for Texas Tech’s own agriculture building. It didn’t turn out quite this way (at all), but it’s still an interesting model.
“As it makes investments through this initiative, USDA will also seek to increase transparency and competition with attention to how certain types of conduct in the livestock markets and the meat processing sector have resulted in thinly traded markets and unfair treatment of some farmers, ranchers and small processors,” the agency said. “Among other investments in the food system and food supply chain, Build Back Better will specifically address the shortage of small meat processing facilities across the country as well as the necessary local and regional food system infrastructure needed to support them.” (emphasis added)
Record Fertilizer Prices Drive Investors, Farmers to Microbes via /r/Agriculture https://ift.tt/7Y1XUGk
Nice piece in the Wall Street Journal on efforts to reduce dependence on chemical fertilizer inputs with biological ones. However, there is no mention of the potential risks of introducing unregulated organisms into the environment.
How on earth would you feed a city of over 200,000 people when the land around you was a swampy lake? Seems like an impossible task, but the Aztec managed it by creating floating gardens known as chinampas, then they farmed them intensively.
These ingenious creations were built up from the lake bed by piling layers of mud, decaying vegetation and reeds. This was a great way of recycling waste from the capital city Tenochtitlan. Each garden was framed and held together by wooden poles bound by reeds and then anchored to the lake floor with finely pruned willow trees. The Aztecs also dredged mud from the base of the canals which both kept the waterways clear and rejuvenate the nutrient levels in the gardens.
A variety of crops were grown, most commonly maize or corn, beans, chillies, squash, tomatoes, edible greens such as quelite and amaranth. Colourful flowers were also grown, essential produce for religious festivals and ceremonies. Each plot was systematically planned, the effective use of seedbeds allowed continuous planting and harvesting of crops.
Between each garden was a canal which enabled canoe transport. Fish and birds populated the water and were an additional source of food. [x]
This is literally so cool. Not only does it contribute to spacial efficiency, but the canals would easily keep pests, weeds, and possibly even diseases out of the respective plots. Companion planting and bio-intensive planting would be so much easier. Water-wise systems would be inherently present. Plus it looks so super neat aesthetically. I am just all about this.
‘Mashambas’ Tower could revolutionise global farming
This concept for vertical farming is the latest of its kind to emerge out of the eVolo skyscraper competition. Mashambas - which roughly translates from Swahili as ‘an area of cultivated land for growing crops’ - recently won the top prize, and could well provide a more achievable solution than some of the futuristic megastructures the competition has thrown up in the past.
With a modular design, it has been specifically intended to be quick to assemble and easy to take apart and move to other locations with little fuss. It also has the capacity to grow dependant on its context; with the pieces easily able to ‘stack’ together. The structure would also feature drone landing platforms to transport crops to hard-to-reach areas and function as an educational centre… with central spaces in the columns devoted to training locals in agriculture.
Not only could the tower help deprived areas, it could also serve a more global need too; with global population set to reach 9 billion by 2050, food shortages could be tackled by structures like this.
As an urban ag and beekeeping devotee I couldn’t be more excited to announce the newest member of the Kiva Chicago community! WestSide Bee Boyz, LLC is officially fundraising on Kiva Zip to raise funds for new bees and beehives!
Thad is an incredibly positive and inspiring entrepreneur. Over the next year the WestSide Bee Boyz are doubling their impact by partnering with local schools and universities to teach beekeeping! Please considering supporting Thad and the expansion of urban beekeeping in Chicago!
Joel is raising funds on Kiva so he can change the way he purchases feed for his cattle operation, making this costly input less expensive and easier to purchase and store. Today is a great day to support our family farms!
