Gaia Theory & Deep Ecology by Dr. Stephan Harding
This is a youtube series. (10 episodes altogether) This is profound and very valuable info…
EU fördert Großkonzerne statt kleine Bauern
Nochmal ein paar Fakten aus dem ‘Real Life’…Heute in der Süddeutschen:
‘…Die Agrarsubventionen fließen an Zucker-, Fleisch- und Stärkefabriken, aber auch an Firmen wie RWE und Lufthansa.
Nach monatelangem Streit haben die Bundesländer am Dienstag die Empfänger der EU-Agrarsubventionen in Deutschland veröffentlicht – nur Bayern hält seine Daten weiter zurück. Mehr als sechs Milliarden Euro an Steuergeld überweist die Europäische Union jährlich an deutsche Betriebe. Profiteure sind aber nicht die kleinen Bauern….Aus den Listen im Internet geht hervor, dass Nahrungsmittelkonzerne und große agrarindustrielle Betriebe die Hauptprofiteure der EU-Zahlungen sind…
Laut den Zahlen auf www.agrar-fischerei-zahlungen.de profitieren auch Unternehmen, die keine Landwirtschaft betreiben. Für die Rekultivierung stillgelegter Braunkohlegruben erhielt der Energieversorger RWE Power 590.000 Euro. Eine Tochterfirma der Lufthansa bekam 106.000 Euro für das Servieren von Agrarprodukten auf Flügen über die EU-Grenzen hinaus. Subventionsempfänger sind auch mehrere Golf- oder Reitklubs…’
Permaculture as a Necessity
I recently found this article, and i would like to share it. It originally was published on youthradio.org.
Palestinians Regard Permaculture As A Necessity, Not A Choice
By Nora Barrows-Friedman
Back in my hometown of Berkeley, California, the practice of permaculture is associated within a feel-good, hippie-elite framework. It’s a choice, just like buying locally grown organic heirloom tomatoes from an independent grocer instead of buying conventional Chilean-grown tomatoes hawked at Safeway. But inside the occupied West Bank, permaculture is not just a decision of conscience but a necessary means of empowerment within an ever-changing, uncertain landscape.
The reasons for this earth-friendly approach include accelerated loss of water-rich land to Israeli settlements, and Israeli restrictions on certain types of fertilizer and restrictions on what types of vegetables can be exported out of the occupied-territories. Out of creative necessity for food security, Palestinians have begun to re-green the land; reclaiming the ancient ways of growing crops.
Bringing People Back into the Economy
With Soil Not Oil, Vandana Shiva connects the dots between industrial agriculture and climate change. Shiva shows that a world beyond dependence on fossil fuels and globalization is both possible and necessary.
The Future of Food
Bueno, yet another movie. Hope it makes you angry (the movie, I mean…)
‘THE FUTURE OF FOOD examines the complex web of market and political forces that are changing what we eat as huge multinational corporations seek to control the world’s food system.’ – keep on watching the other parts…
You might also want to have a look at our ‘Corporate Watch’ playlist on youtube…
A farm for the future
I just found this very accessible and calm film made for the BBC. It provides a lot of information on our current food system and on possible alternative low energy farming. However, this different approach will require a change of habits we have (like plowing the fields and having our food being based on cereal crops, for example). – We are talking permaculture and forest gardens…
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4152340418943461860To make it happen takes personal commitmen
“I still feel that with human transformation, the power to reach deep within to make change, it is really the arts and culture which carry that power.
And therefore even though I am not an artist and I’m not from theatre, I have a very, very deep respect for what the arts can do.”
read the interview by Wallace Heim here!
Vandana Shiva founded the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, an independent body addressing social and environmental issues in partnership with local farming communities in India. In 1991, she founded Navdanya, meaning nine seeds, a national movement in India to protect biodiversity and farmers’ rights.
GMO – und sie machen einfach weiter…
‘Die EU-Kommission hat am 4.12.08 den Import der Gen-Soja Roundup Ready II (MON89788-1) als Futter- und Lebensmittel genehmigt. Dies ausgerechnet an dem Tag, an dem der Ministerrat in Brüssel über ein verbessertes, schärferes Zulassungsverfahren für Gen-Pflanzen abstimmt…’ (greenpeace.de)
Aufwendige GVO-Kontrollen für Sojaimporte aus den USA entfallen nun nach der Zulassung in der EU. EU-Gesundheitskommissarin Androulla Vassiliou erklärte, mit der Zulassung sollten Engpässe bei der Versorgung mit Futtermitteln vermieden werden. Zudem möchte die Kommission Diskussionen um Toleranzschwellen für unerlaubte GVO-Spuren vermeiden.
Well, das ist ein gesundheits- und umweltpolitischer Rückschlag für die BürgerInnen der EU und ein erheblicher finanzieller Gewinn für den Genfood-Riesen Monsanto.
Permaculture – A valuable lesson for farmers of the 21st century
‘We’ve got multiple products coming from different production systems and over the years there has been a tremendous amount of insulation against variations in the market.
In that sense I think that permaculture’s got a very valuable lesson for farmers in the 21st century.’
Rod May, one of Australia’s most succesful and prominent organic farmers
Permaculture – Principles and Pathways beyond Sustainability, David Holmgren
www.permakultur-info.de – Information on permaculture and initiatives/projects in german speaking countries.
more info on permaculture