Friday, 30 July 2010 World Cup Revenge

Weevils are so much easier to manage than microbes. You can see the critters, and they multiply at relatively slow rates. They do not over-winter inside fruits, and could never stand even the mildest of winters in Northern...

Wednesday, 28 July 2010 I am disappointed

The green bluster seems to be all hot air. Why else would we persist with such outmoded measures of agri-input development? World fertiliser demand set to grow (5 July, Farmers' Weekly Interactive)

It is silly to plan for...

Monday, 26 July 2010 Not Altruistic

We do no favours for repressed rural women when we recognise their invaluable collective place in sustainable agricultural productivity. Everyone stands to gain when the world is inspired by the leads at this endearing link: FAO...

Saturday, 24 July 2010 Recurrent

Why is it that sporadic pests other than locusts have such appealing names? We seem to celebrate their swarming nature, rather than fear their destructive potentials. These were my first reactions on opening this article: Oak...

Thursday, 22 July 2010 No time for rustiness

I recall a day when I woke up in Saurashtra (Western India, just belowPakistan), and found miles, yes miles of peanuts (groundnuts) lost to rustovernight. The crop involved here is wheat, but I tremble nevertheless: Wheat rust...

Wednesday, 14 July 2010 Water and Pesticides

There are scores of nations missing in the following link: Report lists top ten countries at risk of water shortages (29 June, Ecologist). I wonder how many nations have adequate fresh-water systems for their future...

Monday, 12 July 2010 Ignore at Your Peril!

We should take notice when a multi-lateral body takes a stand: Agroecological farming methods being ignored, says UN expert (28 June, Ecologist). It is another matter that the United Nations has low regulatory status in current...

Thursday, 08 July 2010 Someone in Cornwall has been naughty

Phytosanitation should be taken for granted in this day and age. This applies to soil tests before planting anything. Neither of these farming (gardening) principles have been followed here: Pest and disease alert: Arabis Mosaic...

Tuesday, 06 July 2010 A Global Issue

One of the nicest things I like about the United States is its dynamic freedom to express concerns for issues that other countries brush under the carpet: It's Time to Save America's Farms and Ranches (20 June, Change.org) ...

Saturday, 03 July 2010 A Better Revolution

I read the following link with a mix of nostalgia and pride: We need another Green Revolution (no date, IRIN)

One of my less pleasant childhood memories is of being forced to eat bad-quality cereals gifted by the United States...