Imagine the future of farming. You are probably envisioning rolling hills, tractors, and green fields. Now turn your attention to the seas. For some, this is the frontier. The sea is the future of farming. Green Wave is realizing this vision. They are developing and promoting a new form of marine aquaculture which they call “3D Ocean Farming”. This method consists of using the whole ocean column to create a [...]
by Lea Billen & Deborah Goffner Can multiplying small-scale “re-greening” in the form of women-run communal fruit and vegetable gardens make a difference for local populations in the Sahel? The Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative (GGW) is a Pan-African project consisting of a contiguous series of landscape-scale interventions designed to cross the African continent with the goal of improving environmental and human well-being in the [...]
How can a unique agricultural area on the urban fringe of Cape Town, South Africa be protected to provide ecosystem services, fresh produce for low income city dwellers, and a local model of agro-ecological farming? The vast green fields of the Philippi Horticultural Area are an incongruous sight, in the midst of one of the most densely settled areas of the Cape Flats, an expanse of gritty, peri-urban townships [...]
Can changing what schools serve for lunch help to address deep challenges in the food and education systems, while inspiring ecological awareness in children? A child in the state of California's public education system will consume around 4,000 school meals between the time of entering kindergarten and leaving high school. With more than 6 million children attending California state schools, the simple question of what gets served for lunch, and [...]
How can an organization address urban food security and social inclusion while meeting the shifting needs and interests of a community? The word “roulant” in French means “rolling” which conjures an image of some kind of cycle or circle –something that gives back. Cycles and interconnections are often hidden from urban life, despite their omnipresence. Sometimes organizations can bring these cycles to life and build new connections within urban spaces. [...]
How can people to do respond to crisis, when they don't trust official responses? Japan towns, villages, and cities around the Daiichi nuclear plant. The 20km and 30km areas had evacuation and sheltering orders, and additional administrative districts that had an evacuation order are highlighted. From wikipedia. In 2011, the Great East Japan earthquake triggered a large tsunami that killed over 15,000 people and triggered meltdowns in the Fukushima Daiichi [...]
How can new ways of discussion trigger action towards sustainability? Community dialogue sessions were organised by sustainability researchers in the Satoyama Initiative to discuss rebuilding and revitalisation of the Urato Islands after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami on the 11th of March 2011. These sessions were key turning points for the rebuilding process of the Urato Islands. Two dialogues were held, the first in 2012 and the second in 2014. Strong collaboration between local [...]
Can the knowledge developed by observing a small dryland village adapt to climate change be used in other places? In spite of the challenges they pose, drylands have been successfully settled by humans over time, and constitute a “hot spot” for the study of adaptive resilience in dry climates. Ricote, in SE Spain, provides an example of adaptive resilience in drylands. For over 1000 years, the village of Ricote (c. [...]
The Fish Box scheme is a group of UK initiatives that brings sustainably caught, fresh fish right to your doorstep. Fish comes straight from the landing site direct to your door and apart from having access to fresh fish, you also get to know the different landing sites and boats and are also assured that it is caught sustainably. There seem to be an overwhelming abundance of these schemes in [...]
Tyisa Nabanye is a non-profit urban agriculture organisation growing organic food on the slopes of Signal Hill in Cape Town, seeking to improve food security, promote sustainable livelihoods and create employment for their members. Started in 2013 by a group of urban farmers from the townships around Cape Town, Tyisa Nabanye, which means "feed the others" in Xhosa, is an urban garden based on the principles of permaculture. The team [...]