Touch the Soil News #1825 (Feature Photo – Refill Shop – Courtesy of Positive News) Positive News brings us the story of Refill Shops. A refill shop is a store where all food products are in bulk and you simply re-fill your own containers. Many refill shops offer organic foods. Part of the vision is…
Author: Organic Mechanic
Grocery Prices Rise 11.9% Past Year
Touch the Soil News #1824 (Feature Photo – Fresh Produce – CCA SA 4.0 International) Successful Farming magazine brings the latest on food inflation – grocery prices up 11.9% from a year ago. It is true that there have been dramatic food-price spikes in the past, but prices always seem to find a way to…
AllotMe – The Airbnb for Food Gardens
Touch the Soil News #1823 (Feature Photo Allotment Garden – public domain) The Hearld brings the story of a new business start-up called AllotMe. It’s a portal where folks who want to garden but can’t find a space, hookup with folks who have a backyard or other land they want to lease to a gardener.…
Necessity is the Mother of Invention
Touch the Soil News #1822 (Feature Photo – Manguinhos Neighborhood (Rio de Jainero) Where Urban Farming is Taking Hold – CCA 2.0 Brazil, Marino Azevedo) Positive News, brings the story of people who are on the economic edge and struggling to eat. Poor populations in Rio de Janeiro – a city of 12 million people…
Another Urban Farming Business Model
Touch the Soil News #1821 (Feature Photo – Greenhouse Tomatoes – CCA SA 3.0 Unported, Mouh2jijel) Urban Ag News, brings the story of growing greenhouse vegetables for high-end clienteles. There is a trend for upscale resorts, restaurants and individuals that want to upgrade their food choices and quality. You can read the full story here: …
Can Publically Supported Green Pillars Become a Business Model?
Touch the Soil News #1820 (Feature Photo – Via Verde Pillars in Mexico City – Courtesy of Civil Engineer) Non-profit approaches to improving cities is not new. Mexico City, with a population of 9 million people, is at the heart of a metropolitan area of 22 million people. Mexico City has embraced a beautiful project…
Large Mall Embraces Rainforest, Secret Garden and Urban Farm
Touch the Soil News #1819 (Feature Photo – 1 Utama Mall – CCA SA 3.0 Unported, Cmglee) 1 Utama, is the 7th largest mall in the world. Weighing in at 5.6 million square feet (130 acres), the mall’s 713 stores are complemented by a rainforest, secret garden and urban farm. Customers can walk through the…
America’s Largest Beef Processing Plant to be Built
Rising Farmland Values – Will It Push Farming of Lawns?
Touch the Soil News #1817 (Feature Photo – Home Gardening – CCA SA 4.0 International, Howellboy) AgWeb, the news portal of Farm Journal, is highlighting the rise of farmland values in Iowa. Iowa is an indicator of what’s happening nationwide. Given the rise in other farming costs, Iowa farmland costs at $10,000 an acre does…
Profitable Market Gardening
Touch the Soil News #1816 (Feature Photo – Vegetable Garden – CCA SA 2.0 Generic) Permaculture Apprentice brings an article on making a living from a 1.5 acre market garden. Certainly work efficiency is always a factor. Here are some insights to how one market garden makes a go of it. https://permacultureapprentice.com/how-to-make-a-living-from-a-1-5-acre-market-garden/