Touch the Soil News #1968 (Photo – PawPaw Fruit – USDA Public Domain) Over the past few years, specialty fruit grower Rane Roatta went from selling fruit from his bicycle to a 7-acre farm that now sells specialty fruit beyond just local. The video story below, is a testament to how having a vision with…
Touch the Soil News #1967 (Photo – Bamboo Forest – CCA SA 2.0 Generic, solution_63 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en) In an attempt to restore damaged lands in Africa, one company it looking to plant 1 million hectares (2.5 million) acres into bamboo trees for carbon credits and then for bamboo products. This amount of land would be equivalent…
Touch the Soil News #1966 (Photo – Waterloo Community Garden – Courtesy of Waterloo District) The Waterloo region in Ontario Canada is home to almost 600,000 people and is surrounded by rural areas. Nearby, farmers have created a 10 acre gardening area and rented the land to about 15 groups and individuals for growing food.…
Touch the Soil News #1965 (Photo – City Skyline, Mumbai – CCA SA 4.0 International, Maheshcm76) The City of Mumbai (Bombay) India is one of those mega-cities with 12.5 million people that are part of larger metropolitan area of 21 million people. So, in a world of rising food prices, supply chain kinks and global…
Touch the Soil News #1964 (Photo – Farmers Market – CCA SA 4.0 International, Michael Rihani) Not everyone has land with access to adequate water, but many folks do. Estimates are that roughly 64 percent of Americans live in their own homes. Some multi-family complexes or duplexes do have some land and water. Said in…
Touch the Soil News #1963 (Photo – San Antonio Food Bank Drive-Thru Line – Public Domain, USDA) One of the largest food banks in the nation is the San Antonio Food Bank. Located in a metropolitan area so 3.6 million people. In the top 15 Food Banks in America, the San Antonio Food Bank serves…
Touch the Soil News #1962 (Photo – UK Allotment Garden – CCA SA 2.0 Generic, Johnathan Wilkins) Earlier this year, news stations in Europe were abuzz over the shortages of fresh fruits and vegetables in supermarket in the United Kingdom. From weather issues to energy issues at greenhouses growing vegetables, supplies are short and prices…
Touch the Soil News #1961 (Photo – Irrigated Wheat – USDA, Public Domain) Every year, the USDA publishes a report called “Farms and Land in Farms.” With statistics going back to 1950, you can see how much land has been taken out of farming and how farm numbers have decreased. The peak farmland year was…
Touch the Soil News #1960 (Photo – FAO Headquarters in Rome – (CCA SA 3.0 Unported, Scopritore) The Food and Agriculture Organization, a division of the United Nations, keeps track of global food prices by following five major food categories. Those categories include meat, dairy, cereals (grains), vegetable oils and sugar. The Food Price Index…
Touch the Soil News #1959 (Photo – WFP Logo – Public Domain) The Word Food Program (WFP) is a division of the United Nations. They are the boots on the ground, bringing emergency food to nations in trouble. You’ve all seen the pictures of helicopters making food drops, trucks arriving full of food commodities and…
