Touch the Soil News #1286 (Feature photo – Farmland Grabbing Injustices – CCA SA 2.0 Generic) Wild news about foreign corporations having 999 year leases on farmland that may have been taken illegally to violence against former peasant owners are not going away. In fact, activism is growing with increased illumination of wrongdoing by local…
Touch the Soil News #1285 (Feature photo – Local Food at a Famers Market – Public Domain) Can cities actually feed themselves from urban and nearby farms? While it may not be possible for 100 percent of a city’s needs, the potential to make a difference is large. Phil Lempert (https://www.supermarketguru.com/) explores new research into…
Touch the Soil News #1284 (Feature photo – Seal of Philadelphia – Public Domain) The Inquirer of Philadelphia reports that the city is looking to get involved in finding land for people to farm. Philadelphia has 28,500 vacant lots within the city and 14,800 properties with vacant or abandoned buildings. Philadelphia with a population of…
Touch the Soil News #1282 (Feature photo – Permaculture – CCA SA 4.0 International) What we eat continues to be embattled with arguments for industrial food versus arguments of more direct and local production of food. This brings us to the story of Kat Lavers from Australia that show us how even a small space…
Touch the Soil News #1281 (Feature photo – Food – Public Domain) With food spending in the U.S. reaching over $1.5 trillion a year, the food sector has become attractive for new investment and innovation that will change the future of food. Phil Lempert (https://www.supermarketguru.com/) takes a look at where new venture capital money is…
Touch the Soil News #1279 (Feature photo – Fruit Walls of Paris – Public Domain) Creating thick walls to encase fruit production allows heat to be absorbed during the day and releasing it at night. The fruit walls create a micro-climate that could increase the temperature within the walls by almost 18 degrees. This old-tech…
Touch the Soil News #1283 (Feature photo – Agriculture in Brazil – Public Domain) While we are all familiar with the modern environmental arguments for saving the planet, what might be the largest thing we have to save the planet from? How about agriculture? Agriculture is the single largest user of land and fresh water…
