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Greening the Desert

Moringa, More Than You Can Handle Moringa wood is extremely brittle Moringa oleifera ….Monster…. Almost If you have a warm back yard, think twice before you plant a Moringa tree. Is it edible? Leaves eaten raw or cooked I live in central Florida exactly — and I mean exactly — on the line between temperate and subtropical. It is an understatement to say the Moringa grows more than 10 feet a year. The easy-breaking branches also lend themselves to a common-heard phrase in India when someone is being a little too demanding: “Don’t push me up a Moringa tree.” I want to impress upon you that my reference as to how fast this tree grows is a gross understatement, no matter how overstated it might seem. This tree is one of the world’s most useful plants. Dry moringa seeds There is only one family of Moringa trees, and only 13 members, making it one of the smallest groups. From a food point of view, Moringa leaves can be used like spinach, though they are far more nutritious. Immature moringa pods

Carraig Dúlra ENVIRONMENTAL CIVIL SOCIETY VOICE Geoff Lawton Geoff Lawton is a permaculture consultant, designer and teacher. He holds a certificate in permaculture design given by the founder of the permaculture design science, Bill Mollison. Since 1995 he has specialized in permaculture education, design, implementation, system establishment, administration and community development.[1] In 1996 he was accredited with the Permaculture Community Services Award by the permaculture movement for services in Australia and around the world. Since 1985, Lawton has undertaken a large number of jobs consulting, designing, teaching and implementing in over thirty countries around the world.[2] Clients have included private individuals, groups, communities, governments, aid organizations, non-governmental organizations and multinational companies.[3] Lawton's aim is to establish self-replicating educational demonstration sites. Permaculture Research Institute[edit] Works[edit] Films[edit] See also[edit] References[edit] External links[edit]

Civil Eats & Blog Archive & Young Farmers Sprouting Up Across the Nation In an attempt to explain what seems to be the seed of a cosmic shift in how farming is practiced and portrayed in America, I offer you my story: I’m 26 years old, and after a three year stint working on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, and navigating the concrete jungle, I needed out. I was interested in much more than a career change. My mind, my body, my immune system, my belief system, my soul, my skin, and my fingertips—every piece of me began aching to evacuate the city immediately. Without any major physical ailments or health concerns to speak of, my ill feelings inspired me to reexamine what I, as a human being, truly needed to get by. Exposed to organics, local farmers, and the flourishing Brooklyn farm-to-table restaurant scene, I had gotten a taste of what was possible and there was no turning back. Finally there came a point in time (about a year ago to the day) when I refused to continue going along for the ride.

Actinidia deliciosa Actinidia deliciosa, Fuzzy Kiwifruit or mangüeyo is a fruiting vine native to southern China, the fruit of which has been declared the national fruit of that country. Other species of Actinidia are also found in China and range east to Japan and north into southeastern Siberia. This species grows naturally at altitudes between 600 and 2,000 m. Description and ecology[edit] Actinidia deliciosa is a vigorous, woody, twining vine or climbing shrub reaching 9 m.[1] Leaves[edit] Foliage Its leaves are alternate, long-petioled, deciduous, oval to nearly circular, cordate at the base, and 7.5–12.5 cm long. Young leaves are coated with red hairs; mature leaves are dark-green and hairless on the upper surface, and downy-white with prominent, light-colored veins beneath.[1] Flowers[edit] Flower Male and female flowers appear on different plants (dioecious), and both sexes have to be planted in close proximity for fruit set. Fruits[edit] A kiwifruit cut in cross-section Varieties and cultivars[edit]

Permaculture Magazine - Inspiration for Sustainable Living | Permaculture Magazine Washington's Environmental Priorities — Environmental Priorities Coalition Permacultuur Nederland De cursussen zijn in PDF formaat te downloaden.PDF documenten kunnen worden bekeken met o.a. adobe & foxit Permacultuur, ontwerpen met de natuur Deze permacultuurcursus legt in 6 korte hoofdstukken de belangrijkste permacultuurprincipes helder en duidelijk uit. Hiermee vormt het een degelijke basis voor iedereen die wil weten wat permacultuur is, hoe het werkt en hoe je het in de praktijk kunt toepassen. Ontvang de cursus op papier Als je de cursus "Permacultuur, ontwerpen met de natuur" op papier wilt ontvangen, dan kan dit tegen de print- en verzendkosten. Permacultuur in de huizenbouw Dit document laat zien wat er allemaal mogelijk is als je de permacultuurprincipes loslaat op de huizenbouw. Presentaties over Permacultuur Planten en Paddenstoelen Database, in digitale boekvorm Het is vanaf 29 oktober 2009 mogelijk om je eigen digitale boek te maken van de Eetbare Planten en Paddenstoelen Database. Meer weten? Kijk eens op de site bij het kopje voorbeelden & inspiratie.

Amount of land per person? (intentional community / city repair / ecovillage forum at permies) The question of acres per person is useful and important as a research topic, but I think total self-sufficiency makes a better learning exercise than a lifestyle. Both of the growers commented on the popular topic: "Gardening isn't really "growing all your own food" if high-calorie foods still need to be imported (like grains and oils)." High-calorie foods must yield different rates of calories per acre (and per input) than produce. I think it's also worth considering the energy invested per person, or per calorie. A lot of the high-calorie foods can be stored for long periods, either fresh or dried. Fresh produce is a comparative nightmare to store and ship. What is the calorie investment in transporting, refrigerating, and wastage (spoiled) produce? EROEI (Energy return on energy invested) is the real factor that makes commercial agriculture inarguably unsustainable. In the calories-to-calories comparison, eating meat is a very expensive choice. -Erica

Agriculture in Transition - an Auroville view Contrasting Perceptions Organic farming is defined as a system of practices inspired by ecological processes in nature. It is a method of learning from and working in harmonious cooperation with natural processes and natural wealth. Beyond this a deeper philosophical and spiritual dimension can be stipulated – and this is where organic farming finds itself diametrically opposed to current conventional agriculture – expressing itself in an attitude of care and respect for all life on earth or a perception that Nature is Sacred. Most of the variants of organic farming such as nature farming, natural farming, biological agriculture, permaculture, bio-intensive and bio-dynamic agriculture can, if not entirely then largely, be covered by this definition. Conventional agriculture, also referred to as chemical, intensive, or modern farming, on the other hand ends up coercing and exploiting nature in the name of maximizing food production. Both portrayals need a closer look. • Hybrids and HYV's

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