Nice article on one of our UMass student’s projects in Springfield, MA. Pete is working to bring local food to the city. “I think city people, especially young people, should understand where food comes from and how connected our well-being is to what, how, where, and why we eat,” says Merzbacher, “but I also want to provide the means of food production that can feed thousands of people.” Check it out here.
Agriculture experts at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and elsewhere are teaching farmers to grow non-native vegetables that appeal to a growing market of African, Asian and Latin American immigrants. Read this story which appeared in the Washington Times here.
The National Research Council recently published an extensive report on the status of sustainable agriculture claiming the current industrial food system is no longer sustainable without huge subsidies. What used to be called “alternative” agriculture is now rapidly becoming mainstream. According to the report, the Four Goals Of Sustainable Agriculture are:
Satisfy human food, feed, and fiber needs, and contribute to biofuel needs.
Enhance environmental quality and the resource base.
Sustain the economic viability of agriculture
Enhance the quality of life for farmers, farm workers, and society as a whole.
A new study from Washington State University suggests that organic farmers are better at controlling pests than farmers who use conventional pesticides. Read more here.
Many individuals have made the decision to try to live more sustainably, but without shifts in public policy substantive change won’t happen. “Eaters” alone won’t change the world, but unless “eaters” do change the necessary shift in public policy is unlikely. Read more here.
If you want to know who’s responsible for decimating the world’s oceans, look no farther than your local supermarket. At the rate we’re going, years from now there really won’t be other fish in the sea. For more, click here.
The USDA announced the launch of Ask the Expert, a knowledge-based search engine that optimizes customer experience while conserving taxpayer dollars. This intuitive tool relies on self-service to deliver reliable and relevant information 24/7, greatly reducing wait time and USDA resources associated with the previous system. For more, click here.
