Organic Management of Soil and Crop Nutrition - Department of Environment and Primary Industries Australia’s National Standard for Organic and Bio-dynamic Produce states ‘ The fertility and the biological activity of the soil must be maintained or increased …’ and ‘ A high or routine use of off-farm inputs is not encouraged by this Standard ’. This sets the scene for organic farmers - maintain or improve soil health, and rely on on-farm resources as much as possible. Soil management is addressed over two factsheets in this series. Organic crop nutrition The organic farmer’s approach to crop nutrition is to 'Feed the soil, not the plant', and so mimic natural soil development and nutrient cycling. Natural nutrient cycling relies on soil biological activity, contrasting with the conventional approach where water-soluble nutrients are applied for direct uptake by the crop. Nutrient budgets & ‘closed systems’ Soil & plant analysis Some organic standards require periodic soil analyses to monitor trends in soil organic matter and nutrient levels and other important factors. Nitrogen (N)
THE ECONOMICS OF ECOSYSTEMS AND BIODIVERSITY - Environment Additional tools Human well-being is dependent upon "ecosystem services" provided by nature for free. Such services include water provision, air purification, fisheries, timber production and nutrient cycling to name a few. These are predominantly public goods with no markets and no prices, so their loss often is not detected by our current economic incentive system and can thus continues unabated. A variety of pressures resulting from population growth, changing diets, urbanisation, climate change and many other factors is causing biodiversity to decline. As a result, ecosystems are continuously being degraded. The TEEB initiative was launched in response to a proposal by the G8+5 Environment Ministers (Potsdam, Germany 2007) to develop a global study on the economics of biodiversity loss. TEEB has been conducted in three phases. THE ECONOMICS OF ECOSYSTEMS AND BIODIVERISTY - Interim Report 2008 TEEB Ecological and Economic Foundations. The full D1 report is available here.
Bill Gates: In Five Years The Best Education Will Come From The Web Bill Gates thinks something is going to die too. No, it’s not physical books like Nicholas Negroponte — instead, Gates thinks the idea of young adults having to go to universities in order to get an education is going to go away relatively soon. Well, provided they’re self-motivated learners. “Five years from now on the web for free you’ll be able to find the best lectures in the world,” Gates said at the Techonomy conference in Lake Tahoe, CA today. He believes that no matter how you came about your knowledge, you should get credit for it. He made sure to say that educational institutions are still vital for children, K-12. But college needs to be less “place-based,” according to Gates. But his overall point is that it’s just too expensive and too hard to get these upper-level educations. One particular problem with the education system according to Gates is text books. According to Gates, our text books are three times longer than the equivalents in Asia.
Foundations International Climate Protection Fellowship For young climate experts from developing countries interested in conducting a project in Germany and developing long-term collaborations The fellowship allows future leaders to spend a year in Germany working on a research-based project of their own choice in the field of climate protection and climate-related resource conservation. Fellows are free to choose their own hosts. Submit an application if you come from a non-European transition or developing country (see list of countries) and are active in any of the following areas: scientific, engineering-based, legal, economic, health-related or social aspects of climate change. During a three-week introductory phase, you will have the opportunity to make contact with other climate protection fellows and visit companies, research institutions and cultural events in Germany. 20 fellowships can be granted annually.
The New Horse-Powered Farm Featured in The New York Times Across the nation, farmers are returning to an age-old technology that’s at the cutting edge of sustainable agriculture: horse-power. Why? Simple. It’s better for the land, and better for the soul. Author of The New Horse-Powered Farm Stephen Leslie, says it best in his The New York Times profile: “From an ecological standpoint, it’s just so clean, versus burning fossil fuel, and the compaction you get with a tractor,” he said. Last month, while Leslie was just getting started with spring chores, Anne Raver of The New York Times paid him a visit. Farm Equipment That Runs on Oats By ANNE RAVER Photo Credit: Stacey Cramp for The New York Times HARTLAND, Vt. — It was a perfect day for plowing, a little overcast with a cool breeze. Stephen Leslie, an artist and former Benedictine monk, guided two Norwegian Fjords down the field. “Stay haw, stay haw,” Mr. “Gee now, gee,” he said, urging them left as they stepped onto the unplowed grass at the edge of the field. Mr. Keep reading…
Divisi n de Desarrollo Sostenible de las Naciones Unidas Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio de la ONU Conferencia Internacional sobre la Financiación para el Desarrollo El Consenso de Monterrey: estado de aplicación y labor futura Acuerdos que se tomaron en la Cumbre Mundial de Desarrollo Sostenible: Informe de la Cumbre Mundial sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible. Johannesburgo (Sudáfrica), 26 de agosto a 4 de septiembre de 2002Declaración de Johannesburgo sobre el Desarrollo SosteniblePlan de Aplicación de las Decisiones de la Cumbre Mundial sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible Acuerdos que llevaron a la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Medio Ambiente y el Desarrollo. Acuerdos alcanzados en la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Medio Ambiente y el Desarrollo. Adopción de decisiones Convención sobre la Evaluación del Impacto Ambiental Transfronterizo* Grupos Principales Declaración de Pekín y Plataforma de Acción* Salud Política de la OMS sobre la Salud para Todos en el siglo XXI
Teachers' Letters to Bill Gates | Educators from the US and beyond: please share your teaching stories with Mr. Bill Gates. How have the policies of the Gates Foundation influenced your classroom, your students, your teaching, your schools, and your commu Piton Foundation Climate change and communities How can communities in the UK improve their resilience and responses to climate change? Climate change is one of the greatest risks facing society. This includes direct effects, such as increased flooding, higher temperatures and drought, and indirect effects, including an increase in the cost of living as food and fuel prices rise. Our Climate change and communities programme builds on JRF evidence about which people and places will be affected by climate change in the UK and how this may link to poverty and disadvantage – see this summary of our publications and our infographics. Our evidence shows there is a triple injustice for low-income households: they pay proportionately more and benefit less from certain policy responses, particularly those paid for through energy bills, while also being responsible for the least emissions. Our current work
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