Category: history
Posted on October 9, 2019
by John Jeavons
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In 1981, while Ecology Action was preparing to relocate its GROW BIOINTENSIVE farming program to from Palo Alto to Willits, CA in 1982, I received a letter from Lorenz Schaller, an amazing grainsman, noting that the Kusa Seed Society—”a voice for the precious edible… Continue Reading “The Book of Barley”
Category: about crops, about farming, barley, books, compost crops, crops, ethnobotany, farming, farming/gardening, grain, grains, GROW THE EARTH, history, history of agriculture, plants, practical guides, varietiesTags: 60/30/10, Barley, book of barley, farming, grain, history, kusa seed society, Lorenz Schaller, Tsampa
Posted on September 26, 2019
by John Jeavons
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According to Wikipedia, Wendell Erdman Berry (born August 5, 1934) is an American novelist, poet, essayist, environmental activist, cultural critic, and farmer. He is an elected member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers, a recipient of The National Humanities Medal, and the Jefferson Lecturer for 2012. He is also a 2013 Fellow… Continue Reading ““What I Stand On”: Sustainable Inspiration from Wendell Berry”
Category: books, farming, farming/gardening, GROW THE EARTH, history, inspiration, My favorite things, philosophy, soil, sustainabilityTags: farming, fertility, fertilizer, inspiration, Library of America, philosophy, soil, Soul of Soil, sustainability, sustainable, Wendell Berry, What I Stand On
Posted on August 28, 2019
by John Jeavons
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A healthy, productive agriculture relies on LIVING SOIL – truly the most important resource in the world. We live in a time of when healthy, living, farmable soil—as well as farming nutrients in organic and synthetic fertilizer form, fresh water, and energy—are all diminishing in… Continue Reading “Back to Our Roots: How Learning from Prehistoric Agriculture Can Help Grow the Future”
Category: about farming, books, ethnobotany, Europe, farming/gardening, GROW THE EARTH, historical use, history, history of agriculture, interesting practices, Native American, North America, philosophy, South America, sustainability, sustainable practicesTags: agriculture, animals, civilization, domestication, farming, plants, prehistoric, sustainability
Posted on March 25, 2019
by John Jeavons
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Sustainability isn’t a new concept. For almost 50 years I have worked to create a form of agriculture that helps all people grow abundant nutritious food and fertile soil, in harmony with this beautiful earth. I know that I have been helped and… Continue Reading “Old Ways, New Farmers: How Native Wisdom Can Help Us Create a Better Future”
Category: about crops, arid climate, books, ethnobotany, farming/gardening, GROW THE EARTH, history, history of agriculture, interesting practices, medicinal plants, My favorite things, Native American, Native American practices, native plant, native plants, plants, sustainability, unusual techniquesTags: Akta Lakota, Daniel Moerman, ethnobotany, first people, Handbook of Indian Foods and Fibers of Arid America, hopi, Medicinal plants, Native American Medicinal Plants—An Ethnobotanical Dictionary:, Native peoples, north america, The Hopi Survival Kit, Thomas Mails, tribes
Posted on July 23, 2018
by John Jeavons
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Everyone seemed to enjoy the Lost Crops of Africa so much, I thought I’d mention another treasure from the National Research Council: Lost Crops of the Incas (published in 1989). This book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in ethnobotany and heirloom varieties,… Continue Reading “Lost Crops of the Incas”
Category: about crops, books, Carribean America, Central America, crops, ethnobotany, farming/gardening, food security, grains, GROW THE EARTH, history, Latin America, native plant, native plants, plants, South America, vegetablesTags: central america, crops, ethnobotany, inca, latin america, National Research Council, native crops, plants, south america
Posted on June 25, 2018
by John Jeavons
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Nora Waln was an unusual and adventurous woman. A Philadelphia Quaker and best-selling writer and journalist in the 1930s–60s, she was the first to report on the spread of Nazism in the lead up to WWII, and wrote on Mongolia, communism in China, and… Continue Reading “30 Generations of Farming”
Category: books, China, ethnobotany, farming/gardening, GROW THE EARTH, history, history of agriculture, planning, sustainabilityTags: Biointensive, China, Ecology Action, fertility, history, John Jeavons, Living Libraries, Nora Waln, soil, sustainability, The House of Exile
Posted on June 19, 2018
by John Jeavons
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Climate change has made the “treasure trove of the past a seedbed for a whole new generation of farmers and gardeners striving for agricultural sustainability.” With an emphasis on working the land in harmony with nature and producing more food through soil improvement and water management, this book is a gem and worth a read!
Category: Africa, arid climate, books, farming/gardening, GROW THE EARTH, history, history of agriculture, Spain, sustainability, sustainable practices, water conservation, water conservationTags: America, Ancient Agriculture, Gabriel Alonso De Hererra, history of sustainable farming, John Jeavons, Juan Estevan Arellano, Obra de Agricultura, Spain, Water Conservation
Posted on June 19, 2018
by John Jeavons
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“Hedgerows” is an old English term that refers to narrow planting strips of trees or shrubs that grow along field borders, fence lines and waterways. These borders serve as effective windbreaks and improve conditions for the nearby crops, forming an “edge habitat” that supports ecological diversity.
Category: agroforestry, books, GROW THE EARTH, hedgerows, historical use, history, interesting practices, My favorite things, shrubs, sustainability, trees, unusual techniquesTags: biodiversity, farming, hedgerow, sustainable
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