Albert Camus: "In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me lay an invincible summer." Transition Initiative - recent postings (Latest) (Link to Transition Town Totnes - new website) Link to the Positive Energy Conference Reports. Extract from report on day 6 . "Rob Hopkins said ... that when he first watched the film, End of Suburbia, he thought, 'who would design suburbia anyway?' and then realised he lives in suburbia, it just doesn't look like suburbia, but he has to drive his children to school, drive to the shops, drive to visit his friends.... Even if he didn't drive a car, he thought, 'Is this small, conservative area that I live in what I would want to be my main source of cultural stimulus? And if I'm sitting here with my fuel forests and my garden and my zero carbon house, while in the village up the road they're all freezing and starving, what are my options? Am I going to sit at my gate with a gun to protect my interests? Is that an attractive option?' His initial response was of me, mine, then he realised it's about coming together not running away. May 1 2008 ~ "...people are hungry for positive solutions which engage their creativity." Rob HopkinsThe Independent today looks at Totnes: ".... In addition to the pound, the transition town organisation offers people advice at "oil vulnerability auditing workshops" on how their businesses can wean themselves off the black stuff; and the group is in talks with the council over "edible landscapes" – herb gardens instead of ornamental verges and bushes. They have recently secured some allotments for the green-fingered, and are promoting the use of energy-saving light bulbs. Similar ideas are in the pipeline.... ...change is partly the result of work done by "auditors" from the transition town organisation. " Rob Hopkins is quoted: "...The viral nature of the growth of the transition movement has taken us all by surprise. We have gone from one transition project to there being 50 formal ones and more than 700 at the earlier stages just by word of mouth and the internet... people are hungry for positive solutions which engage their creativity. The transition movement has been described as being 'more like a party than a protest march', and that feeling of being part of something playful and solutions-focused has undoubtedly been a part of its success." May 1 2008 ~ "a world where we come to terms with inevitable fuel shortages and work towards a less energy-dependent lifestyle..." CNN CNN yesterday: "...Hopkins, who lives with his family in Totnes, says people have seized upon the 'transition initiative' because it offers an "empowering, inspiring" vision of the post-oil age. "It has grown into a vacuum -- there is nothing else that looks at ways to respond to peak oil and climate change that feels good," .... Since governments and big business seem unable, or else unwilling, to deal with these problems head-on, Hopkins believes the change must come in the first instance from the grassroots. "We have to be looking to break our oil dependence and get to being a zero carbon society within 20 years. We don't have any choice in this if we want our children to have any kind of lives. "Of course, much of this needs to come from government level, but to make cuts of that nature will need a lot of things that don't tend to make governments very popular, such as carbon rationing. "The idea with 'transition' is to engage communities in pushing for these things, so as to take the fear out of making these decisions for politicians." .... Although Hopkins acknowledges drawing inspiration from the past -- part of the transition process involves consulting with older members of the community to find out what life was like when people were more self-reliant -- he insists he's not being regressive, only realistic. "The 'transition' approach is not about convincing anyone to give up anything. It is about saying that many of the things we increasingly take for granted will become steadily more expensive and less and less dependable...." Wednesday 23 April 2008 ~ "... enthusiasm for growing your own is stronger than ever." Peterborough Today: ".... Holding an allotment may have gone out of fashion for a while, once we had recovered from the austere war years and popping to the shops seemed an easier alternative, but today it's very much back in vogue. Celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver extol the virtues of growing your own and more and more young people are taking up the spade. In Peterborough, the people renting the 1,300 allotment plots from the city council range in age from 20 to 90. Three years ago the occupancy rate was 50 per cent, but today it is 78 per cent, and at least nine of the council's 24 sites have waiting lists...." Wednesday 23 April 2008 ~ Shakespeare's birthday today - and the words of one of his wisest creations: "Sir, I am a true labourer: I earn that I eat, get that I wear, owe no man hate, envy no man’s happiness, glad of other men’s good, content with my harm, and the greatest of my pride is to see my ewes graze and my lambs suck." As You Like It Act 3 Smallholding is becoming ever more popular. A modern day Corin is Alan Beat who, with his equally talented wife, Rosie, runs a sixteen acre smallholding in the upper Tamar valley. Highly recommended is his "A Start in Smallholding." See also the Transition Initiative page Tuesday 22 April 2008 ~ "food and oil prices “risk becoming a destabilising force in the global economy”.The FT today reported that record global food prices will be on the agenda of the Group of Eight heads of state summit in July for the first time in almost 30 years. ".....John Lipsky, the IMF’s deputy managing director, said in a speech in Rome to an energy forum that the rise in commodities prices required a “globally coherent response”, as prices for food and oil had reached a level that could destabilise the global economy. His warning contrasts with the institution’s much milder comments at its recent spring meeting, when it said: “Inflationary risks – notably from higher food, energy and other commodity prices – have risen.” The UN secretary-general has warned that the crisis in food and fuel prices “could trigger a cascade of other multiple crises . . . affecting economic growth, social progress, and even political security around the world.” April 17 2008 ~ "... some great old photos of Clapham Common dug up for allotments, and people growing food on the rooftops of London during World War Two." Middlesbrough Council commissioned a map from designers Andre Viljoen and Katrina Bohn – authors of Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes – which identifies existing and prospective foodgrowing sites in Middlesbrough. It details existing allotments in the town, maps surplus land and highlights connections between the town and local food producers. This is a plan for the local authority and others to consider as a new context for strategies towards a more local and sustainable food economy. (see Designs of the Time and see below on Middlesborough) Rob Hopkins' review of Andre Viljoen's book on continuous productive urban landscape says "it is a hugely readable, passionate and visionary book. It aims to put productive land use at the centre of urban design. ... He advocates creating networks of green spaces throughout the city (he takes London as his case study), which are connected by cycle paths and walkways, which combine urban agriculture, recreation and a wealth of other uses. ...a book of the most profound importance at this point in history...We should view our cities as much in terms of being productive spaces as we view our rural areas...." See review. April 16 2008 ~ Professor Bob Watson "Can we change our priorities in the agricultural sector?" 850 million in developing countries do not have access to the food they need. Energy 'experts' promoting biofuels in the EU have not sought the views of agriculture specialists or soil scientists on biofuels and Professor Watson's thoughts as chief environment scientist on the sustainability of biofuels have never been asked for - but he warns that the policies have run ahead of the science. Yesterday, the International Assessment of Agricultural Science & Technology for Development (IAASTD) under Prof Watson published a report stating that failing to take action on food shortages and "continuing to focus on production alone will undermine our agricultural capital and leave us with an increasingly degraded and divided planet." (See video report) Ironically, it was the very day that the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) made 2.5% biofuels a compulsory ingredient at the pumps. CNN reports that "Many people on both sides of the debate are pushing for a second generation of renewables from sources like wood waste, non-edible crops and crops that grow much faster." April 16 2008 ~ The British Government failed to sign the IAASTD accord. Prof Watson's deeply-held view that "Business as Usual will not solve the problems of poverty and hunger" appear to cut little ice with the UK, USA, Canada and Australia who have all failed to sign the final report after disagreement over its conclusions about trade. The IAASTD report's key questions include how to enhance production of more nutritious food in a way that has "no adverse consequences for the environment - indeed positive consequences and in a way that really helps the poorest of the poor. We believe we can build on the successes of the past and make the system more participatory ...making sure we understand the needs of women, who play an absolutely key role in agriculture in developing countries, and we need to combine local and indigenous knowledge with the knowledge that we have in the more formal part of society - in the universities and think tanks and governments...Some trade policies of today certainly help some people but don't help the poorest of the poor.." See also Farmers Guardian d You can hear Professor Watson on YouTube talking with great seriousness about social exclusion and environmental degradation. April 16 2008 ~ There is emphasis in the report on proven traditional agricultural methods from around the world as much as on the new technologies. The controversial questions surrounding GM were not dodged by the IAASTD report. The fact that we still don't know how GMOs will alter biodiversity, eco-system function or affect human health is seen as important. "We do know," says the video report, "that corporate control over seeds can undermine the livelihoods of small scale farmers." As for the combined expertise of the smaller farmers across the world, the four year study took pains to collect information. We learn, for example, that after Hurrican Mitch in 1998, farmers in one small area of Honduras using "zero tillage" (which helps prevent mud slides) managed to feed the rest of the country. April 15 2008 ~ It has exacerbated a global food crisis - yet our petrol tanks must now contain at least 2.5 per cent biofuel... The Independent: "Amid growing evidence that massive investment in biofuels by developed countries is helping to cause a food crisis for the world's poor, the ecological cost of the push to produce billions of litres of petrol and diesel from plant sources will be highlighted today with protests across the country..... Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat transport spokesman, said: "Thanks to flaws in the Government's system, companies selling these fuels will even be allowed to get away with saying that they don't know whether they've been sourced sustainably or not. This makes a mockery of the entire idea of sustainability standards." April 15 2008 ~ “the period of intense oil production [growth] is over”.Even today's story of a possible big oil discovery in Brazil may not delay the ending of cheap oil by very much. The Carioca field ( BM-S-9) is located beneath a layer of salt in water more than 2,000 meters deep. No official information is available yet to confirm the guess that there might be 33 billion barrels of oil there - and the cost of extracting it will be very much higher than in conventional oil wells. Extracting and turning the oil into usable form will also be extremely energy-intensive. Only recently has the physical technology even existed to drill in water that deep. It will be a difficult and expensive enterprise. However, it may perhaps alter the policies of the country most desperate to secure supplies. Russia, until recently considered the most promising oil region outside the Middle East is now admitting stagnation and that the period of intense oil production is over. The FT today reports that the vice-president of Lukoil has compared Russia with the North Sea and Mexico, where oil production is declining dramatically - and even the Russian government has admitted that production growth has stagnated. The thirst of governments for cheap energy and the mad dash for bio-fuel is, of course, what ultimately lies behind the food riots now spreading across the planet. There are now only 8 to 12 weeks of cereal stocks left in the world. April 15 ~ "It is hard to understand how two such different food economies could occupy the same planet, until you realise that they feed off each other" "the grain required to fill the tank of a sports utility vehicle with ethanol ... could feed one person for a year" George Monbiot today tells us in the Guardian that this year, global stockpiles of cereals will decline by around 53 million tonnes - while the production of biofuels will consume almost 100 million tonnes. He reminds us that Ruth Kelly promised that "if we need to adjust policy in the light of new evidence, we will" - and wonders what new evidence she requires."...In the midst of a global humanitarian crisis, we have just become legally obliged to use food as fuel. It is a crime against humanity, in which every driver in this country has been forced to participate... While 100m tonnes of food will be diverted this year to feed cars, 760 million tonnes will ... feed animals - which could cover the global food deficit 14 times. ..." Having looked askance at a purely vegan diet, and noted that although pigs and chickens feed more efficiently than grain-fed beef - unless they are free range, "the monstrous conditions in which they are kept" becomes an issue, he encourages us to consider a freshwater fish that can be raised entirely on vegetable matter. He then draws attention to the surreal nature of our awareness of the global crisis: "While half the world wonders whether it will eat at all, I am pondering which of our endless choices we should take...." A salutary article - but it does rather suggest that George Monbiot thinks that there is no immediate worry for the UK. Of course the prosperous West must do what it can to give practical help to the worst affected - but unless we quickly revamp our whole thinking about energy and local food supply - and consign bio-fuel targets to the scrap heap - food riots could be a reality here too. April 14 2008 ~ "we aren't boycotting supermarkets entirely but we are gradually weaning people off them" Good news from a self-sufficient village in Hampshire. The VAT registered village cooperative in the village of Martin has been successfully operating for nearly four years now. There are 164 families there and 101 of them signed up to work the "Future Farms" rota. The Mail reports: "Every year more produce is added and the scheme - likened to a community allotment - has breathed new life into a village that has only a church and a working men's club. .... the farm sells 45 types of vegetables, 100 chickens a week, 20 pigs a year, 32 lambs a year and is now starting to sell beef. Members of the committee include a consultant radiologist, a horticulturalist, a computer programmer, a former probation officer, a secretary and a council worker."The strengths of such a scheme are many; not least that so many people are working together for a common purpose. April 14 2008 ~ We need "intelligent growth" Suicidal "Growth" is leading to famine. "How can we persuade economists and governments to see ‘growth’ in another light?" asks Stephan Harding in this month's Resurgence "...we in the affluent North must grow our abilities for living simply - we need to learn to do well with less. Intelligent growth also involves the growth and recovery of the soil. We need to allow soil to thicken wherever it has been depleted by the depredations of the agribusiness farmers and their corporate overlords..." Things are looking ever bleaker this week and food riots are being reported across the globe. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is providing "short-term measures" such as providing subsidised fertiliser in three African countries affected by food riots (see All Africa.com) April 11/12 2008 ~ "The backyard organic garden is sounding less and less like an elite affectation, every single day." In an article at Salon, "Peak Weed Killer?", we read that industrial monoculture will soon be in trouble because of the "relentless ascent of synthetic fertilizer prices" - this includes price hikes for glyphosate -- a.k.a. Monsanto's RoundUp --because of the increasing scarcity of a key ingredient: phosphorus: "...rock phosphate, the source of nearly all industrially-used phosphorus, is a non-renewable resource....synthetic fertilizer and industrial herbicide prices are rising because of growing demand, resource scarcity, and energy costs. That backyard organic garden, presumably recycling every nutrient possible, is sounding less and less like an elite affectation, every single day."Read article April 11 2008 ~ role for gardening and urban agriculture Professor Lang's talk sets out several relevant questions in a Powerpoint Presentation that effectively communicates a sense of urgency. One slide asks: If 95% food is oil-dependent, what would a post or ‘less oil’ food economy look like? Which sectors need to change most? Cost: prices need to rise but how much would they? SDC $100 showed +5-10% Skills on farm - role for gardening / urban agriculture?There is, of course, no official food security policy yet. Gundula Azeez (Soil Association) also gave an audio & Powerpoint presentation at the meeting and the All-Party Parliamentary Group now has their own website where several interesting links can be found. April 11 2008 ~ Family farms and urban gardens Roger Doiron is Founding Director of Kitchen Gardeners International, a nonprofit network of 5200 gardeners from 90 countries source "My job as a sustainable foods advocate is to convince people that family farms and gardens not only can feed the world, they're the only thing that can in the long run. Big, industrial agriculture ....would not have been possible were it not for the cheap and easily-obtained inputs on which industrial foods depend, the most important of which is oil. It has been estimated that our highly-industrialized food system in the US requires 5-10 calories of fossil fuel energy to create 1 calorie of food energy. In recognition of planting season and the intersecting geopolitical crises now upon us, I am proposing that home growers finally catch a break. Not from bugs, weather, or clunky garden shoes, but from taxes.....why not offer incentives for solar-powered, healthy food production in their backyard?... " The Kitchen Gardeners International website carries a wonderful photo of urban food growing. April 11 2008 ~ "people want to make it a mainstream activity"A recent Guardian article suggests very seriously that the growing of fruit and vegetables in town-centre planters and parks could be a blueprint for the future"....Groundwork South Tees advised schools, mental health hospitals, residential care homes and retailers on planting and growing many varieties of herbs, vegetables and fruit. Containers of different sizes were used so people could cultivate whatever space they had. Middlesbrough borough council turned over parkland, town-centre planters and other landholdings for fruit and vegetable growing. The eight-month project culminated in a town meal outside the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, where up to 8,000 people shared meals from the food that had been grown.This year, Middlesbrough plans to supply seeds and containers to anyone interested, and already has 2,000 individuals and groups lined up, including 31 out of 51 schools, with 280 growing sites." Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City University, knows as well as anyone that the era of cheap food in the UK is over, and that the nation is "sleepwalking into a crisis". With rising oil and food prices the idea of urban farming in the UK is of vital importance - but the fundamental problem is that so much land has ended up in the hands of private developers. Monday April 7 2008 ~ Briefing day for everyone interested in setting up a Community Supported Agriculture project. One example of how things are taking off locally (food feet rather than food miles) is a briefing day for everyone interested in setting up a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project. The Soil Association has funded 3 experts; Jade Bashford, Mark Harrison and Nick Weir, to run the day for people interested in Community Supported Agriculture or "CSA" in Gloucestershire. It will be held on Wednesday April 30th at Stroud Community Agriculture, Hawkwood College, Stroud, in Gloucestershire (Painswick Old Road Stroud, GL6 7 - 01453 759 034 . Please see link to information and booking form (new window) The event is FREE and lunch and refreshments will be provided. Places are limited so booking is essential. For more information on the Soil Association's new Community Supported Agriculture project, contact Amanda Daniel on adaniel@soilassociation.org Monday April 7 2008 ~ The crisis is globalAnyone who still thinks that the turmoil in financial markets isn't going to affect world growth should read today's Financial Times in which the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund and former French Finance Minister, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, rubbishes the notion that the credit crisis is largely a US problem. Developing countries such as China and India would be affected. "The crisis is global," he said. "... . use of public money can be examined....The forecasts we are going to release in a few days are not very optimistic. The downside risks we underlined in the last world economic outlook have materialised." The myth of economic growth continues and will take some dispelling. The UK continues, with apparent complacency, to watch its ability to feed itself decline. A serious question is to ask for how much longer the UK can import cheap food from countries which are themselves getting more and more concerned about the rise in prices. (see also the Transition Initiative page) Sunday April 6 2008 ~ Staring down the barrel of a crisis "It's time to abandon the cruise ship of empire in exchange for a lifeboat... to trust in ourselves, our neighbors and the Earth that sustains us all." Guy R. McPherson is a professor of conservation biology at the University of Arizona. His article today in the Arizona Republic pulls no punches about what he feels will be the inevitable result of the end of Cheap Oil. "You can kiss goodbye groceries at the local big-box grocery store: Our entire system of food production and delivery depends on cheap oil. .... We have come to depend on cheap oil for the delivery of food, water, shelter and medicine. Most of us are incapable of supplying these four key elements of personal survival.... On the other hand, the forthcoming cessation of economic growth is truly good news for the world's species and cultures.... Our individual survival, and our common future, depends on our ability to quickly make other arrangements. ..a personal challenge..."See also warmwell Transition Town page. April 6 2008 ~ EU's Rapid Alert System for Non-Food Products (RAPEX) includes UK wind turbine While human scale windmills for local small-scale use are of value, Warmwell's page on windfarms carries the caption, "Beware missionary Zeal over wind farms..." Many of the references deplore the fact that the highly subsidized devastation of vast areas of our most beautiful landscape by windfarms is mere political green window-dressing - what is now called "greenwashing". While the Government no longer pays direct subsidies to the operators they demand that the electricity utilities take a growing percentage of their supply from wind power - the cost goes straight to customers. Wind turbines currently occupy a total of five square miles of Cumbria. Now - along with the faulty toys and defective electrical appliances that pose a danger on the EU RAPEX page, we see a wind turbine in the UK described as posing "a risk of injuries because of insufficient tightening or movement of the connecting bolts. This results in fatigue leading to overload which causes the heads of the bolts to pop off." As one emailer laconically puts it, " I knew these things are spoiling the landscape, will never produce enough power to pay for themselves but to use them as weapons of (mass) destruction..." April 4 2008 ~ Food prices... effects are being felt globally. The FT is taking the subject very seriously indeed. Their InDepth page on food prices covers many aspects - all of which are challenging. They talk of a long-term, structural change. April 3 2008 ~ The National Conference for Transition Towns is to be held in Cirencester next weekend We're grateful for the information that this will take place at the Agricultural College (just outside Cirencester on the Tetbury road) The energetic Green MEP,Caroline Lucas, is in the area and will be addressing the Conference on Friday. Then she will going on to talk in Stroud about the future of food production- and will be conveyed round the area in one of the Stroud Valley Car Club motors. The Transition Network conference takes place in Cirencester from 11-13 April 2008. It will run from lunchtime on Friday 11 April to midday on Sunday 13 April. The conference ".. is designed for people involved in a transition initiative in their locale or who are "mulling over" whether to start one up. There will be workshops, Open Spaces, World Cafés, presentations, discussions, dancing and maybe even a soccer match. The aim is to help people learn how to broaden, deepen and accelerate their initiative, and connect with people to share ideas, inspiration and experiences." The conference programme and content are almost complete. April 3 2008 ~ Top-down does not workThe success of the Transition Town lies in its evolutionary process - starting with the enthusiasm of communities taking matters into their own hands and watching in awe at what so quickly starts to take shape because of all the various local skills and talents available. The "Transition Handbook" by Rob Hopkins is an antidote to the way top-down government works. "It's a question of unleashing the collective genius around you.. ...unless we can create this sense of anticipation, elation and a collective call to adventure on a wider scale, any government responses will be doomed to failure, or will need to battle protractedly against the will of the people..... ." So it is with a sigh that we read in today's Telegraph: "Ministers have drawn up plans to force through the development of 10 eco-towns despite widespread local opposition..." The eco-towns proposed - and what "eco" means in this context is rather hard to fathom - include poor Throckmorton, in Worcestershire. (recent posts on the Transition movement) See also update in Guardian And as Charles Clover says in the Telegraph, "The fact remains that it would be more eco-friendly not to build these eco-towns at all." April 2 2008 ~ "alternative ways of handling any future outbreak, with minimum disruption to the industry.."From the website of www.meatinfo.co.uk we learn of the existence of a report, written by the Chief Veterinary Officer, Jim Scudamore, who was in post during the 2001 FMD disaster. John McIntosh, the Chairman of the Aberdeen & Northern Marts group is quoted: "During his address McIntosh spoke about the unfortunate phase of foot-and-mouth which struck during August and September 2007. Empathising with livestock producers, he said he too felt the same financial pain and anger as a result of FMD but hoped the Scudamore report - which details the government's retired chief veterinarian's findings - would suggest alternative ways of handling any future outbreak, with minimum disruption to the industry."We should very much appreciate any further information about this report. UPDATE More about the review (Many thanks to Anne Lambourn) April 3 2008 ~ The National Conference for Transition Towns is to be held in Cirencester next weekend We're grateful for the information that this will take place at the Agricultural College (just outside Cirencester on the Tetbury road) The energetic Green MEP,Caroline Lucas, is in the area and will be addressing the Conference on Friday. Then she will be going on to talk in Stroud about the future of food production. The Transition Network conference takes place in Cirencester from 11-13 April 2008. It will run from lunchtime on Friday 11 April to midday on Sunday 13 April. The conference ".. is designed for people involved in a transition initiative in their locale or who are "mulling over" whether to start one up. There will be workshops, Open Spaces, World Cafés, presentations, discussions, dancing and maybe even a soccer match. The aim is to help people learn how to broaden, deepen and accelerate their initiative, and connect with people to share ideas, inspiration and experiences." The conference programme and content are almost complete. April 3 2008 ~ Top-down does not work The success of the Transition Town movement (there are now over 35 formal Transition Initiatives in the UK - including towns, cities, islands, peninsulas, with over 500 globally at the earlier stages of launching the process. And evolutionary process it is - starting with the enthusiasm of communities taking matters into their own hands and watching in awe at what so quickly starts to take shape. The "Transition Handbook" by Rob Hopkins is an antidote to the way top-down government works. Official policy has its own agendas and is determined to keep control in the centre. The Transition Initiative begins with the skills and talents of local people - and their willingness to build upwards to create something for all to share in the challenge of a very different future. Rob Hopkins writes, "...unless we can create this sense of anticipation, elation and a collective call to adventure on a wider scale, any government responses will be doomed to failure, or will need to battle protractedly against the will of the people." So it is with a sigh that we read in today's Telegraph: "Ministers have drawn up plans to force through the development of 10 eco-towns despite widespread local opposition..."The eco-towns proposed - and what "eco" means in this context is rather hard to fathom - includes , Throckmorton, in Worcestershire, pushed around by government decree for many years,particularly during the foot ande mouth tragedy, in spite of well organised and intelligent protest from its inhabitants. April 2 2008 ~ "a real grass roots movement that is inspiring people to get involved.." /icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/ today on the spread of Transition towns, in which communities "focus on sustainability through renewable energy, allotments and farming but also aim to explore possibilities of water supply, waste recycling" - and "new economics" in the form of localisation of currency. Transition Town Llandeilo is following in the footsteps of Totnes. "Local currency puts money back into local businesses whereas ordinary money takes it out." The US organisation, BerkShares, Inc., a non-profit organisation in the Southern Berkshire region of Massachusetts, say on their website, "....people who choose to use the currency make a conscious commitment to buy local first. They are taking personal responsibility for the health and well-being of their community by laying the foundation of a truly vibrant, thriving local economy." March 31 2008 ~ Back to the backyard - not simply because it's fun but for our economic survival Peak Oil is a turning point for society - and denial is getting harder for politicians (especially when even the Archers are discussing "going Transition"with such conviction). Transporting food over vast distances is simply not going to be possible for much longer. An Australian permaculture advocate, David Holmgren, echoes some of the convictions of the Transition Town movement in this interesting and optimistic podcast clip about backyard production. "A modern fusion that also involves water re-use, solar design, more use of trees and integrating animals into that too.....Chickens forage in a healthy system based on organic methods of soil building and waste recycling.... in this world of less energy, we have to redesign everything we do." March 31 2008 ~ Small scale biofuel production - another matter. Another BBC article explains how a retired teacher makes his own backyard biofuel from chip fat. He says he likes "the idea of using a waste product to make oil, and I like the idea of being energy independent... it also saves a lot of money"It costs him some £21 for a tank of home-made bio-diesel, compared with £80 at the garage. March 27/28 2008 ~ Peak oil' meeting in Taunton www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk There will be a talk on Peak Oil, Climate Change and Transition Towns:"...Transition Towns aims to work with Somerset communities to make positive moves to increase resilience to falling oil levels. Victoria Watson and Mike McGuffie are holding the meeting at Silver Street Baptist Church at 7.30pm on Monday, March 31. The problem, the solution and the way forward'. Ms Watson said: "We are looking to reach out to all those people who are concerned by these issues and want to contribute in some way to working towards a better future for all of us."...." March 27 2008 ~ Ninety-five per cent of the UK's fresh fruit is imported Guardian yesterday ".....Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City University, says the era of cheap food in the UK is over, and that the nation is "sleepwalking into a crisis". He points out that the UK has an especially poor record on producing its own fruit and vegetables. "Ninety-five per cent of fresh fruit is imported. This is ludicrous in a country with 2,000 varieties of apples.....disused urban spaces turned into fertile corners bursting with freshly grown fruit and vegetables ...more than 1,000 residents of Middlesborough took part..." March 27 2008 ~ Transition Towns: " We've got to reduce our dependence on oil.....And you're expecting the whole of Ambridge to get involved?" Listen again to The Archers last Monday - and UPDATE we now hear from an amazed listener (March 28) that " the whole of Ambridge is going Transition..." Pat Archer: Definitely the whole of Ambridge and other villages. Most of the places doing it are Transition Towns. There are a few villages. .... In Stroud they're setting up a community bike scheme …. Kathy Perks : It sounds amazing - still think you'll have a job selling it to the whole village. Pat Archer: Well I'm going to carry on and see how far I can get."Tony thinks it's a good idea" and it's good to see that the writers of the Archers think so too. March 27 2008 ~ Green MEP Caroline Lucas, will be visiting Stroud on Friday, April 11th. In the evening she will be speaking alongside Stroud Parliamentary candidate Martin Whiteside and Nick Weir from Transition Stroud at the Subscription Rooms. The theme of the evening will be 'The Future of Food' The evening begins at 7.30. There is no charge for entrance, but a small donation towards the hire of the room would be appreciated. March 27 2008 ~ "Economic contraction may be bitter medicine, but it's part of the cure for what ails our planetary home." We are now at the end of an unprecedented period of abundance that has been dependent upon temporary sources of cheap energy. Are we finally waking up to the need for a wholly different mindset? Richard Heinberg in his article "Making the most of a global depression" takes a long cool look at the reality of the present situation - but finishes with upbeat good sense: : "....we can manage this contraction either foolishly or intelligently.A foolish management of economic contraction would entail burning the biosphere for alternative fuels; propping up the banks and other financial institutions that created the mortgage mess.... Intelligent management would start with an explicit commitment to redesign the global economy to run with less... assess ecosphere resources and identify a humane, equitable path toward gradual reduction in population and total consumption levels. ... re-acquaint ourselves with the values and virtues of community, self-sufficiency, and modesty....educating a new generation of ecological farmers...."Read in full. Richard Heinberg is the author of "The Party's Over" and "Peak Everything." He is a Senior Fellow of the Post Carbon Institute . March 25/26 2008 ~ "The Great Turning" - the Ecological or Sustainability Revolution A "positive energy" conference is taking place this week at the Findhorn Foundation (recently found to have the lowest ecological footprint ever measured in the industrialised world) For those who have not been able to attend the full week, the last two days of the conference, this Thursday and Friday, can be attended as a mini-event: From Crisis to Opportunity at which the speakers include Richard Heinberg, one of the world's foremost peak oil educators: "Let us accept the current challenge - the next great energy transition - as an opportunity to re-imagine human culture from the ground up, using our intelligence and our passion for the welfare of coming generations and for the integrity of nature's web as our primary guides ."and Rob Hopkins, founder of Transition Town Totnes (see below), the first transition town project in the UK. March 24 2008 ~ "It's about creating alternatives, realistic ways of living that can inspire everyone in the whole of society..." "Back to the Land" is back - as Farming Today This Week (Listen Again R4 22 March) explained. The programme was largely concerned with "savvy" smallholders who use modern technology and networking. The message is "Don't wait." An allotment plot is the first place to start - the best fertiliser is your own footprint. Be there! And take each step at a time - and one to one training is important. Martin Hawarth of the NFU repeated the intensive sector's worry that it is difficult to trace smallholders and that smaller farmers may present a disease risk - but the Countess of Mar was on hand to refute the suggestion that smallholders are not inspected "...most of us care a great deal about our animals and it's perhaps a fact that there are good and bad in both smallholders and huge farmers. If you are going to keep animals you've got to be responsible and this applies to large or small. It doesn't matter which. I know a number of large farmers who are not well trained in caring for their livestock."Dr Larch Maxey (Swansea University), who is examining ‘back-to-the-land experiments' showed how different now from the sometimes unrealistic idealism of the 60s and 70s is the present acceptance of the sheer hard work and learning involved in getting back to the land. March 24 2008 ~ "Moving to New York City," she said, "was what first got me interested in food and farming." The New York Times quotes a 32 year old former second-grade teacher, who moved from her Harlem apartment to a farm in Tivoli, NY where, she says,"we are committed to farming practices that care for our animals and for the land. We are currently selling grass-fed lamb and pastured chicken on a pre-order basis." The NYT article explains: " .... young urbanites are starting to put their muscles where their pro-environment, antiglobalization mouths are. They are creating small-scale farms near urban areas hungry for quality produce and willing to pay a premium.....the demand from consumers for food produced on a small scale, bought directly from farmers, has allowed a younger generation to enter farming, even as global markets drive many conventional farmers off the land.." The NYT also mentions "The Greenhorns" a film that is "not a political attack; nor is it meant to make you feel bad about what you eat. This film documents those who are establishing solutions to our contemporary crises. The stakes are high, but so are our chances of preserving our farmland, our food supply, and the practice of family farming...."Meanwhile, back in the world of agribusiness, the Italian government is planning to import live calves from Brazil next year (www.agireora.org in Italian)"The project is to initially import 50 thousand calves per year, and gradually increase the number of animals imported up to a maximum of 150 thousand per year." March 24 2008 ~ Wealth and security now lie in productive land Staffordshire County Council had, last year, proposed to sell all or most of its nearly 9,000 acres of farmland to generate funds. Options drawn up included a plan to reduce the number of starter farms by a half. But it has now changed its mind. A review undertaken last summer involving consultation with tenant farmers, the Staffordshire branch of the NFU, the farming community itself and the general public has, according to the Farmers Guardian, resulted in the Council's "pledging not only to keep its farms, but to reinvigorate them". While this is good news in itself, the talk, Justice, Farms and Victory Gardens (see below) takes things further and is both prophetic and optimistic about the low energy future that is on its way. March 24 2008 ~ "... How did we forget something so basic?..." Justice, Farms and Victory Gardens Extract: "....I can think of no more certain way to ensure we will go hungry than to be as ignorant as we are of the role of food and agriculture in our lives...this is just growing food! Every one of us is more privileged, better educated, more powerful and in every way better prepared to change the world than thousands of people who already did it. How can we possibly do less than they, when the stakes are so high? So please go home and plant your gardens."The present crisis has been on the way for some time. It has been caused partly by chasing the wrong challenges, depending on false assurances and the blandishments of those who want to make money by lending it - but what seems inescapable is that wealth now lies in local productive land, not the insubstantial dreams of politics and finance. March 20 2008 ~David Cameron "Britain risks food shortages and rocketing prices unless we begin to grow more of our own produce." In a speech at the centenary conference of the National Farmers' Union in London, Mr Cameron said that the increase in the consumption of meat means that farmers now feed 250m more tonnes of grain to their animals than they did 20 years ago. The nation's "food security" must be guarded as jealously as that of our independent fuel supply. "We face the potential prospect that the abundance of food that we all take for granted will come to a crashing end. Yet just as we are relying, indeed we are depending more and more on foreign farmers to fill our shopping bags, cupboards and fridges, so the days of abundant food from around the world may well be coming to an end"One wonders what a Conservative Minister would do in government and whether there would again be a Ministry that watched over the needs of farming, food and rural affairs. All the same, the Transition Towns movement (see below) shows convincingly that a consideration of urban food growing may now be almost as urgently needed as concern for sustainable rural farms. March 18 2008 ~"It's a question of unleashing the collective genius around you..." Changing our assumptions and values about what a truly sustainable society looks like seems well overdue - and the efforts of the Transition Towns movement gives more hope than much of the hot air emanating from Westminster or Brussels. (Watch Rob Hopkins on You Tube on the subject of the end of cheap energy, Peak Oil and the UK. He is impressive.) There can be no doubt that we are in trouble. The FAO's food price index has rocketed up by almost 40 per cent this year. International wheat prices are up 50 per cent on last year's. As for the end of cheap energy, the Press Association reports "...Crude oil prices rose to new highs near to 112 US dollars a barrel yesterday, forcing the cost of petrol at the forecourts up to 106.7p a litre, with diesel at 113.9p, according to latest figures from the AA. ....." Meanwhile, economic growth continues to be the myth that prevails and the UK watches its ability to feed itself decline with apparent complacency, continuing to import cheap food from countries that are themselves getting more and more concerned about the rise in prices. March 18 2008 ~ " As Richard Heinberg put it, people are instinctively more interested in what is going into their car than in what is coming out of the exhaust pipe...". It is well worth putting aside 52 minutes to listen to the quiet eloquence, (without any notes), of Rob Hopkins on the subject of our future and how there are better ways of presenting to people the crisis that's coming than dire warnings about Global Warming. (Best to download the You Tube video to your own computer) ".... It's a fuel-in problem rather than an emissions-out problem. And Peak Oil is very important because it's like putting a mirror up to a community and saying, "Where's the resilience gone in this community? Where is this community's ability to withstand shocks?" And particularly when we go back to the 30's and 40's we see that then we had that resilience. We had a vibrant local economy. We had local food. We had local agriculture..."His conclusion to the complex question, Can we support the people that we have? is "Yes we can - but we need to rediscover what was good about the world before cheap oil and rethink our basic assumptions.." Nor does he shirk the population problem. March 17/18 2008 ~ Cheap food culture has led to dangerous lack of disease surveillance and lowering of welfare standards Livestock farmers, having to contend with rocketing fuel prices, huge increases in feed costs and all the depressed profits caused by the UK policies on such animal illnesses as foot and mouth and bluetongue, are thinking twice before calling out a vet. And because there are now far fewer farm animal vets, those left have to travel further and are charging more. EDP24 quotes Peter Stevenson, chief policy advisor with Compassion in World Farming, on the ever more serious shortage of farm vets. "Regular visits from the vet mean it is more likely a disease will be spotted in its early stages, be they seriously dangerous diseases such as foot and mouth or less severe illnesses....I don't think there is any doubt that some farmers are simply not calling vets in like they used to...."Veterinary bodies too have a responsibility to encourage students to take up farm vet practice. The lack of surveillance provided by regular vet visits are ever more dangerous in these days of fast-spreading zoonoses. March 16/17 2008 ~ "The evening felt celebratory, positive and inspiring. Transition Handbooks sold like hot cakes..." Droughts, soaring oil prices, global population increase, the distancing of commodity markets from genuine supply and demand signals - and the conversion of food crops into biofuel as a result - a global food crisis is already with us. What we need is a precise, detailed, what-to-do manual. And Rob Hopkins, described in a review of his startling new book, the "Transition Handbook", as "... a superb communicator, visionary and one of the most important thinkers in our chaotic 21st century world" has provided just that. The Transition Handbook must become required reading for anyone who thinks personal action is better than waiting hopefully for a benighted political system to emerge into the light. March 16/17 2008 ~ Let them eat biofuel...? It is good to see Christopher Booker squaring up to the departed Chief Scientific Adviser in Beware the politician posing as a scientist in the current week's Spectator. Climate change was proclaimed by Sir David King to be "a far greater threat to the world than international terrorism" - but the UN World Food Program (WFP) is now saying, "the increasing scarcity of food is the biggest crisis looming in the world" and yet more and more agricultural land is being turned over to the production of crops used to manufacture biofuels, such as ethanol. Last week, the new CSA, Professor Beddington, commented (Guardian), that the food crisis was more urgent and serious than climate change - yet as Caroline Lucas says, the policymakers in neither Brussels nor Westminster have any workable or acceptable plans in place. They continue to seem in denial of what is apparent to so many of us. And even though David Cameron too was reported (last Sunday's Herald) to have said, "You could feed a person for a whole year from the grain that produces just one tank of fuel for a sports utility vehicle"- none of the major parties in traditional politics seems able to galvanise people towards practical solutions. In contrast, the highly interesting Treehugger website, another enthusastic supporter of the Transition Town Movement, offer what they term, "some humble suggestions of potential solutions": "... high-tech solutions like vertical farming or underground agriculture and aquaponics may be useful in reducing pressures on land, and distances from farm to plate. Meanwhile low tech DIY approaches like permaculture, food not lawns, DIY hydroponics and community gardens are ways that we can all make a difference.... hats off to Professor Beddington for setting this on his agenda." March 16/17 2008 ~ In glorious contrast to our politicians and ever more chaotic Ministries.. ...the launch of the latest Transition Town, Forest Row in Sussex, demonstrates anything but complacent inaction. Green MEP Caroline Lucas (see You Tube), in her message of enthusiastic support for the Transition Town movement, had this to say about rebuilding the infrastructure to revitalise local food economies: "....Over half the food imported in 2002 was indigenous produce...it could have been sourced in this country, could have been grown in the UK's temperate climate...it would be much easier if we had changes to the rules of the EU Single Market and the World Trade Organisation, but it is also true that there is much that we as individuals and communities can do ourselves..to begin to power down, to become less dependent on fossil fuels and more dependent on each other"
Link to the Positive Energy Conference Reports. Extract from report on day 6 . "Rob Hopkins said ... that when he first watched the film, End of Suburbia, he thought, 'who would design suburbia anyway?' and then realised he lives in suburbia, it just doesn't look like suburbia, but he has to drive his children to school, drive to the shops, drive to visit his friends.... Even if he didn't drive a car, he thought, 'Is this small, conservative area that I live in what I would want to be my main source of cultural stimulus? And if I'm sitting here with my fuel forests and my garden and my zero carbon house, while in the village up the road they're all freezing and starving, what are my options? Am I going to sit at my gate with a gun to protect my interests? Is that an attractive option?' His initial response was of me, mine, then he realised it's about coming together not running away. May 1 2008 ~ "...people are hungry for positive solutions which engage their creativity." Rob HopkinsThe Independent today looks at Totnes: ".... In addition to the pound, the transition town organisation offers people advice at "oil vulnerability auditing workshops" on how their businesses can wean themselves off the black stuff; and the group is in talks with the council over "edible landscapes" – herb gardens instead of ornamental verges and bushes. They have recently secured some allotments for the green-fingered, and are promoting the use of energy-saving light bulbs. Similar ideas are in the pipeline.... ...change is partly the result of work done by "auditors" from the transition town organisation. " Rob Hopkins is quoted: "...The viral nature of the growth of the transition movement has taken us all by surprise. We have gone from one transition project to there being 50 formal ones and more than 700 at the earlier stages just by word of mouth and the internet... people are hungry for positive solutions which engage their creativity. The transition movement has been described as being 'more like a party than a protest march', and that feeling of being part of something playful and solutions-focused has undoubtedly been a part of its success." May 1 2008 ~ "a world where we come to terms with inevitable fuel shortages and work towards a less energy-dependent lifestyle..." CNN CNN yesterday: "...Hopkins, who lives with his family in Totnes, says people have seized upon the 'transition initiative' because it offers an "empowering, inspiring" vision of the post-oil age. "It has grown into a vacuum -- there is nothing else that looks at ways to respond to peak oil and climate change that feels good," .... Since governments and big business seem unable, or else unwilling, to deal with these problems head-on, Hopkins believes the change must come in the first instance from the grassroots. "We have to be looking to break our oil dependence and get to being a zero carbon society within 20 years. We don't have any choice in this if we want our children to have any kind of lives. "Of course, much of this needs to come from government level, but to make cuts of that nature will need a lot of things that don't tend to make governments very popular, such as carbon rationing. "The idea with 'transition' is to engage communities in pushing for these things, so as to take the fear out of making these decisions for politicians." .... Although Hopkins acknowledges drawing inspiration from the past -- part of the transition process involves consulting with older members of the community to find out what life was like when people were more self-reliant -- he insists he's not being regressive, only realistic. "The 'transition' approach is not about convincing anyone to give up anything. It is about saying that many of the things we increasingly take for granted will become steadily more expensive and less and less dependable...." Wednesday 23 April 2008 ~ "... enthusiasm for growing your own is stronger than ever." Peterborough Today: ".... Holding an allotment may have gone out of fashion for a while, once we had recovered from the austere war years and popping to the shops seemed an easier alternative, but today it's very much back in vogue. Celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver extol the virtues of growing your own and more and more young people are taking up the spade. In Peterborough, the people renting the 1,300 allotment plots from the city council range in age from 20 to 90. Three years ago the occupancy rate was 50 per cent, but today it is 78 per cent, and at least nine of the council's 24 sites have waiting lists...." Wednesday 23 April 2008 ~ Shakespeare's birthday today - and the words of one of his wisest creations: "Sir, I am a true labourer: I earn that I eat, get that I wear, owe no man hate, envy no man’s happiness, glad of other men’s good, content with my harm, and the greatest of my pride is to see my ewes graze and my lambs suck." As You Like It Act 3 Smallholding is becoming ever more popular. A modern day Corin is Alan Beat who, with his equally talented wife, Rosie, runs a sixteen acre smallholding in the upper Tamar valley. Highly recommended is his "A Start in Smallholding." See also the Transition Initiative page Tuesday 22 April 2008 ~ "food and oil prices “risk becoming a destabilising force in the global economy”.The FT today reported that record global food prices will be on the agenda of the Group of Eight heads of state summit in July for the first time in almost 30 years. ".....John Lipsky, the IMF’s deputy managing director, said in a speech in Rome to an energy forum that the rise in commodities prices required a “globally coherent response”, as prices for food and oil had reached a level that could destabilise the global economy. His warning contrasts with the institution’s much milder comments at its recent spring meeting, when it said: “Inflationary risks – notably from higher food, energy and other commodity prices – have risen.” The UN secretary-general has warned that the crisis in food and fuel prices “could trigger a cascade of other multiple crises . . . affecting economic growth, social progress, and even political security around the world.” April 17 2008 ~ "... some great old photos of Clapham Common dug up for allotments, and people growing food on the rooftops of London during World War Two." Middlesbrough Council commissioned a map from designers Andre Viljoen and Katrina Bohn – authors of Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes – which identifies existing and prospective foodgrowing sites in Middlesbrough. It details existing allotments in the town, maps surplus land and highlights connections between the town and local food producers. This is a plan for the local authority and others to consider as a new context for strategies towards a more local and sustainable food economy. (see Designs of the Time and see below on Middlesborough) Rob Hopkins' review of Andre Viljoen's book on continuous productive urban landscape says "it is a hugely readable, passionate and visionary book. It aims to put productive land use at the centre of urban design. ... He advocates creating networks of green spaces throughout the city (he takes London as his case study), which are connected by cycle paths and walkways, which combine urban agriculture, recreation and a wealth of other uses. ...a book of the most profound importance at this point in history...We should view our cities as much in terms of being productive spaces as we view our rural areas...." See review. April 16 2008 ~ Professor Bob Watson "Can we change our priorities in the agricultural sector?" 850 million in developing countries do not have access to the food they need. Energy 'experts' promoting biofuels in the EU have not sought the views of agriculture specialists or soil scientists on biofuels and Professor Watson's thoughts as chief environment scientist on the sustainability of biofuels have never been asked for - but he warns that the policies have run ahead of the science. Yesterday, the International Assessment of Agricultural Science & Technology for Development (IAASTD) under Prof Watson published a report stating that failing to take action on food shortages and "continuing to focus on production alone will undermine our agricultural capital and leave us with an increasingly degraded and divided planet." (See video report) Ironically, it was the very day that the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) made 2.5% biofuels a compulsory ingredient at the pumps. CNN reports that "Many people on both sides of the debate are pushing for a second generation of renewables from sources like wood waste, non-edible crops and crops that grow much faster." April 16 2008 ~ The British Government failed to sign the IAASTD accord. Prof Watson's deeply-held view that "Business as Usual will not solve the problems of poverty and hunger" appear to cut little ice with the UK, USA, Canada and Australia who have all failed to sign the final report after disagreement over its conclusions about trade. The IAASTD report's key questions include how to enhance production of more nutritious food in a way that has "no adverse consequences for the environment - indeed positive consequences and in a way that really helps the poorest of the poor. We believe we can build on the successes of the past and make the system more participatory ...making sure we understand the needs of women, who play an absolutely key role in agriculture in developing countries, and we need to combine local and indigenous knowledge with the knowledge that we have in the more formal part of society - in the universities and think tanks and governments...Some trade policies of today certainly help some people but don't help the poorest of the poor.." See also Farmers Guardian d You can hear Professor Watson on YouTube talking with great seriousness about social exclusion and environmental degradation. April 16 2008 ~ There is emphasis in the report on proven traditional agricultural methods from around the world as much as on the new technologies. The controversial questions surrounding GM were not dodged by the IAASTD report. The fact that we still don't know how GMOs will alter biodiversity, eco-system function or affect human health is seen as important. "We do know," says the video report, "that corporate control over seeds can undermine the livelihoods of small scale farmers." As for the combined expertise of the smaller farmers across the world, the four year study took pains to collect information. We learn, for example, that after Hurrican Mitch in 1998, farmers in one small area of Honduras using "zero tillage" (which helps prevent mud slides) managed to feed the rest of the country. April 15 2008 ~ It has exacerbated a global food crisis - yet our petrol tanks must now contain at least 2.5 per cent biofuel... The Independent: "Amid growing evidence that massive investment in biofuels by developed countries is helping to cause a food crisis for the world's poor, the ecological cost of the push to produce billions of litres of petrol and diesel from plant sources will be highlighted today with protests across the country..... Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat transport spokesman, said: "Thanks to flaws in the Government's system, companies selling these fuels will even be allowed to get away with saying that they don't know whether they've been sourced sustainably or not. This makes a mockery of the entire idea of sustainability standards." April 15 2008 ~ “the period of intense oil production [growth] is over”.Even today's story of a possible big oil discovery in Brazil may not delay the ending of cheap oil by very much. The Carioca field ( BM-S-9) is located beneath a layer of salt in water more than 2,000 meters deep. No official information is available yet to confirm the guess that there might be 33 billion barrels of oil there - and the cost of extracting it will be very much higher than in conventional oil wells. Extracting and turning the oil into usable form will also be extremely energy-intensive. Only recently has the physical technology even existed to drill in water that deep. It will be a difficult and expensive enterprise. However, it may perhaps alter the policies of the country most desperate to secure supplies. Russia, until recently considered the most promising oil region outside the Middle East is now admitting stagnation and that the period of intense oil production is over. The FT today reports that the vice-president of Lukoil has compared Russia with the North Sea and Mexico, where oil production is declining dramatically - and even the Russian government has admitted that production growth has stagnated. The thirst of governments for cheap energy and the mad dash for bio-fuel is, of course, what ultimately lies behind the food riots now spreading across the planet. There are now only 8 to 12 weeks of cereal stocks left in the world. April 15 ~ "It is hard to understand how two such different food economies could occupy the same planet, until you realise that they feed off each other" "the grain required to fill the tank of a sports utility vehicle with ethanol ... could feed one person for a year" George Monbiot today tells us in the Guardian that this year, global stockpiles of cereals will decline by around 53 million tonnes - while the production of biofuels will consume almost 100 million tonnes. He reminds us that Ruth Kelly promised that "if we need to adjust policy in the light of new evidence, we will" - and wonders what new evidence she requires."...In the midst of a global humanitarian crisis, we have just become legally obliged to use food as fuel. It is a crime against humanity, in which every driver in this country has been forced to participate... While 100m tonnes of food will be diverted this year to feed cars, 760 million tonnes will ... feed animals - which could cover the global food deficit 14 times. ..." Having looked askance at a purely vegan diet, and noted that although pigs and chickens feed more efficiently than grain-fed beef - unless they are free range, "the monstrous conditions in which they are kept" becomes an issue, he encourages us to consider a freshwater fish that can be raised entirely on vegetable matter. He then draws attention to the surreal nature of our awareness of the global crisis: "While half the world wonders whether it will eat at all, I am pondering which of our endless choices we should take...." A salutary article - but it does rather suggest that George Monbiot thinks that there is no immediate worry for the UK. Of course the prosperous West must do what it can to give practical help to the worst affected - but unless we quickly revamp our whole thinking about energy and local food supply - and consign bio-fuel targets to the scrap heap - food riots could be a reality here too. April 14 2008 ~ "we aren't boycotting supermarkets entirely but we are gradually weaning people off them" Good news from a self-sufficient village in Hampshire. The VAT registered village cooperative in the village of Martin has been successfully operating for nearly four years now. There are 164 families there and 101 of them signed up to work the "Future Farms" rota. The Mail reports: "Every year more produce is added and the scheme - likened to a community allotment - has breathed new life into a village that has only a church and a working men's club. .... the farm sells 45 types of vegetables, 100 chickens a week, 20 pigs a year, 32 lambs a year and is now starting to sell beef. Members of the committee include a consultant radiologist, a horticulturalist, a computer programmer, a former probation officer, a secretary and a council worker."The strengths of such a scheme are many; not least that so many people are working together for a common purpose. April 14 2008 ~ We need "intelligent growth" Suicidal "Growth" is leading to famine. "How can we persuade economists and governments to see ‘growth’ in another light?" asks Stephan Harding in this month's Resurgence "...we in the affluent North must grow our abilities for living simply - we need to learn to do well with less. Intelligent growth also involves the growth and recovery of the soil. We need to allow soil to thicken wherever it has been depleted by the depredations of the agribusiness farmers and their corporate overlords..." Things are looking ever bleaker this week and food riots are being reported across the globe. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is providing "short-term measures" such as providing subsidised fertiliser in three African countries affected by food riots (see All Africa.com) April 11/12 2008 ~ "The backyard organic garden is sounding less and less like an elite affectation, every single day." In an article at Salon, "Peak Weed Killer?", we read that industrial monoculture will soon be in trouble because of the "relentless ascent of synthetic fertilizer prices" - this includes price hikes for glyphosate -- a.k.a. Monsanto's RoundUp --because of the increasing scarcity of a key ingredient: phosphorus: "...rock phosphate, the source of nearly all industrially-used phosphorus, is a non-renewable resource....synthetic fertilizer and industrial herbicide prices are rising because of growing demand, resource scarcity, and energy costs. That backyard organic garden, presumably recycling every nutrient possible, is sounding less and less like an elite affectation, every single day."Read article April 11 2008 ~ role for gardening and urban agriculture Professor Lang's talk sets out several relevant questions in a Powerpoint Presentation that effectively communicates a sense of urgency. One slide asks: If 95% food is oil-dependent, what would a post or ‘less oil’ food economy look like? Which sectors need to change most? Cost: prices need to rise but how much would they? SDC $100 showed +5-10% Skills on farm - role for gardening / urban agriculture?There is, of course, no official food security policy yet. Gundula Azeez (Soil Association) also gave an audio & Powerpoint presentation at the meeting and the All-Party Parliamentary Group now has their own website where several interesting links can be found. April 11 2008 ~ Family farms and urban gardens Roger Doiron is Founding Director of Kitchen Gardeners International, a nonprofit network of 5200 gardeners from 90 countries source "My job as a sustainable foods advocate is to convince people that family farms and gardens not only can feed the world, they're the only thing that can in the long run. Big, industrial agriculture ....would not have been possible were it not for the cheap and easily-obtained inputs on which industrial foods depend, the most important of which is oil. It has been estimated that our highly-industrialized food system in the US requires 5-10 calories of fossil fuel energy to create 1 calorie of food energy. In recognition of planting season and the intersecting geopolitical crises now upon us, I am proposing that home growers finally catch a break. Not from bugs, weather, or clunky garden shoes, but from taxes.....why not offer incentives for solar-powered, healthy food production in their backyard?... " The Kitchen Gardeners International website carries a wonderful photo of urban food growing. April 11 2008 ~ "people want to make it a mainstream activity"A recent Guardian article suggests very seriously that the growing of fruit and vegetables in town-centre planters and parks could be a blueprint for the future"....Groundwork South Tees advised schools, mental health hospitals, residential care homes and retailers on planting and growing many varieties of herbs, vegetables and fruit. Containers of different sizes were used so people could cultivate whatever space they had. Middlesbrough borough council turned over parkland, town-centre planters and other landholdings for fruit and vegetable growing. The eight-month project culminated in a town meal outside the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, where up to 8,000 people shared meals from the food that had been grown.This year, Middlesbrough plans to supply seeds and containers to anyone interested, and already has 2,000 individuals and groups lined up, including 31 out of 51 schools, with 280 growing sites." Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City University, knows as well as anyone that the era of cheap food in the UK is over, and that the nation is "sleepwalking into a crisis". With rising oil and food prices the idea of urban farming in the UK is of vital importance - but the fundamental problem is that so much land has ended up in the hands of private developers. Monday April 7 2008 ~ Briefing day for everyone interested in setting up a Community Supported Agriculture project. One example of how things are taking off locally (food feet rather than food miles) is a briefing day for everyone interested in setting up a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project. The Soil Association has funded 3 experts; Jade Bashford, Mark Harrison and Nick Weir, to run the day for people interested in Community Supported Agriculture or "CSA" in Gloucestershire. It will be held on Wednesday April 30th at Stroud Community Agriculture, Hawkwood College, Stroud, in Gloucestershire (Painswick Old Road Stroud, GL6 7 - 01453 759 034 . Please see link to information and booking form (new window) The event is FREE and lunch and refreshments will be provided. Places are limited so booking is essential. For more information on the Soil Association's new Community Supported Agriculture project, contact Amanda Daniel on adaniel@soilassociation.org Monday April 7 2008 ~ The crisis is globalAnyone who still thinks that the turmoil in financial markets isn't going to affect world growth should read today's Financial Times in which the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund and former French Finance Minister, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, rubbishes the notion that the credit crisis is largely a US problem. Developing countries such as China and India would be affected. "The crisis is global," he said. "... . use of public money can be examined....The forecasts we are going to release in a few days are not very optimistic. The downside risks we underlined in the last world economic outlook have materialised." The myth of economic growth continues and will take some dispelling. The UK continues, with apparent complacency, to watch its ability to feed itself decline. A serious question is to ask for how much longer the UK can import cheap food from countries which are themselves getting more and more concerned about the rise in prices. (see also the Transition Initiative page) Sunday April 6 2008 ~ Staring down the barrel of a crisis "It's time to abandon the cruise ship of empire in exchange for a lifeboat... to trust in ourselves, our neighbors and the Earth that sustains us all." Guy R. McPherson is a professor of conservation biology at the University of Arizona. His article today in the Arizona Republic pulls no punches about what he feels will be the inevitable result of the end of Cheap Oil. "You can kiss goodbye groceries at the local big-box grocery store: Our entire system of food production and delivery depends on cheap oil. .... We have come to depend on cheap oil for the delivery of food, water, shelter and medicine. Most of us are incapable of supplying these four key elements of personal survival.... On the other hand, the forthcoming cessation of economic growth is truly good news for the world's species and cultures.... Our individual survival, and our common future, depends on our ability to quickly make other arrangements. ..a personal challenge..."See also warmwell Transition Town page. April 6 2008 ~ EU's Rapid Alert System for Non-Food Products (RAPEX) includes UK wind turbine While human scale windmills for local small-scale use are of value, Warmwell's page on windfarms carries the caption, "Beware missionary Zeal over wind farms..." Many of the references deplore the fact that the highly subsidized devastation of vast areas of our most beautiful landscape by windfarms is mere political green window-dressing - what is now called "greenwashing". While the Government no longer pays direct subsidies to the operators they demand that the electricity utilities take a growing percentage of their supply from wind power - the cost goes straight to customers. Wind turbines currently occupy a total of five square miles of Cumbria. Now - along with the faulty toys and defective electrical appliances that pose a danger on the EU RAPEX page, we see a wind turbine in the UK described as posing "a risk of injuries because of insufficient tightening or movement of the connecting bolts. This results in fatigue leading to overload which causes the heads of the bolts to pop off." As one emailer laconically puts it, " I knew these things are spoiling the landscape, will never produce enough power to pay for themselves but to use them as weapons of (mass) destruction..." April 4 2008 ~ Food prices... effects are being felt globally. The FT is taking the subject very seriously indeed. Their InDepth page on food prices covers many aspects - all of which are challenging. They talk of a long-term, structural change. April 3 2008 ~ The National Conference for Transition Towns is to be held in Cirencester next weekend We're grateful for the information that this will take place at the Agricultural College (just outside Cirencester on the Tetbury road) The energetic Green MEP,Caroline Lucas, is in the area and will be addressing the Conference on Friday. Then she will going on to talk in Stroud about the future of food production- and will be conveyed round the area in one of the Stroud Valley Car Club motors. The Transition Network conference takes place in Cirencester from 11-13 April 2008. It will run from lunchtime on Friday 11 April to midday on Sunday 13 April. The conference ".. is designed for people involved in a transition initiative in their locale or who are "mulling over" whether to start one up. There will be workshops, Open Spaces, World Cafés, presentations, discussions, dancing and maybe even a soccer match. The aim is to help people learn how to broaden, deepen and accelerate their initiative, and connect with people to share ideas, inspiration and experiences." The conference programme and content are almost complete. April 3 2008 ~ Top-down does not workThe success of the Transition Town lies in its evolutionary process - starting with the enthusiasm of communities taking matters into their own hands and watching in awe at what so quickly starts to take shape because of all the various local skills and talents available. The "Transition Handbook" by Rob Hopkins is an antidote to the way top-down government works. "It's a question of unleashing the collective genius around you.. ...unless we can create this sense of anticipation, elation and a collective call to adventure on a wider scale, any government responses will be doomed to failure, or will need to battle protractedly against the will of the people..... ." So it is with a sigh that we read in today's Telegraph: "Ministers have drawn up plans to force through the development of 10 eco-towns despite widespread local opposition..." The eco-towns proposed - and what "eco" means in this context is rather hard to fathom - include poor Throckmorton, in Worcestershire. (recent posts on the Transition movement) See also update in Guardian And as Charles Clover says in the Telegraph, "The fact remains that it would be more eco-friendly not to build these eco-towns at all." April 2 2008 ~ "alternative ways of handling any future outbreak, with minimum disruption to the industry.."From the website of www.meatinfo.co.uk we learn of the existence of a report, written by the Chief Veterinary Officer, Jim Scudamore, who was in post during the 2001 FMD disaster. John McIntosh, the Chairman of the Aberdeen & Northern Marts group is quoted: "During his address McIntosh spoke about the unfortunate phase of foot-and-mouth which struck during August and September 2007. Empathising with livestock producers, he said he too felt the same financial pain and anger as a result of FMD but hoped the Scudamore report - which details the government's retired chief veterinarian's findings - would suggest alternative ways of handling any future outbreak, with minimum disruption to the industry."We should very much appreciate any further information about this report. UPDATE More about the review (Many thanks to Anne Lambourn) April 3 2008 ~ The National Conference for Transition Towns is to be held in Cirencester next weekend We're grateful for the information that this will take place at the Agricultural College (just outside Cirencester on the Tetbury road) The energetic Green MEP,Caroline Lucas, is in the area and will be addressing the Conference on Friday. Then she will be going on to talk in Stroud about the future of food production. The Transition Network conference takes place in Cirencester from 11-13 April 2008. It will run from lunchtime on Friday 11 April to midday on Sunday 13 April. The conference ".. is designed for people involved in a transition initiative in their locale or who are "mulling over" whether to start one up. There will be workshops, Open Spaces, World Cafés, presentations, discussions, dancing and maybe even a soccer match. The aim is to help people learn how to broaden, deepen and accelerate their initiative, and connect with people to share ideas, inspiration and experiences." The conference programme and content are almost complete. April 3 2008 ~ Top-down does not work The success of the Transition Town movement (there are now over 35 formal Transition Initiatives in the UK - including towns, cities, islands, peninsulas, with over 500 globally at the earlier stages of launching the process. And evolutionary process it is - starting with the enthusiasm of communities taking matters into their own hands and watching in awe at what so quickly starts to take shape. The "Transition Handbook" by Rob Hopkins is an antidote to the way top-down government works. Official policy has its own agendas and is determined to keep control in the centre. The Transition Initiative begins with the skills and talents of local people - and their willingness to build upwards to create something for all to share in the challenge of a very different future. Rob Hopkins writes, "...unless we can create this sense of anticipation, elation and a collective call to adventure on a wider scale, any government responses will be doomed to failure, or will need to battle protractedly against the will of the people." So it is with a sigh that we read in today's Telegraph: "Ministers have drawn up plans to force through the development of 10 eco-towns despite widespread local opposition..."The eco-towns proposed - and what "eco" means in this context is rather hard to fathom - includes , Throckmorton, in Worcestershire, pushed around by government decree for many years,particularly during the foot ande mouth tragedy, in spite of well organised and intelligent protest from its inhabitants. April 2 2008 ~ "a real grass roots movement that is inspiring people to get involved.." /icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/ today on the spread of Transition towns, in which communities "focus on sustainability through renewable energy, allotments and farming but also aim to explore possibilities of water supply, waste recycling" - and "new economics" in the form of localisation of currency. Transition Town Llandeilo is following in the footsteps of Totnes. "Local currency puts money back into local businesses whereas ordinary money takes it out." The US organisation, BerkShares, Inc., a non-profit organisation in the Southern Berkshire region of Massachusetts, say on their website, "....people who choose to use the currency make a conscious commitment to buy local first. They are taking personal responsibility for the health and well-being of their community by laying the foundation of a truly vibrant, thriving local economy." March 31 2008 ~ Back to the backyard - not simply because it's fun but for our economic survival Peak Oil is a turning point for society - and denial is getting harder for politicians (especially when even the Archers are discussing "going Transition"with such conviction). Transporting food over vast distances is simply not going to be possible for much longer. An Australian permaculture advocate, David Holmgren, echoes some of the convictions of the Transition Town movement in this interesting and optimistic podcast clip about backyard production. "A modern fusion that also involves water re-use, solar design, more use of trees and integrating animals into that too.....Chickens forage in a healthy system based on organic methods of soil building and waste recycling.... in this world of less energy, we have to redesign everything we do." March 31 2008 ~ Small scale biofuel production - another matter. Another BBC article explains how a retired teacher makes his own backyard biofuel from chip fat. He says he likes "the idea of using a waste product to make oil, and I like the idea of being energy independent... it also saves a lot of money"It costs him some £21 for a tank of home-made bio-diesel, compared with £80 at the garage. March 27/28 2008 ~ Peak oil' meeting in Taunton www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk There will be a talk on Peak Oil, Climate Change and Transition Towns:"...Transition Towns aims to work with Somerset communities to make positive moves to increase resilience to falling oil levels. Victoria Watson and Mike McGuffie are holding the meeting at Silver Street Baptist Church at 7.30pm on Monday, March 31. The problem, the solution and the way forward'. Ms Watson said: "We are looking to reach out to all those people who are concerned by these issues and want to contribute in some way to working towards a better future for all of us."...." March 27 2008 ~ Ninety-five per cent of the UK's fresh fruit is imported Guardian yesterday ".....Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City University, says the era of cheap food in the UK is over, and that the nation is "sleepwalking into a crisis". He points out that the UK has an especially poor record on producing its own fruit and vegetables. "Ninety-five per cent of fresh fruit is imported. This is ludicrous in a country with 2,000 varieties of apples.....disused urban spaces turned into fertile corners bursting with freshly grown fruit and vegetables ...more than 1,000 residents of Middlesborough took part..." March 27 2008 ~ Transition Towns: " We've got to reduce our dependence on oil.....And you're expecting the whole of Ambridge to get involved?" Listen again to The Archers last Monday - and UPDATE we now hear from an amazed listener (March 28) that " the whole of Ambridge is going Transition..." Pat Archer: Definitely the whole of Ambridge and other villages. Most of the places doing it are Transition Towns. There are a few villages. .... In Stroud they're setting up a community bike scheme …. Kathy Perks : It sounds amazing - still think you'll have a job selling it to the whole village. Pat Archer: Well I'm going to carry on and see how far I can get."Tony thinks it's a good idea" and it's good to see that the writers of the Archers think so too. March 27 2008 ~ Green MEP Caroline Lucas, will be visiting Stroud on Friday, April 11th. In the evening she will be speaking alongside Stroud Parliamentary candidate Martin Whiteside and Nick Weir from Transition Stroud at the Subscription Rooms. The theme of the evening will be 'The Future of Food' The evening begins at 7.30. There is no charge for entrance, but a small donation towards the hire of the room would be appreciated. March 27 2008 ~ "Economic contraction may be bitter medicine, but it's part of the cure for what ails our planetary home." We are now at the end of an unprecedented period of abundance that has been dependent upon temporary sources of cheap energy. Are we finally waking up to the need for a wholly different mindset? Richard Heinberg in his article "Making the most of a global depression" takes a long cool look at the reality of the present situation - but finishes with upbeat good sense: : "....we can manage this contraction either foolishly or intelligently.A foolish management of economic contraction would entail burning the biosphere for alternative fuels; propping up the banks and other financial institutions that created the mortgage mess.... Intelligent management would start with an explicit commitment to redesign the global economy to run with less... assess ecosphere resources and identify a humane, equitable path toward gradual reduction in population and total consumption levels. ... re-acquaint ourselves with the values and virtues of community, self-sufficiency, and modesty....educating a new generation of ecological farmers...."Read in full. Richard Heinberg is the author of "The Party's Over" and "Peak Everything." He is a Senior Fellow of the Post Carbon Institute . March 25/26 2008 ~ "The Great Turning" - the Ecological or Sustainability Revolution A "positive energy" conference is taking place this week at the Findhorn Foundation (recently found to have the lowest ecological footprint ever measured in the industrialised world) For those who have not been able to attend the full week, the last two days of the conference, this Thursday and Friday, can be attended as a mini-event: From Crisis to Opportunity at which the speakers include Richard Heinberg, one of the world's foremost peak oil educators: "Let us accept the current challenge - the next great energy transition - as an opportunity to re-imagine human culture from the ground up, using our intelligence and our passion for the welfare of coming generations and for the integrity of nature's web as our primary guides ."and Rob Hopkins, founder of Transition Town Totnes (see below), the first transition town project in the UK. March 24 2008 ~ "It's about creating alternatives, realistic ways of living that can inspire everyone in the whole of society..." "Back to the Land" is back - as Farming Today This Week (Listen Again R4 22 March) explained. The programme was largely concerned with "savvy" smallholders who use modern technology and networking. The message is "Don't wait." An allotment plot is the first place to start - the best fertiliser is your own footprint. Be there! And take each step at a time - and one to one training is important. Martin Hawarth of the NFU repeated the intensive sector's worry that it is difficult to trace smallholders and that smaller farmers may present a disease risk - but the Countess of Mar was on hand to refute the suggestion that smallholders are not inspected "...most of us care a great deal about our animals and it's perhaps a fact that there are good and bad in both smallholders and huge farmers. If you are going to keep animals you've got to be responsible and this applies to large or small. It doesn't matter which. I know a number of large farmers who are not well trained in caring for their livestock."Dr Larch Maxey (Swansea University), who is examining ‘back-to-the-land experiments' showed how different now from the sometimes unrealistic idealism of the 60s and 70s is the present acceptance of the sheer hard work and learning involved in getting back to the land. March 24 2008 ~ "Moving to New York City," she said, "was what first got me interested in food and farming." The New York Times quotes a 32 year old former second-grade teacher, who moved from her Harlem apartment to a farm in Tivoli, NY where, she says,"we are committed to farming practices that care for our animals and for the land. We are currently selling grass-fed lamb and pastured chicken on a pre-order basis." The NYT article explains: " .... young urbanites are starting to put their muscles where their pro-environment, antiglobalization mouths are. They are creating small-scale farms near urban areas hungry for quality produce and willing to pay a premium.....the demand from consumers for food produced on a small scale, bought directly from farmers, has allowed a younger generation to enter farming, even as global markets drive many conventional farmers off the land.." The NYT also mentions "The Greenhorns" a film that is "not a political attack; nor is it meant to make you feel bad about what you eat. This film documents those who are establishing solutions to our contemporary crises. The stakes are high, but so are our chances of preserving our farmland, our food supply, and the practice of family farming...."Meanwhile, back in the world of agribusiness, the Italian government is planning to import live calves from Brazil next year (www.agireora.org in Italian)"The project is to initially import 50 thousand calves per year, and gradually increase the number of animals imported up to a maximum of 150 thousand per year." March 24 2008 ~ Wealth and security now lie in productive land Staffordshire County Council had, last year, proposed to sell all or most of its nearly 9,000 acres of farmland to generate funds. Options drawn up included a plan to reduce the number of starter farms by a half. But it has now changed its mind. A review undertaken last summer involving consultation with tenant farmers, the Staffordshire branch of the NFU, the farming community itself and the general public has, according to the Farmers Guardian, resulted in the Council's "pledging not only to keep its farms, but to reinvigorate them". While this is good news in itself, the talk, Justice, Farms and Victory Gardens (see below) takes things further and is both prophetic and optimistic about the low energy future that is on its way. March 24 2008 ~ "... How did we forget something so basic?..." Justice, Farms and Victory Gardens Extract: "....I can think of no more certain way to ensure we will go hungry than to be as ignorant as we are of the role of food and agriculture in our lives...this is just growing food! Every one of us is more privileged, better educated, more powerful and in every way better prepared to change the world than thousands of people who already did it. How can we possibly do less than they, when the stakes are so high? So please go home and plant your gardens."The present crisis has been on the way for some time. It has been caused partly by chasing the wrong challenges, depending on false assurances and the blandishments of those who want to make money by lending it - but what seems inescapable is that wealth now lies in local productive land, not the insubstantial dreams of politics and finance. March 20 2008 ~David Cameron "Britain risks food shortages and rocketing prices unless we begin to grow more of our own produce." In a speech at the centenary conference of the National Farmers' Union in London, Mr Cameron said that the increase in the consumption of meat means that farmers now feed 250m more tonnes of grain to their animals than they did 20 years ago. The nation's "food security" must be guarded as jealously as that of our independent fuel supply. "We face the potential prospect that the abundance of food that we all take for granted will come to a crashing end. Yet just as we are relying, indeed we are depending more and more on foreign farmers to fill our shopping bags, cupboards and fridges, so the days of abundant food from around the world may well be coming to an end"One wonders what a Conservative Minister would do in government and whether there would again be a Ministry that watched over the needs of farming, food and rural affairs. All the same, the Transition Towns movement (see below) shows convincingly that a consideration of urban food growing may now be almost as urgently needed as concern for sustainable rural farms. March 18 2008 ~"It's a question of unleashing the collective genius around you..." Changing our assumptions and values about what a truly sustainable society looks like seems well overdue - and the efforts of the Transition Towns movement gives more hope than much of the hot air emanating from Westminster or Brussels. (Watch Rob Hopkins on You Tube on the subject of the end of cheap energy, Peak Oil and the UK. He is impressive.) There can be no doubt that we are in trouble. The FAO's food price index has rocketed up by almost 40 per cent this year. International wheat prices are up 50 per cent on last year's. As for the end of cheap energy, the Press Association reports "...Crude oil prices rose to new highs near to 112 US dollars a barrel yesterday, forcing the cost of petrol at the forecourts up to 106.7p a litre, with diesel at 113.9p, according to latest figures from the AA. ....." Meanwhile, economic growth continues to be the myth that prevails and the UK watches its ability to feed itself decline with apparent complacency, continuing to import cheap food from countries that are themselves getting more and more concerned about the rise in prices. March 18 2008 ~ " As Richard Heinberg put it, people are instinctively more interested in what is going into their car than in what is coming out of the exhaust pipe...". It is well worth putting aside 52 minutes to listen to the quiet eloquence, (without any notes), of Rob Hopkins on the subject of our future and how there are better ways of presenting to people the crisis that's coming than dire warnings about Global Warming. (Best to download the You Tube video to your own computer) ".... It's a fuel-in problem rather than an emissions-out problem. And Peak Oil is very important because it's like putting a mirror up to a community and saying, "Where's the resilience gone in this community? Where is this community's ability to withstand shocks?" And particularly when we go back to the 30's and 40's we see that then we had that resilience. We had a vibrant local economy. We had local food. We had local agriculture..."His conclusion to the complex question, Can we support the people that we have? is "Yes we can - but we need to rediscover what was good about the world before cheap oil and rethink our basic assumptions.." Nor does he shirk the population problem. March 17/18 2008 ~ Cheap food culture has led to dangerous lack of disease surveillance and lowering of welfare standards Livestock farmers, having to contend with rocketing fuel prices, huge increases in feed costs and all the depressed profits caused by the UK policies on such animal illnesses as foot and mouth and bluetongue, are thinking twice before calling out a vet. And because there are now far fewer farm animal vets, those left have to travel further and are charging more. EDP24 quotes Peter Stevenson, chief policy advisor with Compassion in World Farming, on the ever more serious shortage of farm vets. "Regular visits from the vet mean it is more likely a disease will be spotted in its early stages, be they seriously dangerous diseases such as foot and mouth or less severe illnesses....I don't think there is any doubt that some farmers are simply not calling vets in like they used to...."Veterinary bodies too have a responsibility to encourage students to take up farm vet practice. The lack of surveillance provided by regular vet visits are ever more dangerous in these days of fast-spreading zoonoses. March 16/17 2008 ~ "The evening felt celebratory, positive and inspiring. Transition Handbooks sold like hot cakes..." Droughts, soaring oil prices, global population increase, the distancing of commodity markets from genuine supply and demand signals - and the conversion of food crops into biofuel as a result - a global food crisis is already with us. What we need is a precise, detailed, what-to-do manual. And Rob Hopkins, described in a review of his startling new book, the "Transition Handbook", as "... a superb communicator, visionary and one of the most important thinkers in our chaotic 21st century world" has provided just that. The Transition Handbook must become required reading for anyone who thinks personal action is better than waiting hopefully for a benighted political system to emerge into the light. March 16/17 2008 ~ Let them eat biofuel...? It is good to see Christopher Booker squaring up to the departed Chief Scientific Adviser in Beware the politician posing as a scientist in the current week's Spectator. Climate change was proclaimed by Sir David King to be "a far greater threat to the world than international terrorism" - but the UN World Food Program (WFP) is now saying, "the increasing scarcity of food is the biggest crisis looming in the world" and yet more and more agricultural land is being turned over to the production of crops used to manufacture biofuels, such as ethanol. Last week, the new CSA, Professor Beddington, commented (Guardian), that the food crisis was more urgent and serious than climate change - yet as Caroline Lucas says, the policymakers in neither Brussels nor Westminster have any workable or acceptable plans in place. They continue to seem in denial of what is apparent to so many of us. And even though David Cameron too was reported (last Sunday's Herald) to have said, "You could feed a person for a whole year from the grain that produces just one tank of fuel for a sports utility vehicle"- none of the major parties in traditional politics seems able to galvanise people towards practical solutions. In contrast, the highly interesting Treehugger website, another enthusastic supporter of the Transition Town Movement, offer what they term, "some humble suggestions of potential solutions": "... high-tech solutions like vertical farming or underground agriculture and aquaponics may be useful in reducing pressures on land, and distances from farm to plate. Meanwhile low tech DIY approaches like permaculture, food not lawns, DIY hydroponics and community gardens are ways that we can all make a difference.... hats off to Professor Beddington for setting this on his agenda." March 16/17 2008 ~ In glorious contrast to our politicians and ever more chaotic Ministries.. ...the launch of the latest Transition Town, Forest Row in Sussex, demonstrates anything but complacent inaction. Green MEP Caroline Lucas (see You Tube), in her message of enthusiastic support for the Transition Town movement, had this to say about rebuilding the infrastructure to revitalise local food economies: "....Over half the food imported in 2002 was indigenous produce...it could have been sourced in this country, could have been grown in the UK's temperate climate...it would be much easier if we had changes to the rules of the EU Single Market and the World Trade Organisation, but it is also true that there is much that we as individuals and communities can do ourselves..to begin to power down, to become less dependent on fossil fuels and more dependent on each other"
