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Tag: Staple foods
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How Small Farms are Feeding the World
In the April 2017 issue of The Lancet: Planetary Health, researchers from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) in Australia report that small (defined here as up to about 50 acres) and medium-sized (defined here as about 50 to 250 acres) diversified farms currently produce more than half of the world’s micronutrient-rich foods (farms over 250 acres produce a larger proportion of sugar crops, oil crops, and cereal grains).
The team evaluated data concerning the production of 41 major crops, the nutrient contributions of those crops, and the size and diversity of farms producing them from around the world (the study summarizes results into 9 geographic regions).
Farm Size
You may be surprised to learn that large farms are not the biggest crop producers in North America – they are only the largest producers in South America (50%-80% of all crops produced) and in Australia and New Zealand (80%-90% of all crops produced). In North America, about 80%-90% of the production of most types of crops (vegetables, sugar crops, roots and tubers, pulses, oil crops, fruit, and cereal grains) is split about equally between medium-sized and large farms. Small farms produce the rest, leaning a bit more toward fruits, vegetables, and roots and tubers in North America.
In sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and China, the pattern is reversed, with small farms producing about 75% of all crops. In Europe, West Asia, North Africa, and Central America, all sizes of farms contribute more equally to the total.
Crop Diversity and Nutrition
The researchers found that in general, the smaller the farm, the greater the diversity of crops produced. Farms with higher diversity also tended to produce crops higher in micronutrients (large, non-diversified farms tended to produce more volume of fewer crops, and typically produce more crops that are higher in calories and lower in micronutrients than small farms do).
The Role of Organic Food
Organic farms tend to be smaller than conventional ones in the U.S. (according to the USDA’s 2012 Census of Agriculture, the average size of a farm in the U.S. was 434 acres, and the average size of an organic farm was 285 acres in 2008). Organic farms also tend to grow a wider range of crops, often those that are high in micronutrients. Supporting organic farmers by buying organic food and beverages helps keep the existing farms sustainable.
Organic management techniques are often highly appropriate technology for small farms and farms with more labor equity than cash to spend on off-farm inputs, making organic farming knowledge a powerful tool to help small farmers around the world succeed and boost their yields.
Small Farms and the Future
The report goes on to stress that maintaining the existing small farms and adding new ones will be critical in meeting the world’s expanding food requirements going forward, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and China, where they account for such a sizable portion of current production.
Supporting the needs of small farmers with issues such as access to land and spreading appropriate knowledge and small-scale technology must be an important part of any effort designed to support food security and sustainability. According to the World Bank, land issues are critical as almost three-quarters of the world’s population lacks registered legal titles to the land they use – a huge problem for farmers in developing countries. In developed countries, the cost of buying, owning, or leasing land for farming is more of a problem.
Consumers can help keep small farms and organic producers financially sustainable by shopping locally as much as possible and by choosing organic as much as possible. It is also important to support the work of groups that are helping farmers get access to land and the education and tools they need to run financially sustainable operations. Make sure your elected officials understand that we need small and organic farmers!
http://blog.naturespath.com/how-small-farms-are-feeding-the-world
On – 09 Aug, 2017 By Jean Nick
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How Small Farms are Feeding the World
In the April 2017 issue of The Lancet: Planetary Health, researchers from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) in Australia report that small (defined here as up to about 50 acres) and medium-sized (defined here as about 50 to 250 acres) diversified farms currently produce more than half of the world’s micronutrient-rich foods (farms over 250 acres produce a larger proportion of sugar crops, oil crops, and cereal grains).
The team evaluated data concerning the production of 41 major crops, the nutrient contributions of those crops, and the size and diversity of farms producing them from around the world (the study summarizes results into 9 geographic regions).
Farm Size
You may be surprised to learn that large farms are not the biggest crop producers in North America – they are only the largest producers in South America (50%-80% of all crops produced) and in Australia and New Zealand (80%-90% of all crops produced). In North America, about 80%-90% of the production of most types of crops (vegetables, sugar crops, roots and tubers, pulses, oil crops, fruit, and cereal grains) is split about equally between medium-sized and large farms. Small farms produce the rest, leaning a bit more toward fruits, vegetables, and roots and tubers in North America.
In sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and China, the pattern is reversed, with small farms producing about 75% of all crops. In Europe, West Asia, North Africa, and Central America, all sizes of farms contribute more equally to the total.
Crop Diversity and Nutrition
The researchers found that in general, the smaller the farm, the greater the diversity of crops produced. Farms with higher diversity also tended to produce crops higher in micronutrients (large, non-diversified farms tended to produce more volume of fewer crops, and typically produce more crops that are higher in calories and lower in micronutrients than small farms do).
The Role of Organic Food
Organic farms tend to be smaller than conventional ones in the U.S. (according to the USDA’s 2012 Census of Agriculture, the average size of a farm in the U.S. was 434 acres, and the average size of an organic farm was 285 acres in 2008). Organic farms also tend to grow a wider range of crops, often those that are high in micronutrients. Supporting organic farmers by buying organic food and beverages helps keep the existing farms sustainable.
Organic management techniques are often highly appropriate technology for small farms and farms with more labor equity than cash to spend on off-farm inputs, making organic farming knowledge a powerful tool to help small farmers around the world succeed and boost their yields.
Small Farms and the Future
The report goes on to stress that maintaining the existing small farms and adding new ones will be critical in meeting the world’s expanding food requirements going forward, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and China, where they account for such a sizable portion of current production.
Supporting the needs of small farmers with issues such as access to land and spreading appropriate knowledge and small-scale technology must be an important part of any effort designed to support food security and sustainability. According to the World Bank, land issues are critical as almost three-quarters of the world’s population lacks registered legal titles to the land they use – a huge problem for farmers in developing countries. In developed countries, the cost of buying, owning, or leasing land for farming is more of a problem.
Consumers can help keep small farms and organic producers financially sustainable by shopping locally as much as possible and by choosing organic as much as possible. It is also important to support the work of groups that are helping farmers get access to land and the education and tools they need to run financially sustainable operations. Make sure your elected officials understand that we need small and organic farmers!
http://blog.naturespath.com/how-small-farms-are-feeding-the-world
On – 09 Aug, 2017 By Jean Nick
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The Easy Way to Grow Loads of Potatoes: In a Trash Can
Potatoes are one excellent staple crop to grow in the home garden, but isn’t there a lot of digging and back pain involved?
Not necessarily! You can grow loads of russets, reds, golds, and even sweet potatoes in a trash can or bucket with minimal work, space, and effort.
It’s common to get up to 25 pounds of potatoes using this method, and it’s really simple too! This takes container gardening to another level.
The perfect bucket for growing any type of potato will have some sort of drainage holes drilled into the bottom–or, you can even cut the entire bottom out. That way, instead of dumping the bucket out to harvest your potatoes, you can just lift it up and they’ll fall out.
A metal or dark-colored can is preferred, to retain warmth and keep sunlight away from the root zone.
The how-to is slightly different for sweet potatoes and regular potatoes, so I’ll talk about regular potatoes first:
Basically, any organic potato you’ve already got will work perfectly as a seed potato. Ideally, they’ll be a bit past their prime for eating, and will have some eyes starting to form.
Don’t cut the potatoes up to look for seeds inside, because you won’t find any! (I once met someone who did this; you’re not alone.)
Instead, cut them into quarters, ideally with at least one “eye” on each piece. Allow these to dry out on the counter for a day or two before planting them.
These potato pieces will be planted cut-side down into your trash can or bucket, and each one will start growing into a new plant.
If you’re growing sweet potatoes, you can buy some organic ones at the grocery store to start your plants with–maybe just one or two.
This time, you’ll want to begin by doing that toothpick-balancing trick that you probably did as a science project in grade school.
Spear the sweet potato around the middle with four toothpicks, and balance it in a glass or jar of water. The sweet potato should be at least halfway submerged. You’ll want to add more water every few days to maintain this level.
Eventually, your potato will sprout stems and leaves, and these are called “slips”.
You’ll cut off these slips with a small sliver of the potato attached, and plant the slips into your trash can or bucket.
How to plant your potato “seeds” and/or “slips”:
Fill your trash can or bucket with about 8-12 inches of compost, and add in your seeds or slips. For white potatoes, bury the seeds with about an inch of compost. For the slips, plant them sideways about an inch down, leaving a few leaves and an inch or so of stem exposed.
As the plants grow, add more compost. You’ll want to keep burying the new growth until only a few leaves remain exposed, about 4-5 inches of compost for every 7-10 inches of growth.
Burying the stems forces plants to generate new root growth (in other words, potatoes!).
Keep them well-watered, and be patient. The whole process will take about four months.
When your trash can is full to the brim, simply continue to water it. The plants will eventually start to flower, and soon after, the whole plant will start to wilt, yellow, and die back.
Stop watering them at this point. This allows your potatoes to mature, which will take about two weeks until they’re ready to harvest.
With sweet potatoes, you’ll want to harvest them as soon as the leaves wilt and blacken from frost.
Then you’ll need to let the sweet potatoes cure for two weeks or more, in a dark, cool, dry place. This will ensure their sweet flavor, and allows them to be stored at room temperature for up to a year!
Incidentally, sweet potato greens are also edible and delicious when prepared like cooked spinach. They’re also pretty in urban landscapes!
Growing potatoes in this way can be a excellent supplement to your food bill, and a great DIY skill to learn.
https://thehomestead.guru/grow-potatoes-trash-can/
On – 05 May, 2017 By Krystal Trammell
