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Articles by Ellie Costigan
The romance of regenerative flowers
‘Roses are red, violets are blue…’ These words will no doubt feature in untold numbers of Valentine’s Day cards and poems this year – as they have for many years before, and no doubt will in future. Because when it comes to romance, let’s face it, we’re suckers for tradition. And when it comes to Valentine’s Day, tradition means roses. Despite the fact this native flower doesn’t naturally bloom until at least May in the UK, around 570 tonnes are sold each year in the run up to 14 February.
Nut tree update; planting is the easy bit
Biodiversity | News from the farm Guy Singh-Watson 3rd March 2022 If you are not prepared to weed and look after a tree for the first three years of its life, you might as well not plant it. Almost all commercial tree plantings are weeded with an annual dose of glyphosate (the active ingredient in Round-up). It’s a broad spectrum, systemic herbicide, killing everything it touches right down to the roots.
The romance of regenerative flowers
Farming | Biodiversity | Local sourcing Ellie Costigan 8th February 2022 ‘Roses are red, violets are blue…’ These words will no doubt feature in untold numbers of Valentine’s Day cards and poems this year – as they have for many years before, and no doubt will in future. Because when it comes to romance, let’s face it, we’re suckers for tradition. And when it comes to Valentine’s Day, tradition means roses.
Gut health for soil
Soil | Biodiversity | Health Olivia Oldham 2nd December 2021 The 5th of December is World Soil Day, an annual event held to celebrate soils and advocate for their sustainable management. Globally, our soils are under threat—from salinisation, from erosion, and from a loss of biodiversity. But what exactly is soil biodiversity? And what does it have to do with our own health, and with the food on our plates? Soil health is closely linked to gut health.
Why should we care about soil?
Soil | Organics Nina Pullman 30th November 2018 From absorbing carbon to mitigating climate breakdown, to preventing flooding or drought and preserving biodiversity, there are so many reasons to care about the health of our soils. Soil holds three times more carbon than the atmosphere and as such plays a vital role in maintaining current global temperatures and helping to reduce further warming.
Gene editing red tape to be lifted despite no consensus
Technology | Environment & ethics | Farming Nina Pullman 4th October 2021 The government is relaxing red tape around trials of gene-edited fruit, veg and livestock despite a public consultation that suggested most people support continuing regulation. A public consultation launched earlier this year gathered views on the regulation of genetic technology in food, asking whether gene editing (GE) should still be considered as a genetically modified organism (GMO).
Man versus machine
Farming | Technology | Soil | Biodiversity Ellie Costigan 1st July 2021 “We’re not a ‘community’ farm – we are a farm, which does a lot with its community,” says Chloe Dunnett, founder and chief grower at Sitopia Farm in Greenwich, London. “It’s an important distinction.” Banish any notions of community farming as a romantic idea, and one that ultimately offers no real alternative to mainstream food production.
Vertical farming expands across UK
Technology | Farming Nina Pullman 14th January 2020 Vertical farming has been boosted in the UK by a series of significant investments and expansions of farms in Bristol and Lincolnshire. LettUs Grow, a vertical farm start-up created by engineering students at the University of Bristol, has just secured £2.35 million in funding that they said would “accelerate” development in 2020.
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