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Articles by Mark Farmer
Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture, Introduction — by Wendell Berry
Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture by J. Russell Smith, Sc.D.. Introduction — by Wendell Berry I first read J. Russell Smith’s Tree Crops perhaps fifteen years ago, and since then I have returned to it many times. Having just paid it another visit, I am pleased to say that I still like it as much as I ever did, and am just as much convinced by it. This book contributed to a fundamental rethinking of agriculture in our century.
Australia’s elusive Quolls headed for extinction
Australia’s diverse fauna is renowned worldwide, and among its unique inhabitants are the quolls. These small to medium-sized carnivorous marsupials, also known as native cats, play a vital role in the ecosystem. Australia leads the world in , with 38 native mammal species and possibly seven subspecies driven to extinction since colonization. Currently, 52 mammal species are classified as either critically endangered or endangered, and 58 mammal species are listed as vulnerable.
All about growing, preserving and cooking Chilli
Chillies are a staple ingredient in cuisines worldwide, adding depth, heat, and complexity to countless dishes. Whether you’re growing them in your backyard, preserving them for long-term storage, or using them in fiery recipes, understanding the right techniques will ensure success. In this guide, you’ll learn how to cultivate chilli plants, choose the right varieties, and master the art of growing them in the best conditions.
Guide to Keeping Worms in Your Home Garden
Keeping worms in your home garden is an excellent way to recycle organic waste, improve soil health, and produce nutrient-rich compost. This guide covers everything you need to know to start and maintain a thriving worm farm. Worms offer several benefits for your garden and the environment: Compost Production: Worm castings (vermicompost) are rich in nutrients and improve soil structure. Waste Reduction: Diverts kitchen scraps and organic waste from landfills.
How to Build a Beneficial Bug Hotel for Your Backyard
Creating a beneficial bug hotel is a fun and rewarding way to support your garden’s ecosystem. By providing a safe habitat for insects like bees, ladybugs, and lacewings, you encourage natural pollination and pest control. This guide will help you build a functional and attractive bug hotel using simple materials, including bamboo pipes. Pollination: Bees and other pollinators help your plants thrive. Pest Control: Ladybugs and lacewings naturally manage aphids and other pests.
Keeping Bees in Your Backyard and Home Garden
Keeping bees in your home garden is a rewarding endeavor that benefits pollination, provides honey, and supports the ecosystem. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced gardener, this guide covers essential knowledge for keeping bees healthy and productive. Bees offer numerous benefits: Pollination: Enhances the yield of fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Honey: A natural, delicious sweetener with health benefits. Beeswax: Useful for candles, skincare, and crafting.
Attracting Butterflies Bees Birds & Good Insects to a Garden
Creating a garden that attracts butterflies, bees, birds, and beneficial insects enhances biodiversity, supports pollination, and helps manage pests naturally. This guide explores how to design your garden to invite these helpful creatures while fostering a beautiful and productive space for ornamental and food plants. Pollination: Bees and butterflies are essential for fruit and vegetable production. Pest Control: Beneficial insects like ladybugs and lacewings help manage pests naturally.
Guide to Keeping Guinea Pigs and Rabbits in Your Home Garden
Guinea pigs and rabbits are delightful additions to any home garden, offering companionship, natural lawn care, and even garden-enriching manure. This guide addresses the essential care requirements, daily and weekly tasks, and practical tips for keeping these small animals happy and healthy. Both animals provide several benefits: Companionship: They are affectionate and interactive pets. Lawn Maintenance: Grazing helps keep grass trimmed.
16. Permaculture - The Function of Animals in Organic Gardens
* Are the mobile elements or the forest * As pollinators, many are specialised for species (bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, flies * Are seed distributors (ducks: algae and sedges emu: hard seeds; cattle: seeds of sugary pods: dogs and foxes: Loquat, grape, lychee, jays, oaks) * Are nutrient sources, e.g. bat, poultry, bird guano * Are soil aerators. e.g. worms, dung beetles * Are regulators: Or forests (weedier species in evolution of forests) * Of other animals (perdition to.
Guide to Keeping a House Cow in Your Yard
Keeping a house cow in your yard can provide a sustainable source of fresh milk, manure for compost, and companionship. However, cows require significant space, care, and resources to thrive. This guide covers all the essentials for keeping a house cow in your yard. A house cow offers numerous benefits: Milk: Fresh milk daily for drinking, cheese, yogurt, and butter. Manure: An excellent source of fertilizer for your garden. Companionship: Cows are gentle, social animals.
Beginners Guide to Keeping Chickens in Your Home Garden
Keeping chickens in your home garden can be a rewarding experience, providing fresh eggs, natural pest control, and enriching compost material. However, proper care and preparation are essential to ensure your chickens thrive and your garden remains harmonious. This guide covers everything a beginner needs to know. Chickens offer numerous benefits: Eggs: Fresh, nutrient-rich eggs. Meat: A sustainable source of protein (if raising for meat). Feathers: Useful for crafts or compost.
Freshwater Aquaculture: Sustainable Farming
Freshwater aquaculture, the farming of aquatic organisms in inland waters such as ponds, lakes, rivers, and tanks, has become a significant component of global aquaculture production. This practice offers a sustainable means of producing fish and other aquatic species, providing numerous benefits for food security, economic development, and environmental conservation.
17. Permaculture - Aquaculture & Mariculture
Aquaculture and mariculture are integral components of permaculture, offering sustainable methods for producing food and supporting ecosystems. This section explores the principles and practices for designing and maintaining aquatic systems, emphasizing balance, biodiversity, and efficiency. Aquaculture focuses on cultivating aquatic plants and animals in freshwater environments, such as ponds and tanks.
Sustainable Aquaculture: Effective Pond Systems
Aquaculture is a dynamic and sustainable method of cultivating aquatic organisms, including fish, plants, and other species, in controlled environments. The practice not only provides a reliable source of food but also offers ecological and economic benefits if the risks are properly considered and managed. A key aspect of successful aquaculture is the careful selection of species and the establishment of self-forage systems that optimize pond ecosystems.
Home Hydroponics System Setup Guide for Growing Perch
Home Hydroponics System Setup Guide for Growing Perch, Barramundi, and Other High-Protein Fish Welcome to the world of home hydroponics! With this instructional manual, you’ll learn how to set up a hydroponic system using tote drums, commonly found on the back of utes in the country, to grow high-protein fish such as perch and barramundi.
Aquaculture: Towards Sustainable Seafood Production
Aquaculture, also known as fish farming, is the practice of cultivating aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and aquatic plants under controlled conditions. This method of food production has grown significantly in recent decades, driven by the increasing global demand for seafood and the declining availability of wild fish stocks. As a result, aquaculture plays a crucial role in meeting the world’s seafood needs while offering a alternative to traditional fishing practices.
19. Permaculture - Wildlife Management & Pest Control
Integrated pest management, or IPM, is a long-term prevention process to solve pest problems in a building or property that minimizes risks to people and the environment. Integrated pest management in organic farming reduces the amount of pesticides used on food crops. IPM strategies focus mainly on managing insect pests such as aphids, thrips and moths. Incorporate IPM into your garden routine and you’ll be able to safely and organically control damaging insects.
Herbs and Plants That Repel Insects: A Permaculture Approach
Permaculture, a sustainable and holistic approach to agriculture and gardening, emphasizes the importance of biodiversity and ecosystem balance. One of the fundamental principles of permaculture is mixed planting, which not only promotes plant health but also encourages the presence of predator species such as birds, wasps, and beneficial insects. A key aspect of this strategy involves the use of herbs and plants that naturally repel insects, thereby reducing the need for chemical pesticides.
Use of Animals in Pest Control: A Permaculture Approach
Permaculture, a holistic and sustainable approach to agriculture, encourages the integration of various natural pest control methods to maintain a healthy and productive ecosystem. One of the key principles of permaculture is the use of animals in pest control, which can effectively reduce pest populations without relying on chemical pesticides.
How to Manage Wildlife: Encourage and Discourage Strategies
Permaculture, with its emphasis on sustainable and holistic agricultural practices, inherently integrates wildlife management into its design principles. A well-managed wildlife system not only supports biodiversity but also contributes to the health and productivity of agricultural landscapes. Effective wildlife management involves both encouragement of beneficial species and discouragement of those that are harmful or invasive.
Integrated Pest Management: Sustainable Agriculture
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a sustainable and environmentally conscious approach to managing pests in agricultural systems. Unlike conventional pest control methods that rely heavily on chemical pesticides, IPM integrates various strategies and practices to manage pest populations effectively while minimizing harm to the environment, humans, and non-target organisms.
A Rare Opportunity to Smell the Corpse Flower Bloom
The Titan Arum, or corpse flower, is nature’s dark-hearted gift to the patient and the macabre. If you’re lucky enough to stumble upon it in bloom, you’ll be struck not by its beauty but by a pungent, inescapable scent—like a million old eggs rotting in a bog.
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