One Minute Movie with Meaning

http://www.farmland.org/what/apple_movie.htm#

Urban Farms & Farm Land Trusts

http://www.farmland.org/

http://www.farmland.org/farmingontheedge/ 

http://www.kerrcenter.com/kerrweb/HTML/williams.htm (high school student essay contest winner)

http://www.logres.org.uk/mission%20statement.htm

http://cehumboldt.ucdavis.edu/Plant_Science/Protecting_Farmland.htm

Biodynamic Farming

What is Biodynamics (an introductory article) by Michael Bate (Head Gardener at Weleda

(UK) Ltd) (an introductory article by Michael Bate (Head Gardener at Weleda (UK) Ltd)

http://www.anth.org.uk/biodynamic/

http://www.consciouschoice.com/issues/cc1606/rudolfsteiner1606.html

http://www.braincourse.com/biodyna.html

http://www.biodynamics.com/

Agrarian Communities  Ancient History

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Agrarianism

http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2003/01/lind.htm

http://www.tcxpress.com/index_e.html

http://www.tcxpress.com/aswt_e01.html#_ftn1

http://www.tcxpress.com/aswt_e04.html

http://www.farmedia.org/organicbytes/commonground.html

http://maaskant.leidenuniv.nl/intro1.htm

http://www.upenn.edu/gsfa/arch/news/Human_Settlements/andean.html

(youth education)

http://www.takingitglobal.org/opps/orgdir.html?vieworg=1367

http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/nchs/standards/worldera1.html

http://www.worldandihomeschool.com/public_articles/1986/november/wis11401.asp

Books

The Essential Agrarian Reader: The Future of Culture, Community, and the Land
by Norman Wirzba (Editor), Barbara Kingsolver

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0813122856/ref=nosim/searchengin07-20/104-4557184-1048745?dev-t=D3640U3GS53SRF#product-details

The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture
by Authors: Wendell Berry

http://www.phil-books.com/The_Unsettling_of_America_Culture_and_Agriculture_0871568772.html

Articles About Organic Farms

STUDY FINDS YIELD, COSTS LOWER IN ORGANIC FARMING

Date: 020603

From: http://www.nandotimes.com/

Associated Press, May 30, 2002

 Washington - Crop yields on organic farms averaged about 20 percent

less than those on conventional farms, but the production used about

50 percent less energy and built healthier soils, a study found.

 In a 21-year comparison between organic and conventional farming in

Switzerland, researchers said the fields of the organic farms had

better balances of nutrients, soil bacteria, earthworms and plant pest

predators than did the other farms, all signs of healthy fields.

 Organic farms use no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. In the

comparison study, the organic and conventional farms had the same

tillage, crop rotation and crop varieties. Both types of farms grew

potatoes, barley, winter wheat, beets and grass cover.

 Winter wheat production on organic fields was about 90 percent that

of conventional farms. Cereal crops yields generally were 60 percent

to 70 percent less than conventional farms, while potato yields were

58 percent to 66 percent less.

 The researchers attributed the sharper reduction in potato yields on

organic farms to a low potassium supply and to an infestation of

insect pests. Conventional farms control for such problems with

fertilizers and pesticides.

 A detailed comparison of the soils showed that the organic fields had

more biological activity and biomass, both signs of soil health, than

did the conventional fields.

 "Biomass and abundance of earthworms were higher by a factor of 1.3

to 3.2 in the organic plots as compared with conventional," the

authors reported.

 The organic plots also had a much higher level of bacteria and fungi

which help process soil nutrients and aid in their absorption by the

roots of plants.

 Organic fields also had a higher ratio of spiders and beetles that

feed on plant pests. In conventional farming, chemicals designed to

kill pests also can kill beneficial insects.

 The study, being published Friday in the journal Science, was

conducted by researchers at the Research Institute of Organic

Agriculture in Frick, Switzerland, and at the Swiss Federal Research

Station for Agroecology and Agriculture in Zurich.

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Copyright (c) 2002 Nando Media

Copyright (c) 2002 AP Online