Wild garlic is at its best just before it begins to flower. In my garden this is usually around the end of March and the beginning of April. The young tender leaves are great with green and grain salads, potato and vegetable salads, pasta and egg dishes, sandwiches and lots more.
This year everything is much later than usual due to the bad weather we had in the season that we normally associate with spring and new growth. Wild garlic has now gone to seed but I still have one shady patch where the leaves, although a little past their best for using raw in salads, are perfect for making one last batch of wild garlic pesto.
There are a few different varieties of wild garlic growing in Ireland but Allium ursinum, or Ramsons is the one most usually used as a food source.
I sold my first batch of wild garlic pesto in 1998 when I was one of the early members of the Temple Bar Food Market in Dublin. Along with my certified organic herb plants and cut herbs, I also sold a range of alternative pestos and mainly wild food based oils, vinegars, preserves, mustards and chutneys.
Wild food and ‘foraging’ were more of a curiousity than a trend back then. It’s great to see the current revival of interest in our native Irish food plants. Hopefully traditions that were almost extinct will now be passed on to future generations.
These days you will find jars of wild garlic pesto on the supermarket shelves but there is nothing quite like making your own. Here is one of my original recipes.
Wild Garlic Pesto Recipe
75g cashew nuts
225ml extra virgin olive oil (approx)
150g wild garlic leaves
Season to taste (I use freshly ground black peppercorns, no salt)
50g Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
Fresh lemon juice to taste
Blitz nuts with a small amount of the olive oil in a food processor. You can leave them as textured or as smooth as you wish. Add wild garlic leaves and seasoning. Blitz again. Gradually add more olive oil until the pesto reaches your desired consistency. Add the cheese, if using, and squeeze in some fresh lemon juice to taste.
Pour your pesto into cooled sterilized jars. Once opened, store in the fridge and use within about one month.
To sterilize jars or bottles, first wash them well, rinse with hot water and allow to drain. Then place them in a cold oven and heat to 190C. When the temperature has reached this level, maintain it for half an hour.
Fairly thick is good for dips, spreading on bread, making bruschetta, and adding to pasta and pizzas. Add more oil to create a thinner consistency if you wish to use the pesto as a drizzle, garnish or salad dressing.
Experiment by using different types of herb leaves, nuts, oils and hard cheeses, depending on your mood and what you have available.
As well as the suggestions above, try some of these..
Toss some new potatoes in pesto. Roast and serve with extra pesto. Very healthy but I usually add a sneaky bit of butter too.
Pizza with Parma ham, buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, home grown spinach and rocket, and wild garlic pesto.
Marinate some chicken pieces in pesto. Roast and serve with lime wedges.
Jazz up your scrambled eggs. Green eggs would be even better served with some ham!
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Every week, I spend at least $100 and 2 hours of my Saturday morning shopping for organic produce at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market. I don’t know about you, but that’s a lot of time and $$ to me!
In an effort to free up my Saturday mornings, I decided to try Absolute Organics.
Absolute Organics is a unique service that is the brain child of Vonda and Steve Hodun, from Newton, North Carolina. About nine years ago, they were looking for a reliable source of fresh organic produce year-round and decided that they needed to create one!
The concept is pretty darn simple. They deliver organic produce right to your door on a set day of the week. You can choose weekly deliveries or every other week. An easy to complete form on their website allows you to tell them what fruits and veggies you don’t want to receive. (Our only “no’s” were Mustard Greens and Radishes.)
There are no contracts or long term commitments, and you can cancel at any time – or tell them on Friday that you don’t want a delivery the following week because you’ll be on vacation, for example. The boxes of organic produce come in three sizes and prices – $30, $40, and $50.
Since I had a flyer in my mailbox offering me $10 off my first order (code TEN2016), I decided to give them a try on a $30 box.
I left my cooler outside at my front door before I went to bed on Wednesday night, and when I woke up on Thursday, it was chock full of organic produce.
I was amazed at how much fresh organic produce was waiting for me in my cooler!
Here is what I got for a mere $20 ($30, minus my $10 off coupon code):
- Celery (1.5 lbs.)
- 4 large yellow squash (2.2 lbs.)
- 3 enormous cucumbers (2.2 lbs.)
- 3 tomatoes (1.2 lbs)
- 1 large head of cabbage (3.5 lbs.)
- 7 potatoes (2.1 lbs.)
- 7 bananas (2.5 lbs.)
- 1 pint blueberries
- 1 huge mango (1.3 lbs)
- Red grapes (2.5 lbs.)
That is a huge amount of organic produce for a double sawbuck (as they used to say back in the olden days!)
All of the produce was high quality and very fresh in appearance. I also loved the fact that the bananas and mango still needed to be ripened a bit, while the blueberries and red grapes were ripe for immediate snacking. So, I rinsed some of the grapes and filled a small bowl – and found that they tasted just as good as they looked!
If you’ve been looking for an easier and cheaper way to get your organic fruits and veggies, and you live or work in their free delivery area, you really need to give Absolute Organics a try.
I mean, you’ve got to love a company that has the ultra clever Grocery Store Wars video link on their website!
Give ’em a try – and tell them Nancy at Fool a Carnivore sent you their way!


WHITE ROW FARM
When we started out, one of our main objectives was to be the producer of as much of what we sold as possible. This remains very much at the heart of our ethos today
As well as White Row’s own produce, we also sell as much local produce as we can and are keen to support other farmers in the area. As customers grow more wary of large-scale supermarkets, we strive to be friendlier, serve better quality produce and support the community as much as possible. After all, we are a farm ourselves and supporting the community has always been part of farming. It’s just in our nature.


Coastal Wild Food Foraging Walk at Teesmouth National Nature Reserve.
Learn how our ancestors survived in the wild on a delicious and diverse range of foods that can be found on your very own doorstep! Get to know an abundance of wild edibles and learn:
- How to forage safely and sustainably
- How identify them
- Some seriously good recipes to try
- Processing and storage tips
- Health benefits
…Plus lots of fun and cool facts about each plant, on this 2 hour introduction to wild food walk.
After your food walk we will be holding a fire on the beach with the opportunity to brew your own wild tea using the plants you have gathered on your walk. With time together to chat and celebrate the day’s celebration of Lammas if you wish. Lammas is a festival to celebrate the first harvest of grain and to show gratitude for the abundance from the land. So we will share a home baked loaf and enjoy the dusk.
Please bring appropriate footwear (i.e. walking boots/wellies) and clothing to suit the weather, including suncream and hats, if needed.
Always good to check the weather forecast both the evening before and on the morning of the event.
If there are any dietary needs please let us know as soon as possible before the walk thank you.
There is free parking available but no toilet facilities.
Please continue to check you emails prior to the walk for any updates.
On top of this, all attendees will receive a FREE copy of the ‘Wild Roots’, Wild Edibles Photographic Identification Guide’ and also the ‘Wild Roots’ Good Guide to Foraging’ ebook.


ZOJ Problem Set - 2292
August 22, 2004 is Chinese Valentine's Day. popo's girlfriend qoqo asks popo to see beautiful star field with her. qoqo takes a fancy to a lawn at the back-hill. But as popo known, there are some bugs in the lawn. It's a feature that it has bug (-_-). So popo is planning to sprinkle pesticide in advance. And now popo needs your help to calculate how much pesticide needed at least to kill all the bugs on the lawn.
Two positive number n, m (2 <= n, m <= 8) in the first line of each test case, followed with n lines described the map of the lawn. In the map, 'o' indicates the grid which has bug in, '.' indicates the clean and clear grid. There are no other characters in the map.
A bottle of pesticide can kill all the bugs in a range of 2*2 grids, output the minimal number of bottles of pesticide needed.
Author: ZHENG, Jianqiang
Source: ZOJ Monthly, January 2005


These tissues are derived from the meristematic tissues but their cells have lost the ability of division and have attained their different forms. August 20, at 9:
What are the types of plant tissues and their functions?
Why what ares the your nose run when you have what ares The three main types of plant tissues are; Epideral: Any cell in a plant that has a chloroplast can unite to form a tissufs. The plant cell should also have in addition to it a cell wall, a large vacuole.
The chloroplast … has chlorophyll which help in the process of photosynthesis. Choose a video to embed.
Enumerate he four different animal tissue types and three different plant tissue types and list a salient? Function of plant tissues? What are the 3 types of plant tissue and and what are their functions?
Answer Ar Difference between wate moulds and brown algae? Mechanism of separation of contaminants present in air by fibrous media?
Difference between water molds, diatoms and brown algae? If you believe in theory of evolution, then tell me how did
what ares the and trees evolve?
What are the main features of meristematic cells?
Why do these cells need to have a high mitotic rate? When seen under a microscope, what type of plant tissue is most likely to present a large amount of cells undergoing cell division? Select any question to share it on FB or Twitter Just select or double-click a question to share.
What are Different Types of Plant Tissue Culture?
What plant tissues are responsible for supporting of plant? The supportive tissues of plants are collenchyma and sclerenchyma. Where in leaves is photosynthetic tissue often located?
How are water, mineral salts and food sugar transported throughout the plant? What are the specialized conducting tissues of plants?
Secondary xylem elements originate from the vascular cambium of lateral meristem. The xylem elements are of 4 types: The dead matter in them is known as bast. Its main function is conduction of food material from leaves to other plant parts.
The phloem elements are of four type: Sieve plants tissues, Companion cells, Fibres and paranchyma. It includes epidermis and cork.
Review All Plant Tissues with 30 Q&As
Epidermis of a leaf is not continuous at some places due to the presence of small pores, called stomata. Each stomata is bounded by a pair of specialised epidermal cells called guard cells. The stomata allows gaseous exchange to occur during photosynthesis and respiration.


Ranunculus - Pastel Lemon
Sweet and full of cheer!
This collection will give you ranunculus in shades of tawny tangerine and lemon sherbet. Ranunculus are hardy for fall planting in zones 8-10, but can be grown in colder areas with some protection, or you may choose to plant them in late winter/early spring.
Each order contains 25 corms (bulbs) and growing instructions.
*This item ships in October*


The goal of the African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC) is to make the nutritious indigenous plants that are raised in the home gardens of Africa or that grow in the fields, forests and common lands of the continent even more nutritious than they already are — as well as more productive and resilient. The aim is to improve the diets and livelihoods of the 600 million people who live in rural SubSaharan Africa. Led by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the technical body of the African Union (AU), the young Consortium, founded in 2011, has already achieved great success. It has graduated its first class of African plant-breeding scientists and technicians. It has begun sequencing the genomes of crops on its list of 101 important species. It also has raised significant funding and created an uncommon collaboration of governments, companies, NGOs and scientific bodies to help it reach its goals.


We are excited to announce our partnership with Misty Moon Farms to offer Denton their new CSA program! The Misty Moon CSA is a weekly box of 6-9 different fruits of veggies grown locally in Denton and North Texas. They offer the highest quality produce and support local small farms. Starting September 8th, you can pick up your weekly box of local veggies at Mashup Market in Denton each Wednesday 4pm-6pm.
They are offering a special introductory offer for the month of September. Find out more and register using the Misty Moon Registration button


Carbon is a commodity now in high demand internationally and, managed well, it can be an integral part of productive agricultural enterprises in Australia.
Story Amanda Burdon Photo Mark Muller
As the world stares down climate change and its impacts, momentum towards stronger action is growing and so, too, are carbon markets. Across Australia, every state and territory now has a target to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Many industries have followed suit, and businesses are jostling to offset their emissions. Their stewardship of vast tracts of a continent renowned for poor soils has put Australian producers at the forefront of our climate response.
With all living organic material comprising 50% carbon, every farmer is actually a carbon farmer. More and more are defining themselves as such, making conscious choices to minimise losses or maximise carbon storage. It’s an approach closely aligned with regenerative farming and a means of leveraging a host of other co-benefits that many say contribute to healthier landscapes, more diverse and profitable operations, and community prosperity. Monetising carbon has turned it into a hot commodity.
Queensland grazier James Henderson, with two vegetation-based carbon projects under his belt, sums up his experience. “Carbon farming has built financial and climatic resilience into our operation because I am now a grass farmer, a beef farmer, a tree farmer and a carbon farmer,” he says. “Carbon farming represents perhaps 30% of our total income and we make decisions accordingly, but as the carbon price rises, that will become 50% and probably greater. There will be a point when it surpasses beef and we can derive premiums from ecosystem services, too.”
This story excerpt is from Issue #138
Outback Magazine: August/September 2021


Direct from the garden, with no additives and no harmful pesticides, our organic vegetable, herb and flower plants are grown with love, care and good, healthy soil. Order online and decorate your home with high-quality plants, delivered right at your home!
With the growing, alarming rate of pollution created by plastic everyday, we feel the need to make our part and avoid the use of plastic. Your deliveries will be hand-packaged with bio-degradable packaging, giving roots to our Green Thumb Initiative.
We hope you will help us spread the word and make the Green Thumb Initiative a success.


CSA Sign Up
Any 4 Items
Locally Harvested Dry Goods
CSA subscriptions allow members to select any four items from our range of shelf stable locally grown offerings and schedule monthly pick up at one of our local farmers markets or our Ukiah storeroom. You’ll also receive a monthly email with recipes, news and stories from our fields!
Why join a CSASubscribing to our CSA allows you to receive delicious food grown with organic practices, direct from us every month. CSA members make our small scale farming possible plus we love to know that our business is serving an excited community of eaters!
Customize your order
Orders are customizable monthly, or can be set to repeat every month. All plans can be canceled any time.
CommitmentSubscribe for a 1 month, 6 month or 12 month plan.
Cost1 month plan - $35
6 month plan - $185
12 month plan - $358
Our promiseSourced from a variety of small scale producers in Northern California, all our products are grown to a high standard of ecological awareness without the use of herbicides or pesticides.
CSA PickupWhen placing your CSA order you will select to pick up your CSA box at any of our Farmers Markets (full list here) or at our mill facility located here.
Home DeliveryIf you live within Mendocino or Lake Counties you can signup for our CSA with The Mendocino Food Hub and get your CSA box delivered directly to your home!
Learn more and sign up visit www.mendolakefoodhub.org


All the air ndash cathodes
The genus Methanosaeta represented the more predominant acetoclastic methanogen than the genus Methanosarcina in the 10th-round culture, possibly due to the concentration of acetate as the substrate. The MI-773 (SAR405838) Methanosaeta and Methanosarcina become predominant at acetate concentrations of below 100–150 mg COD/L, corresponding to 1.7–2.5 mM, and above 250–500 mg COD/L, corresponding to 4.2–8.4 mM, respectively ( De Vrieze et al., 2012). In this study, the period of exposure to the latter high concentrations of acetate changed during the cultivation as follows: above 7.4 mM between 2 and 17 days during the 20-day cultivation period in the first round of cultivation ( Fig. 2a); above 4.5 mM for all of the 12-day cultivation period in the third round of cultivation ( Fig. 2b), and temporary exposure to above 17 mM at 8 and 16 h in the 10th round of cultivation ( Fig. 2c). These results indicate that the period of exposure to high concentrations of acetate became shortened. The shortened period of exposure to high concentrations of acetate may facilitate the cultivation of an acetoclastic methanogenic community with Methanosaeta as the predominant genus.


Cannabis is a complex world and still little known to the general public. With the development of the light cannabis market, generally describing products rich in CBD and low in THC, consumers are however faced with a wide range of products, within which it is Hard to make a choice. One of the arguments put forward is generally the culture mode. Indoor (indoors), outdoor (outdoors) or greenhouse (greenhouse) adorns the label in large letters. What do these different modes of cultivation imply? What are their advantages and disadvantages ? On what to base your purchase? Weedy answers your questions.
How to grow cannabis, how does it work?
Cannabis, or hemp (industrial as well as recreational), is a annual plant requiring precise growing conditions to be able to grow and develop in the best conditions. Indeed, the annual plants have the particularity of having a short life cycle, not exceeding one year. They are thus generally cultivated for their fleurs, which are rapidly maturing. Once the flowering cycle has ended, the species then overwinters as seeds, before giving birth to new plants the following season.
Atwild state, cannabis plants evolve according to the seasons, and therefore environmental and climatic conditions who accompany them. Many factors come into play in their development:
- Light: natural or artificial, but also the number of hours per day.
- Sun: in the ground of course, but also in pots or in alternative growing media such as coconut oraquaponics.
- Air: ventilation or natural breeze.
- Temperaturee: cannabis is sensitive to extreme temperatures.
- nutrients: chemical (fertilizer) or natural (compost).
- Water: quantity, but also quality (pH regulation in particular).
The different ways of growing cannabis will more or less encourage the control of these different elements. That's what's going favor the choice of one or other of the techniques, according to production needs.
Outdoor, the most natural way to grow cannabis
La outdoor cannabis cultivation is the most natural. It is also certainly the most complicated to master, since it largely depends on external conditions. Even more than the cultivator, it is nature outdoors that decides what can happen to a harvest. Depending on the geographic area, not everything is possible. The hot and humid environments thus offer more advantageous ground for sativa, while the dominant varieties indicates better match colder and generally less pleasant environments.
In countries where the climate allows, outdoor culture is certainly The most common. With the development of the light cannabis market, however, it tends to lose ground. Indeed, this new market being legal, it is growing commercially very quickly. Out of a concern for total control of production, outdoor is essential as a risk culture, which some producers are not ready to assume.
However, outdoor cultivation also has some advantages, especially for the consumer who can thus benefit from the qualities of a plant that has grown with a maximum light spectrum. Natural conditions allow you to fully enjoy of the character and genetics of a variety. For the producer, this is also synonymous with more economical production, thanks to a mode of cultivation rather cheaper than its alternatives.
Indoor, absolute control
La indoor culture is certainly the trend most followed by light cannabis producers. The reason for this is simple: the advisability of a Total control on all the factors presented above. If the concept is enticing, it nevertheless implies a expensive and particularly technical process. What naturally balances in the wild is extremely difficult to recreate in an artificial environment as every detail counts. A simple change in the level of CO2 in the air, or the pH in the water, can thus be enough to disrupt the whole machine and ruin a complete harvest.
Indoor culture also has the extreme advantage of allowingavoid wild pollination. This is particularly important in the case of legal cannabis since cannabinoid levels are then more precisely controlled. rate THC is thus kept as low as possible while the rich in CBD on the contrary is encouraged.
Greenhouse (greenhouse): the best of all worlds
Finally, the greenhouse cultivation allows you to take advantage of both the outdoor environment and indoor culture. More protected than in the wild, cannabis plants enjoy the benefits of the sun, while offering the opportunity to limit external aggressions.
Greenhouse cultivation particularly allows deprive plants of light on demand. The natural life cycle of cannabis is indeed monitored by the sun. Plants therefore need different levels of sunshine during growth and flowering. The greenhouse makes it possible to artificially recreate these light phases. The bouquet of terpenes is thus richer, even if it does not equal that of outdoor culture. Finally, and this is a strong argument, theecological footprint is reduced compared to the technical heaviness of indoor growing.
Indoor, outdoor, greenhouse cannabis: which one to buy?
We have seen it, each culture mode has its specificities, which are logically accompanied by advantages and disadvantages. It is not uncommon to read that indoor cannabis is of better quality than outdoor cannabis, with equally clear, and sometimes contradictory, opinions on greenhouse cultivation.
However, nothing is so simple and no type of cannabis is strictly better than another. The choice therefore ultimately comes down to consumer, and depends mainly on two factors : his needs andexperience sought.
Overall, light cannabis grown outdoors is more likely to have been pesticide contact. However, it takes advantage of the richness of nature. On the contrary, indoor culture offers total control but displays a higher ecological cost. Finally, the greenhouse, thanks to the deprivation of light, benefits from exposure to the sun, while encouraging the production of terpenes and cannabinoids.


**SECONDARY WATER WILL BE TURNED OFF AROUND OCTOBER 15TH**
Davis & Weber Counties Canal Company
The Davis and Weber Basin Canal is in charge of your secondary water.
If you have any issues concerning your secondary water, i.e. water pressure, broken valves, etc., please contact the Davis and Weber Counties Canal Company. They can be reached at 801-774-6373, or by visiting their website.
They charge a connection fee to the City, which is passed on to you as a prorated fee throughout the entire year. The monthly charge is determined by your lot size and can be found on our Fee Schedule.
The Secondary Water charge is assessed monthly to each residence, whether or not the home is vacant or secondary water is being used. This is to pay for the infrastructure of the secondary water system in place for the city, NOT for water usage.
The south-west is experiencing the driest period in more than 1,200 years and Utah is one of the driest states in the country. In fact, Utah's drought status keeps worsening, with 99 percent of the state considered to be in the second and third worst categories: "Severe" and "extreme drought," according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Find more drought information at: drought.utah.gov
During drought, little changes make a big difference. Here are actions we can all take to do our part:
Action #1: Water Less
It takes approximately 3,000 gallons of water each time you water the average quarter-acre yard, so eliminating even one watering yields big savings. Follow the weekly watering guide at https://conservewater.utah.gov/weekly-lawn-watering-guide/ to find out how long you should water based on conditions in your county and the type of sprinklers you are using.
Action #2: Don't Water If It's Windy
Don't water if the wind speed is above 5 mph because much of the water will blow where it's not needed and evaporate.
Action #3: Water at the right time
Don't water between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. If you are in Southern Utah, don't water between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. This reduces evaporation loss.
Action #4: Prioritize Your Watering
Water the most valuable plants in your landscape first: Trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals then grass. Grass is the toughest and will enter dormancy during times of drought and high temperatures and recover when conditions improve. Water your lawn only when it needs it. If you leave footprints in the grass, it is usually time to water.
Action #5: Raise Your Mower
Set blades to 3-4 inches. Taller grass means deeper roots that can access water that is deeper in the soil. Tall grass also shades roots and soil to reduce evaporation loss.
Action #6: Remove Grass
Remove grass from park strips and convert lawn that is rarely used to drought-tolerant and Utah native plants. Waterwise examples are found at www.localscapes.com.
Action #7: Fix Sprinkler Heads and Leaks
Fix broken sprinkler heads and adjust them to water plants not pavement. Also check outdoor faucets, pipes, hoses and pools for leaks.
Action #8: Maintain Wisely
Apply as little fertilizer to your lawn as possible. Applying excess fertilizer increases water consumption and actually creates more mowing for you! Use iron-based fertilizers to simply “green up” your lawn instead. Sweep driveways and sidewalks with a broom instead of spraying with a hose.


The GBA is dedicated forging partnerships with organizations across the state to broaden our knowledge and bring valuable insights to our community.
One such collaboration is with the NC Chamber, a leading force in advancing North Carolina's economic landscape.
Last week, the NC Chamber shared a formal announcement of NC Ag Leads, a strategic planning initiative for the state's agriculture industry.
This endeavor, supported by the Golden LEAF Foundation, NC Farm Bureau, and Google, aims to position North Carolina's agricultural sector as a continued economic powerhouse.
Led by a distinguished steering committee, including Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler, this initiative promises a future of sustainable success for our state's primary economic driver.
What's next: Golden LEAF has identified the NC Chamber Foundation to lead a strategic visioning and planning process. It will bring together agriculture stakeholders to address industry-wide, cross-cutting topics.
“I never cease to be amazed by the state’s agriculture and agribusiness industry and its collective contributions to the state and the world. I believe it has an even brighter future ahead as we work together to increase production to meet the global demand for food,” said N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.
NC Ag Leads will conduct a research and planning exercise that brings together North Carolina’s agriculture leaders, investors, and influencers to identify policy recommendations and strategies for fostering agricultural innovation, job creation, and economic growth in rural North Carolina.
What they're saying: “Golden LEAF is proud to be the lead funder in this initiative that will broaden our impact in rural and economically distressed areas,” said Golden LEAF President Scott T. Hamilton. “NC Ag Leads will deliver a roadmap of clear and actionable steps to best prepare North Carolina to continue to be a leader in agriculture into the future.”
Phase one of the initiative, focused on researching and discerning opportunities, barriers, and alignment within the state’s agriculture industry, is underway and will culminate at the end of June 2024.
Pending Steering Committee review and approval, phase two of the project will consist of solving and executing on the initiatives identified in phase one.
Phase two will begin in July 2024 and conclude in January 2025.
“With its $103 billion annual contribution to our state’s economy, agribusiness and agriculture drive a major share of North Carolina’s economic success and status as a top state to do business.”
“North Carolina Farm Bureau’s mission aligns perfectly with the goals of NC Ag Leads, and I have every confidence this initiative will deliver tools and strategies necessary to strengthen and support North Carolina agriculture, agribusiness and rural communities for the years ahead,” said NC Farm Bureau President Shawn Harding.
The bottom line: At the conclusion of the NC Ag Leads strategic planning process, the North Carolina agriculture community will have agreed to a set of priorities that are both aspirational and attainable.


What is Riverdale Farm?
Riverdale Farm's official website states the following:
"Riverdale Farm is a working farm located in Toronto's downtown Cabbagetown neighbourhood. Visitors to our 7.5 acre property will get a first-hand taste of farm life, from raising livestock (cows, pigs, sheep, goats and chickens) to the year-round handwork and craft programs in The Meeting House. The property features flower, vegetable and herb gardens, as well as wooded areas and ponds connected to the city's rich ravine system. We are a popular community meeting place for families from across Toronto and beyond."
Riverdale Farm is managed by the City of Toronto through the city's Parks, Forestry, and Recreation department. The farm is free to access for all visitors and offers daily programs that promote animal farming.


Natural Food S.R.L. is a family Company, born in 2013, in Córdoba, Argentina.
From the begin, our purpose was to establish long-term business relationships, based on trust, in both agricultural production, our suppliers and our customers in the country and the world, offering a comprehensive solution to grain marketing.
Natural Food S.R.L. encompasses the food supply chain from start to finish, adding in all its processes value and increasing demand for agricultural products from North America, Europe and Asia.
Continuous Process Improvement
for the world
We concéntrate our efforts, to improve and modernize our Production, Procesing, Storage and Distribution process, to meet higest international quality and food safety standards to satisfy our customers requirements.
Natural Food S.R.L. has a large number of hectares of fields planted under our own management and monitoring, together with carefully selected fields of producers in different regions of the country, allow us to offer a great variety of high quality grains.
In Natural Food S.R.L. we have a conditioning and logistics system, wich allows us to monitor the movementes of our products and to reach to North America, Europe and Asia, conserving the quality until destiny.


CAI to review cotton production figures on Dec 10
The Cotton Association of India (CAI) has said that this year the estimated cotton production could be about 356 lakh bales. However, due to large scale crop damage in Maharashtra and Telangana, CAI will review the production figures on December 10, Atul Ganatra, President of CAI, told BusinessLine.
The Pink Bollworms (PBW) have extensively attacked the crop in Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra. It will also affect the quality of the raw cotton. Given the crop damage, the production numbers are not expected to rise further, he said.
Ganatra said that Maharashtra has suffered major crop damage but even bigger damage is in Telangana. The production estimates have been reduced to 45 lakh bales from 70 lakh bales. Numerous farmers in this southern State have already uprooted their plants due to the PBW attacks. In Maharashtra also, some farmers have done the same.
He said that from the last year the carry forward stock is of about 100 lakh bales therefore there is no rally in market. The prices are not rising. On the other hand, exports show a growing trend with healthy demand from Bangladesh, China, Indonesia and Vietnam.
The Crop Committee of the CAI has retained its consumption estimate for the current crop year at 250 lakh bales (of 170 kg each). The consumption for the season is less by 61.50 lakh bales due to the disruptions caused by the lockdown and the shortage of labour, the CAI said in a media statement.
The closing stock, as on September 30, is estimated by the Crop Committee at 107.50 lakh bales.


2767 – 100 acre Gentleman’s Farm Near Cooperstown, Cobleskill and Oneonta
Listing # 2767
Near Cooperstown, Cobleskill and Oneonta NY.
100-acre Gentleman’s farm with 60 acres’ tillable valley ground. Grows excellent crops. Owner states that this soil is organic and good for growing crops such as corn, hops, vegetables, fruit, and lavender.
Balance pasture and woods. Year-round stream.
Good 2,000+ sq. ft. two-story, 5-and-a-half bedroom, farmhouse with spacious eat-in kitchen with separate pantry, formal dining room, and laundry.
Unique, bright sunroom. Attic and closets provide plentiful storage.
Good two-car garage.
Nice two-story dairy barn 34×100 with a large side addition for young stock.
Pole barn and 3 other outbuildings.
Farm would work well for beef or horses, make hay, grow crops.
Beautiful setting and views. Very nice area to live and farm.
Approximately 20 minutes from Cooperstown, Cobleskill, & Oneonta.
Easy commute to Albany and Binghamton. 2 miles from Worcester. 3 miles from I88.


How to use and dosage of BioLana Pellets
Dosage and use of "BioLana Pellets"
Biolana Pellets is a long-acting organic fertilizer that is approved for use in organic farming and that promotes plant growth processes by increasing their weight and volume, as well as protection against slugs and snails, various odors and forest animals.
Fertilizer application and dosage:
To promote plant growth
- Till into the soil
Biolana pellets are a long-acting organic fertilizer and are best applied under or around the root of the plant. When planting seeds need to cover at least 5 cm of soil. One handful of the average person is about 25/30 grams, but one tablespoon with a pile of about 15/20 grams. One 450 gram package will suffice for up to 20 plants or 20 sqm of soil. For a better result, we recommend that you first specify the characteristics of the existing soil:
- Peas, beans, beans 20 - 30 g / m2;
- For grass, herbs, beets 60 - 80 g / m2;
- Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, carrots, potatoes, onions, turnips 80 - 120 g / m2;
- Pumpkins, cucumbers, courgettes, melons, lettuce, spinach, onions, fruit trees, vines, shrubs, ornamentals 100 - 130g / m2;
- Cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi 120 - 150 g / m2.
- Substrate creation
For green and ornamental plants. At least 10 - 20 g of granules are needed per 1 liter of substrate, depending on the need for nitrogen and other nutrients for the plant.
For plant protection
- Sow to the soil
For protection against slugs and snails, spread the granules evenly 10 - 15 cm in diameter and 1 - 2 cm in height around the trunk of the plant (so that the soil is not visible) and thoroughly sprinkle with water to swell them. Note that the granules can absorb up to 3.5 times more water than they weigh. As the granules become larger and the excess water dries, they will begin their protective function. It is desirable for the plants to be protected from excessive rain, as during heavy rain the protective functions decrease slightly, however, after repeated drying, the protection was restored to full extent.
- Mix with water
For additional protection of molluscs, mix at least 20 - 50 grams of pellets with 1 liter of water, wait at least 10 minutes for the pellets to dissolve, then stir and sprinkle the plant stem and leaves.
To protect young plants from forest animals (deer, elk, etc.), mix at least 50-70 grams of pellets with 1 liter of water, wait at least 10 minutes for the pellets to dissolve, then stir and sprinkle the plant / tree (trunk and leaves / needles).
For protection against unpleasant odors
- evenly spread the granules on the odor agent (Chicken or other manure, etc.)


Sri Lanka is covered with a network of thousands of man-made lakes and ponds, known locally as 'tanks.' Some are truly massive and inspire modern day engineers. Many are thousands of years old. Reservoirs and canals studded the northern and north-central plains, tapping every source of water.
Based on the storage and use of water for the cultivation of wet fields during previous eras, researchers have stated that the island's early civilization was hydraulic based. The early Indo-Aryan settlers cultivated rice and settled along river valleys and other suitable lands; they began with simple schemes for damming rivers and storing water below them. Each village stored water in reservoirs by tapping seasonal streams, and these ideas were spread throughout the country and became characteristics of every village.
Many kings over the centuries built colossal tanks. King Parakramabahu either built or restored 163 major reservoirs, 2,617 minor tanks, 3,910 irrigation channels, 328 stone sluices and 168 sluice blocks, besides repairing 1,969 breaches in embankments. His Sea of Parakrama is a gigantic work of irrigation that commands admiration even today.
Further technical progress was achieved in the reign of King Mahasena. A number of storage tanks and canals are attributed to him, the most outstanding of which is the Minneriya tank and its feeder canals. The construction and maintenance of large-scale irrigation work became a regular preoccupation of kings.
Irrigation continues to be a major focus of the Sri Lankan government. Dams have been built, artificial lakes have been constructed, and rivers have been diverted to provide water to the people. The main emphasis of the government of Sri Lanka has been on agricultural development through the renovation of ancient irrigation work and resettlement of the landless population in the dry zone.
Objectives of current irrigation systems include:
to increase food production;
to provide land for the landless;
to earn or save on foreign exchange; and
to generate employment and raise the income of the farming community.


How Blue River Technology is creating the future of farming with help from Figure Eight
“Walking through the field, taking tallies on how many weeds we hit, how many we missed, and our accuracy was in the high 90s on that test. We’re really excited about bringing this technology to the farmer and using AI to really modernize farming.”
– Chris Padwick,
Tech Fellow, Machine Learning Team Lead, Blue River Technology
Blue River is a John Deere company based in Silicon Valley with a goal to “optimize every plant.” A leader in the agricultural technology space, Blue River combines machine learning and smart equipment to modernize farming and make it both smarter and more sustainable. They do with this AI-powered farming equipment that can sense, detect, and act as it moves through large farms.
Put simply, the problem is weeds. Large-scale farmers spend an average of $150,000 a year on herbicides, using what’s called a self-propelled sprayer to dust hundreds of acres of crops. These self-propelled sprayers cover a lot of ground but they’re not precise. In fact, they simply spray everything in their path, which means both weeds and crops get hit with herbicide. This in turn forces farmers to buy treated seeds like Roundup Ready soybeans, seeds which are significantly more expensive than non-GMO varieties. What’s more, weeds like waterhemp or pigweed are resistant to the most widely used herbicides, so spraying them is ineffective and wasteful.
This is all to say that reducing weed pressure on large farms is a costly endeavor. The machines cover a lot of ground, but they’re inefficient. This inefficiency means farmers are wasting money on herbicide and are forced into purchasing GMO seeds.
It’s a problem. But it’s a problem that Blue River is solving.
Blue River is building the next generation of smart agricultural equipment and nowhere is this more evident than their See & Spray line. See & Spray, essentially, uses self-propelled sprayer equipment but infuses it with visual intelligence. Instead of blanketing every square inch of a farm with herbicide, See & Spray equipment uses on-board computing and vision algorithms to identify individual plants, precision-spraying only the weeds and sparing the crops. And those computer vision models are built on labeled training data from Figure Eight.
Blue River sends real-world images of large-scale farms through the Figure Eight platform, where each individual photo is labeled on a pixel-by-pixel level. Once a model has seen a sufficient amount of labeled images, it starts to understand what cotton looks like versus pigweed. These identifications enable the machines to precisely spray individual weeds instead of acres of farmland.
There are myriad benefits for farmers here. For one, precision spraying massively cuts that average herbicide cost of $150,000 by 90%. And because crops aren’t sprayed in herbicide, farmers can use non-GMO seeds, which cost about half the price of Roundup Ready crops. The environmental benefit of using less herbicide–thereby removing harmful chemicals from the water table–is a gigantic benefit, not just for the farmers in question, but the world at large.
Because Blue River can identify not just weeds but specific types of weeds, their sprayers can actually avoid using certain herbicides on plants that are resistant to those particular chemicals. They’re constantly adding new plant types to their models, sending images directly from the field, and making their algorithms more effective with each passing day.


Doctor Ponic: Facts and Tips About Hydroponics
Hydroponics refers to the process of growing plants without soil but rather using liquid, sand, gravel, or any other mediums with added nutrients. The word hydroponics came from the Latin word “hydro” or water and “ponos” or work. The two earliest examples of hydroponics are The Floating Gardens of China and Gardens of Babylon which are soil less gardening that has been existing for thousands of years. Around the 1950s, the experimentation of soil less gardening started when countries like Germany, Holland, and Australia have used hydroponics for crop production gained successful results. In hydroponics, the main principles include increased oxygen levels into the root zone, and liquid feed that is directly delivered to the roots. As compared to traditional soil gardening, hydroponics gardening resulted in increased growth rates and yields with increased oxygen levels and nutrient levels.
There are many reasons why hydroponic gardening is much better than soil gardening. As compared to traditional soil gardens, more plants can be grown in equal spaces in hydroponics gardening. In a hydroponic garden, plant roots no longer need to search or stretch for nutrients because they are readily available. The primary benefit of hydroponic gardening is providing seeds and plants with higher oxygen levels, and hydroponic gardens are usually stacked for increasing space efficiency. The growth rate on a hydroponic plant is about thirty to fifty percent faster than a soil plant which is both similarly grown under the same conditions. The extra oxygen levels in hydroponic growing mediums is helpful in stimulation of root growth among hydroponic plants. In hydroponic gardening, nutrients, and water are mixed so they are sent directly to the plants’ root system. These are turned into saved energy and then utilized later for plants to grow faster, producing more fruit. Hydroponic plants are generally happier and healthier plants because they have fewer issues and problems such as fungus, bug infestations, and diseases.
Enrionmentally speaking, hydroponic plants provide a lot of benefits to our environment using less water than soil gardening, with fewer pesticides are used in producing crops. The different growing medium you can use in your hydroponic garden include hydro corn, rock wool, perlite, vermiculite, and sand. The purpose of having a growing medium is for support and aeration to channel the nutrients and water. Feel free to check the website of Doctor Ponic for more details about hydroponic gardening including hydroponic resin flower pot, LED grow light bars, seeds, and other hydroponic paraphernalia. For all of your hydroponic gardening needs, Doctor Ponic provide top of the line and quality products for your ultimate hydroponic gardening experience. They are always committed, dedicated and passionate in providing the best products and customer service for hydroponic garden lovers!What You Should Know About Gardens This Year


Ginseng Life Cycle
American ginseng, Panax quinquefolius, is one of the most valuable medicinal herbs. Although it is a rather ordinary looking little plant that grows inconspicuously on the floor of hardwood forests throughout northeastern North America, its value lies buried in its slow-growing tuberous rootstock.
There are two main types of ginseng: Asian or Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) and American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius). They are members of the ancient Araliaceae family and have similar chemical compositions, but they are used differently in traditional Chinese medicine. The Asian or Korean ginseng originates from northeast China, Korea, Manchuria and extreme eastern Russia near the Chinese border. American ginseng is produced in the United States and Canada.
Ginsenoside Content Comparison
Two important measures of ginseng root quality are ginsenoside and polysaccharide content. Ginsenosides are a complex mixture of compounds called triterpene saponins and polysaccharides are a mixture of complex sugars. These chemical compounds are affected in both quality and quantity by the production practices employed by growers.
American ginseng contains more of the ginsenosides better suited to adapt to and cope with stress. For both types of ginseng, the age, growing conditions, genetic makeup of the seeds and where and how it was grown affect the number of ginsenosides available. The ginsenosides consistently associated with American ginseng are: Rb1, Rb2, Rc, Rd, Re, Rg1, Ro; the malonyl-ginsenosides: mRb1, mRb2, mRc, mRd, and gypenoside XVII. One of the distinguishing features of North American ginseng is the absence of ginsenoside Rf which is present in Asian ginseng.
How to Identify the Age of Ginseng?
Ginseng also has a few evolutionary surprises. Ginseng's stem is actually found below ground. During the growing season, this structure, known as a rhizome, develops a bud that will grow into the next year's visible ginseng plant. Each fall, the foliage dies and the base of the stem breaks off just below ground level, leaving a scar on the rhizome at the top of the root. This yearly scarring produces a root 'neck', technically called a rhizome, which bears a series of alternating and ascending marks that indicate the age of ginseng.
Rhizomes can also be used (along with seeds) to propagate plants and in fact many ginseng harvesters in the past used to plant the rhizomes at harvest to ensure continuation of the population. The age requirement can have the negative effect of preventing one means of ensuring continuation of the population. Since the rhizome produces a clone of the parent plant, this mode of reproduction aids in the propagation of already-successful genotypes.


As winter season techniques, many house gardeners in Mediterranean and related climates are likely to presume that the chores and tasks associated with garden care are more than for the calendar year, and that they can overlook about lawn treatment method till the subsequent spring. Fall Cleanup is effortless to see why, as most of the grass kinds used in this sort of regions are dormant throughout the winter, while feeding and dethatching in the autumn look to make minor variation to the lawn’s physical appearance at this time.
However, feeding, if carried out effectively, and dethatching exactly where suitable, aid the lawn to get well more quickly and increase greater at the commence of the following year’s expanding season. What then is appropriate feeding when is dethatching required, and how ought to it be completed?
Garden fertilizer used at the conclude of the summertime or the commencing of autumn, can include a relatively high proportion of nitrogen, in buy to just take advantage of the remaining 6 months or so of growing season, ahead of the onset of wintertime. The closer to winter season even so, the presence of offered nitrogen gets more and more irrelevant. In both instances although, it is greatest to utilize a lawn fertilizer that contains a higher share of potassium, as this encourages satisfactory root growth, whose advantages as talked about, will be seen in the spring and help in generating a garden that is hardier to pests, illness and drought.
The easiest method of feeding is to use a sluggish launch fertilizer. In the tumble, the percentages of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, expressed from remaining to appropriate on the package as N-P-K, should be reduced in nitrogen and phosphorous, (N and P respectively) but large in Potassium (K). Alternatively, one can use an organic fertilizer, though cumbersome organic and natural matter, such as compost, although important for the rest of the backyard, is significantly less desirable for lawn care, as it is challenging to spread evenly, and is liable to exacerbate the thatch issue.
Eliminating the thatch that has constructed up through the summer is a single of the most critical duties in garden care and treatment method, specifically with numerous of the species utilized in hot, dry, summer season climates this sort of as Bermuda, Zoysia, and Kikuyu types. While several home gardeners are informed that dethatching is vital in the spring, significantly less know that it is attractive in the autumn way too, as it drastically enhances the fee at which rainwater percolates through the soil. It needs to be carried out much considerably less aggressively than in the spring, and only on people species that recover from the treatment method. Excellent care should be exercised with grasses like Buffalo, or St.Augustine, which can be irreparably broken by above-zealous dethatching.
Over Seeding Lawns
An outstanding way of greening up a perennial lawn that becomes dormant in the wintertime is to over seed with a assortment that grows well in the winter season, only to fade away via the summer time. For this goal, dethatching the lawn prior to spreading the seeds, tremendously aids in rising the germination price, which aids the lawn appear a great deal fuller and greener by means of the wintertime.


There are many technical considerations in trying to grow truffles. We’ve outlined the Five Steps to Growing Truffles before. However, by far the single biggest risk in growing truffles is not any of these technical considerations. It’s not the trees; it’s not the diseases; it’s not the soil. The single biggest risk is consistently the human factor. Time and again, we have seen this pattern play out across the country and indeed around the world.
What do we mean by the human factor? It’s the decisions (or indecisions) that orchard owners make, as well as the management and organizational behavior involved in maintaining the truffle orchard.
For example, the very first decision an orchard owner makes is which of the two approaches to take to grow truffles. The conventional approach involves buying truffle inoculated trees from a tree nursery and then using whatever publicly available information to decide what to do for every other aspect of setting up and running a truffle orchard. Unfortunately, the failure rate for this conventional approach is over 98%, for the very simple reason that the science of truffle cultivation is largely unavailable in the public domain – unlike for every other conventional crop. The other approach is based on scientific methods and data. Every management detail is driven by solid science, data, and analysis. This scientific approach has yielded an extremely high success rate. The decision of which approach to take therefore has profound and long-lasting effects on the success of a truffle orchard, no later how diligently one works to maintain the truffle orchard later.
Another example involves a gentleman who lived in Central America for twenty years, got into the coffee business there and grew many acres of coffee trees. Upon returning to the U.S. and establishing a truffle orchard with us, he consistently disregarded ATC’s scientific recommendations and instead took care of the truffle orchard in the same way he took care of his coffee trees. 90% of his truffle trees ended up dead.
Even for successful truffle orchards, periods of mismanagement have either caused delays in first harvest, or significantly reduced yields after production started. Often, the orchard owners are not themselves the ones actually in the field maintaining their orchards. In many cases, a hired crew or management company manages the orchard. Despite the best intentions of the owners, the actual orchard manager sometimes neglects to perform critical management actions in the orchard. Organizational behavior dysfunctions then contribute to the owner either not seeing the effects clearly, or even ends up perpetuating the dysfunction. For those of you familiar with corporate culture, this is no different from the group-think and the games of politics that employees play with each other.
In addition to applying rigorous science to truffle cultivation, a significant part of what ATC does is managing the human factor. Having seen its potentially detrimental effects, we often anticipate the human-related issues that can arise before they do. To understand how you can be successful at growing truffles, get in touch with us and learn more about how we can help.


The agriculture-focused agency wants public input on potentially disruptive, existing assets to consider.
With sights set on significantly expanding farm production while reducing the field’s environmental footprint over the next decades, the Agriculture Department is looking to learn more about the most innovative, “ready-to-go” technologies and approaches that can be quickly unleashed across the U.S. agriculture landscape.
The farm-focused agency invited public- and private-sector players to weigh in via a request for information posted Thursday—and confirmed that responses will inform a “comprehensive U.S. agriculture innovation technology strategy” that USDA intends to develop for its customer-facing programs.
“Across America, we have seen significant advances in agricultural production efficiency and conservation performance during the past two decades,” USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Bill Northey said in a statement. “We want to keep the momentum.”
Specifically, officials plan to pinpoint publicly accessible tech and practices that are fully developed, field tested, and have completed independent research trials. The agency lists robotics, applications, tools and in-field management activities as examples in their pursuit.
The work is part of the department’s broader Agriculture Innovation Agenda, an agencywide effort to align USDA’s assets to more deliberately help farmers access and adopt innovative agricultural approaches and products. In catalyzing new innovation, USDA’s ultimate long-term goal through the program is to increase “U.S. agricultural production by 40 percent while cutting the environmental footprint of U.S. agriculture in half by 2050.”
The agency previously accepted responses on possibly disruptive technologies and approaches that could advance the agenda’s aims—but face substantial room for development ahead of being deployed—through a separate RFI released earlier this year.
In the latest document, USDA defines innovation as “any idea, practice, or object that is perceived as new or generally has low adoption, and when judged as a whole” has characteristics including: a relative advantage; compatibility with pre-existing systems; potential for reinvention; might be difficult to learn—and more.
On top of asking farmers and people from non-profits, industry, the forest sector, trade associations, and others to detail potential innovations worth considering, agency insiders also ask them to detail how ready-to-adopt the resources might be and how the agency can promote deployment. Among a range of other questions, USDA requests responders provide feedback on how the innovation might best target particular areas of focus, including carbon sequestration and greenhouse gases, agricultural productivity, food loss and waste, water quality and renewable energy.
The deadline for replies is set for November 9.


A new research led by the researchers of University of Imperial College London has the potential to change the universal vision about the photosynthesis and brings the need to rewrite the textbooks.
Photosynthesis is the process to produce the energy and other biochemical with the help of chlorophyll, carbon dioxide, water, and visible light. A new study discovered a new type of photosynthesis which does not use visible light, instead use the far infrared light which has less amount of energy photon than the visible light (“the red light”).
The research team found this new type of photosynthesis in wide range of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) when they grow in near-infrared light, found in shaded conditions like bacterial mats in Yellowstone and in beach rock in Australia.
During their study, scientists found that while the universal type of photosynthesis( that we studied in school, college and everywhere) uses chlorophyll a for red light absorption and using its energy for producing biochemical and oxygen but when cyanobacteria were grown in infrared light in a shaded area, they found that chlorophyll a photosystem gets switched off while other chlorophyll starts driving photosynthesis process. This chlorophyll is none other than chlorophyll f which according to previous studies has the only function in the light harvest.
This current study shows that this chlorophyll f often termed ‘accessory’ chlorophylls were actually performing the crucial chemical step, rather than the textbook ‘special pair’ of chlorophylls in the centre of the complex.
Lead researcher Professor Bill Rutherford, from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial, said: “The new form of photosynthesis made us rethink what we thought was possible. It also changes how we understand the key events at the heart of standard photosynthesis. This is textbook changing stuff.”
With this study in mind, researchers can engineer crops in a way that they can function more efficiently in a wide range of light.
This new type of photosynthesis occurs only in special infrared condition; in normal light conditions, the standard red form of photosynthesis is used.
Peter Burlinson, lead for frontier bioscience at BBSRC – UKRI says, “This is an important discovery in photosynthesis, a process that plays a crucial role in the biology of the crops that feed the world. Discoveries like this push the boundaries of our understanding of life and Professor Bill Rutherford and the team at Imperial should be congratulated for revealing a new perspective on such a fundamental process.”


The agriculture sector development support program (ASDSP) under the Department of Agriculture, livestock, and fisheries have been training and helping to build a value chain platform for Laikipia farmers.
In a meeting held on 13th May at Nyaki Hotel in Nyahururu. There were stakeholders drawn from the maize value chain which included aggregators, suppliers, and farmers. Some of them included,
Ngarua Cereals, which buys and sells maize produce, fertilizer, and other farm inputs has a capacity to handle 15,000 bags and is inviting registration of new members.
Ndurumo Cooperatives, with a current membership of 31 active members has 443 bags of maize and is open to the membership.
Kilimo self-help group, which has 28 members had demo plots with produced 40 bags per acre that was record-breaking also provide table banking and other services like tents provision and public address.
Karadi Farmers cooperatives, which was registered in 2016, has 23 active members, provides table banking and farm inputs
Kangumo youth farmers, which has a membership of 15 youth members, is a self-help group that provides table banking and farm inputs.
Ziduka cooperatives which changed from a CBO in 2017 provide aggregation and farm inputs
Karaba cooperative provide aggregation and farm inputs and was registered in 2015
Sawanga FM, a community radio based at Kinamba, has a reach of close to 400,000 reach and listeners across all demographics aim to reach and communicate the agendas to foster more participation from your youth who has been left out from the value chain equation.
Laikipia Afya Limited which was incorporated with 3 current shareholders aims at providing value addition of Laikipia produced maize and creation of employment. The company has received KEBS certification for its milled flour now available in stores and supermarkets.
Farming as an economic activity provides Various activities to provide employment in the value chain which includes the provision of farm inputs, mechanization including machine provision for spraying, tilling of land, and cultivation. After harvesting, there is a need for transport to a storage facility in readiness for value addition. This includes drying, grinding, packaging ready for milling. Millers provide fortification of maize flour of several grades and animal feeds.
All the above economic activity in the value-added in the chain provides the much-needed employment for the local population that guarantees better livelihood of the population.
Service providers which include Soil testing, financial services, insurance, KEBS, and communications are key stakeholders that contribute to the value chain and provide additional services that contribute to the value and quality of the maize.
Laikipia aims to be the first county in the country to deploy the warehouse receipt system. The warehouse council which was appointed by the president will be a key player in the implementation after the acts and regulations in the running have been put in place. The KCIC and European Union which are the main funding partner toward the establishment of the warehouses will also be championed by Laikipia ASDSP to oversee the implementation.
The platform aims at tokenization of maize through the provision of a blockchain-based receipt system where farmers will receive electronic receipts (Token) of the maize delivered to aggregators or warehouses. The farmers will have options to redeem the Receipts (tokens) issued or trade them at an exchange platform. The system will provide liquidity for trading and speculation for traders, millers, and other stakeholders in the value chain.
The county financial support program like economic stimulus and the cooperative revolving fund aims to help the farmers and aggregators in operations and reviving the value chain organization to build more capacity and increase productivity.
The need to include more youths in the demographic of participants in the value chain was emphasized. As a huge percentage of the population more communication that touches on their need and participation. The warehouse receipting system will aim to utilize the most recent technology that will enable their participation and contribution across the value chain.
Two4one Ltd, which works with government, business, and other organizations, will endeavor to help in the digitization of the maize value chain with other value chain organizations to foster the delivery and operation of the warehouse receipting system. With submission to the Capital Markets for the full operations for the creation, management, and distribution of regulated digital assets under a project name KENDEX (Kenya Digital Asset Exchange).
Two4one Ltd aims to work with Laikipia County Development Authority (LCDA), Kenyatta University through Chandaria Business innovation center, Laikipia Innovation Program, innovation community Hub, and other banking institutions for custodial services including other partners. The company hopes to operationalize a market for other SMEs to participate in the capital markets and value chain.
To find out more on the Kendex platform, check us out on www.kendex.co.ke or read more about this initiative on the Two4one website. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to follow more on this project


“We apply science & data for soil health”
As part of a global project to promote soil regeneration, Terrabiom has made it its mission to reverse current trends of soil degradation & pollution. Caring for our soil really is the future: from farmers who now look into regenerative agriculture (see Kiss the Ground documentary) to policies like the EU green deal which embrace this topic. Healthy soils are not just essential for our food, but also offer many “ecosystem services” like filtering and retaining water, maintaining local biodiversity, and storing carbon. Think about it when you go into the street, where do the trees grow from? Where does our food grow?
Human activities have polluted our soils for centuries. Today’s approaches to deal with this include technologies to stabilize harmful chemicals or moving polluted soils to landfills. In fact, industrial companies are generally required to restore the quality of the soil they affected to the levels prior to their exploitation. However, today’s approaches are simply not good enough: dangerous chemicals should be extracted, not just stabilized. The next step of regenerating soils once they’re clean is currently not even considered. Yet is essential to life on land. A degraded soil, even if chemical-free, is of little use to anyone. A regenerated soil, however, is a whole other story. It has the potential to grow healthy food, sink carbon, help to mitigate climate change and fulfill its many other functions for ecosystems.
Terrabiom aims to achieve its goal of reversing global soil degradation by 2030 by applying science and data. They focus on three workstreams. First, they assess the soil health using high-throuput DNA screening, bringing the dimension of life and biodiversity into soil analysis. Second, the team develops bio-based technologies and mitigation plans for on-site soil cleaning and regeneration. Lastly, the positive impact on treated soils is translated into comprehensive soil health indicators, making the value of regenerative soil practices visible and tangible for anyone.
Soil is everyone’s business. In particular, Terrabiom focuses on soil health for industries, public authorities and impact-driven investors.
To complete its mission, Terrabiom needs all hands on deck.
Be part of the solution and get in touch.
Possible Involvement Opportunities
(beware this is constantly evolving and high-level to ensure the student is allowed a certain freedom, all can be broken down into more concrete parts. We also support proactivity and are open to your suggestions related to business, legal, and other topics around soil health & Terrabiom)
- Market analysis
Stakeholder / network mapping of natural extraction resource companies in Switzerland, with their global links
Identification & validation of target customers; detailed elaboration and validation of value proposition(s), comprehensive mapping of the results.
- Business model innovation
Which business model(s), or combination thereof, enable us best to achieve our mission in the smartest and fastest way?
Business model opportunities around natural capital / soil health
- “Markets driven by policy”: evolving legal frameworks around nature degradation and restoration,
in Switzerland (keyword, “Bodenstrategie Schweiz” 2020)
in Europe (keywords, “EU green deal”)
Global - in your area of interest
- Best case examples of businesses as key actors in nature regeneration
in Switzerland, Europe, or globally
- Data in business
How to collaborate with other soil biodiversity data collecting companies?
Open data vs data-as-an-asset business model?
- The integration of non-financial capital (i.e., natural, social) into building
a business case
A successful business models
- Impact measurement and the triple-bottom-line in business (i.e., chemical companies, the extractive industry, etc)
- Strategic partnerships in business for impact


Client: Kreditanstalft für Wiederaufbau (KfW)
The objective of the project funded by the KfW was to develop a Concept for a program aimed at supporting the expansion and improvement of financial services offered to the rural population, initially working in agriculture, and therefore facilitating their inclusion in the financial system.
The intervention focuses on financial instruments articulated to structured productive clusters. This approach allows financing to be provided to producers excluded from the financial system, taking into consideration the economic flux generated by the productive clusters, which are usually linked to agro exports.
This is a pilot program launched by COFIDE, which may be suitable for other developing countries.
This project had an initial phase in 2005, when the conclusion reached was that the process was not sufficiently developed. Two years later, in 2007, COFIDE and KfW requested again NODUS’ support to study the viability of the Concept and to define the characteristics of a potential program.


Since the dawn of human civilisation, whether it is for food, shelter or water, we have been heavily reliant on nature’s resources to sustain ourselves. However, since the industrial revolution, a spike in human population has resulted in a greater demand for energy and resources, where most of the problems are tackled using conventional technological means. This approach of separating the natural systems from humanity poses a threat to our resources, ecosystems and is energy intensive. However, recently there has been an effort in integrating engineering practices to provide for human needs with design practices that will protect and reconstruct our ecosystems. This is known as ecological engineering, which is seen as the way of future as it is the design of building sustainable systems by taking ecological principles into account and integrating it with the human society . This allows us to tackle several environmental issues, such as, preventing destruction of wetlands, accounting for global warming, ocean acidification, protecting clean lakes and reservoirs and several other broad categories such as bioengineering and sustainable agroecology . In this blog, I will focus specifically on genetically modified organisms and how that has an impact on our ecosystems, and what steps we can incorporate to ensure that the design is consistent with the ecological principles.
What are genetically modified organisms?
In order to sustain a growing population, we have been looking at new methods of farming that utilise technology, giving rise to genetically modified organisms (GMOs). GMOs are the result of bioengineering where the DNA extracted from a species is combined with the genes of an unrelated plant or animal . Genetically modified crops have several benefits such as:
- Disease, weed and pest resistant plants resulting in decreased usage of pesticides and herbicides (see this article).
- Higher yield of crops produced, allowing the farmers to utilise their agricultural lands more efficiently. To learn about how GM crops have transformed farming in rural America, see this article) and if you’re curious about the scientific perspective on how GM crops could reduce droughts and mitigate issues such as chronic hunger, click here.
- Foods those are more beneficial to humans due to better nutritional value, flavour and texture.
- Food with longer shelf life that can make transportation easier.
Fig 1: Genetically modified corn
Effects of GMOs on Biodiversity
There are several long term effects of growing genetically modified crops that can adversely affect our ecosystem and natural processes. In order to assess the health of an ecosystem, we can use several parameters such as genetic diversity and habitat . Diversity in gene sequences is favourable, as such diverse systems are more ecologically resilient and are able to persist or evolve under disturbances . However, if a system is low in genetic diversity it will be difficult for the system to sustain under changing environments, as all the individuals will react in the same way and may perish.
GMOs promote large scale monocultures and contain similar DNA, leaving little genetic variation between the individuals of a species which can make them more prone to climate change, diseases and pests [5, 6]. For example, GM crops such as cotton and corn contain DNA that is combined with a strain of common bacteria known as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in order to make the plants pest resistant. However, pests will successfully evolve and thrive in such homogenous environments, potentially wiping out the crop as no individual plant would be able to fill the void contributing to the ecological resilience of the system . Similar outcomes can result due to other disturbances such as climate change, where no individual crop would be able to withstand a change in environment due to the nature of GMO’s genetic homogeneity. Let us assess the two major problems persisting with GMOs.
Problem 1: Cross-pollination and Hybridisation
Strictly speaking, a new gene into the environment means that it should increase the biodiversity of the ecosystem. The reproductively compatible wild crops and GMOs can cross pollinate and produce a hybrid version. However, due to the engineered gene, these plants have a fitness advantage and act as unfavourable competitors in survival and reproduction with their wild counterparts and thus, reducing the genetic diversity of the wild species [5, 11]. In fact, The Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations found that about 75% of the plant genetic diversity has been lost since 1900 .
GM crops may potentially affect the fitness of other species, population extinctions, population explosions, and changes in community structure and function inside and outside agroecosystems – Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations
Solution 1: Know your environment
The simplest solution to prevent wild and native plant population extinction is to confine GMOs to agricultural lands and prevent them from growing in a natural system. However, the challenges faced in confining GMOs are that the genes inherently weave into the ecosystem by several means such as wind pollination. One fine example of unintended cross pollination of GMO and wild species is seen in Bent grass – commonly used on golf courses. Studies have shown that the herbicide resistant gene was present in wild grass up to 9 miles from its origin within one year of the grass being planted [8, 9], while typically most hybridization occurs within one mile of where the GMOs are present . However, in this case, the grass was more readily transportable because it is wind-pollinated, perennial and has several close wild relatives to outcross with .
Applying the second design principle of ecological engineering, this problem can be approached by being equipped with sufficient information about the environment in which the crop is being grown and keeping it small scale and site specific so that spatial variability is precluded. In this context the ecological solution would be to recognise crops, such as corn, soybeans and cotton that are not perennials and do not have wild relatives growing in close proximity, hence mitigating the possibility of GMOs uncontrollably interacting in non-agricultural ecosystems, which can eliminate endangered species.
Problem 2: Adverse effect of GMOs on the Ecological network
The above design strategy addresses the issue of keeping GMOs separate from the wild species to ensure that natural ecosystems thrive and maintain their complexity and diversity. However, once a gene is introduced to the environment they are close to impossible to remove as they are continually reproducing and dispersing. According to studies conducted by Pimentel, pollen from Bt crops are highly detrimental to non target caterpillars and Monarch butterflies , which act as pollinators along with birds and bees. This interferes with the delicate balance in the ecosystem as other organisms that are closely related to the target pests are affected (for more information on the importance of butterflies in an ecosystem click here. In addition to this, toxins produced from the Bt crops to repel pests can easily be introduced into aquatic ecosystems through water used in irrigation and have an impact on the aquatic life .
Fig 2: Monarch butterfly essential in the ecological system
Solution 2: Modification and recoding of Genome
Implementing the first principle of ecological design principle to minimise the impact GMOs have on the overall ecosystem, researchers have devised methods that would ensure that ecosystems remain healthy and ecologically resilient. These are some of the approaches to prevent GMOs from hybridising with non GMOs:
- Creating a second generation of sterile seeds or seeds that would depend on chemicals for fertility .
- Modifying the genes so that only two GMO plants must be crossed to create an offspring with advantageous traits.
- Recoding the genome of the bacteria to incorporate synthetic amino acids, which are not present in the wild, hence curtailing the chance of DNA from GMOs being shared with the naturally occurring plants.
Though the introduced gene cannot be eradicated completely using ecological engineering principles, the changes in the ecosystem can be anticipated and known about so that contamination into non-agrarian lands can be kept to a minimum.
Incorporating GMOs into the natural habitat
In order to combine the GMOs with traditional farming, some principles can be used to not only improve the biodiversity of the ecosystem but also introduced genes with the natural habitat. The fourth ecological principle states that we need to let nature do some of the engineering to maximise the flow of energy into the system. An example of this would be incorporating crop rotation, a traditional farming method, to GMOs. Crop rotation not only acts as a pest control method, but also ensures the soil is rejuvenated and is able to sustain its nutrients. Furthermore, crop rotations increase the number of species grown on a certain piece of agricultural land, improving the biodiversity of the ecosystem in terms of the variety of species present. Other ways of integrating GMOs into the natural world is to utilise the competitive advantages of the GMOs to create forage grass and forest trees that have defences against insects, diseases and are equipped with mechanisms against drought or freezing.
In order to weigh out the risks and benefits of using GM crops, a risk assessment can be carried out to be fairly predictable as long as there are no unexpected interactions within the genome. However, as the spatial scale increases, predicting the impact of genetically modified crops and their associated risks and benefits get progressively more difficult. The diagram below is an illustration of predictability of direct and indirect effects of GM crops when they interact at a range of scales.
A comprehensive approach such as the below mentioned table needs to be used to assess the relative benefits and risks of GM crops for other ecosystems and for people.
Fig 1: Difficulty in predicting the direct and indirect effects of GM crops and their potential impacts.
“An incremental and tiered approach to risk assessment that moves from the laboratory to greenhouse and field trials and finally to gradually increased, monitored use” – Suggested methodology by ecologists
A list outlining the risks would allow us to reap the benefits of GMOs whilst preventing and mitigating risks. The table below is a risk analysis on all the issues that have been covered in this blog.
|Type of Impact||Benefit-Related Questions||Risk-Related Questions|
|Agricultural||Are there alternatives available that result in biodiversity and ecological benefits?
Does the GM crop prevent some specific harm to humans or ecosystems, e.g., does it reduce pesticide use?
|Are risks minimized though good design, e.g., ensuring only two GMOs can hybridise to result in an offspring with advantageous traits?
Has the organism been studied to ensure that genetic modifications made to produce a desired trait have not also resulted in risky changes?
|Ecological||Does the GM crop help solve an existing environmental problem, e.g., does it produce sterile feral animals to control pests ?||Does the modified trait have the potential to increase the fitness of the organism outside of the managed environment e.g., act as fierce competitors to the existing wild species?
Can the genome spread across the locality and hybridise with other relative species? In the locale of release, can the trait spread to other species?
Though genetic engineering seems to be the way of the future, it can only successfully fit into the existing ecosystem through careful management and proper knowledge of the environment. Ecological design principles must be closely adhered to while making decisions to ensure ecological networks are interacting with each other harmoniously with the humanity.
Check out my interview with a friend who had questions to ask about GMOs.


14 Jan. 2017 - Iran, Italy set up joint venture to grow agricultural products
The Italian company Nature SRL and the Iranian company UPRO have set up a joint venture under the name UPRO NATURE. The goal of the joint venture is to grow products that comply with the quality standards of European target markets. It aims to meet these standards by combining Iranian resources with Italian modern technology.
| 13:53 - 14/01/2017||More >>|