Can Organic Farming Feed the World?

What is organic farming? Organic farming can be described as an approach to agriculture where the main aims are to create holistic, nutritional, humane, environmentally and economically sustainable agricultural production systems. Maximum reliance is placed on farm renewable resources and the management of self regulating biological systems and interactions in order to provide exceptional levels of crop, livestock and human nutrition. Protection from pests/diseases, and an acceptable return to the human and other resources employed. Reliance on external inputs whether from chemical or organic is reduced as much as possible. In many European nations, organic agriculture is known as ecological agriculture. This reflects this reliance on ecosystem management rather than external inputs.

The objective of sustainability lies at the heart of organic farming. It is one of the major factors determining the acceptability or otherwise of specific production practices. The term ‘sustainable’ is used in its general sense to encompass not just conservation of non-renewable resources(soil, water, energy, minerals) but also issues of environmental, social and economic sustainability. The term ‘organic’ is best described as referring to the concept of the farm as an whole organism in which all the component parts – the soil minerals, insects, organic matter, microorganisms, plants, animals and man interact to create a workable and stable whole.

The key characteristics of organic farming are:

  • Protecting the long term fertility of soils by increasing organic matter levels, encouraging soil microbe activity.
  • Providing crop nutrients indirectly using relatively insoluble(natural) nutrient sources which are made available to the plant by soil microorganisms.
  • Nitrogen is provided through the use of legumes and biological nitrogen fixation. I is also provided by recycling of organic materials incorporating crop residues and livestock manure.
  • Weed, disease and pest control relying primarily on crop rotations, organic manuring, plant health, natural predators, bio-diversity, resistant varieties(conventional plant breeding) and only natural biological and chemical intervention.
  • The management of livestock involved considering behavioural needs and animal welfare issues with respect to health, nutrition, housing, breeding and rearing.
  • Careful attention to the impact of the farming system on the larger environment and the conservation of native wildlife and natural habitats also need to be considered.

Olive Leaf Extract – Potent Antibacterial, Antiviral and Antifungal Agent

This book provides valuable information on using olive leaf extract to fight invading bacteria, viruses, fungi and other harmful microbes.

Fighting microbes with Olive Leaf Extract

It is no secret that pathogenic bacteria, fungi and viruses can cause serious health dangers in humans. With modern medicine’s struggle to develop more powerful drugs to fight these microbes there are natural alternative like olive leaf extract that need to be looked at more closely.

Olive leaf extract is a natural, safe and effective product with powerful anti-microbial properties. In the below book there is more on olive leaf’s therapeutic abilities, past use, and safety.

Click on the link below to read the book or right click on the link and choose “save as” to save a copy.
Olive Leaf Extract Book

Chocolate, Cheese, Meat, and Sugar – Physically Addictive Foods

Neal Barnard MD discusses the science behind food additions. Willpower is not to blame: chocolate, cheese, meat, and sugar release opiate-like substances. Dr. Barnard also discusses how industry, aided by government, exploits these natural cravings, pushing us to eat more and more unhealthy foods. A plant-based (vegan) diet is the solution to avoid many of these problems. Neal Barnard is the founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).You need to have flashplayer enabled to watch this Google video

Selenium Linked to Diabetes if you take 200 micrograms each day. Selenium benefits may outweigh potential problems in some cases.

An analysis of data from a large national study found that people who took a 200 microgram selenium supplement each day for almost eight years had an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who took a placebo or dummy pill. The data came from the Nutritional Prevention of Cancer Trial (NPC), a large randomized, multi-center, clinical trial from the eastern United States, designed to evaluate whether selenium supplements prevent skin cancer. In the current study, researchers selected 1,202 participants who did not have diabetes when they were enrolled in the NPC Trial. In the current study, 58 out of 600 participants in the selenium group and 39 out of 602 participants in the placebo group developed type 2 diabetes. After 7.7 years of follow-up, the relative risk rate was approximately 50 percent higher among those randomized to selenium than among those randomized to placebo. Selenium is a naturally occurring trace mineral present in soil and foods necessary in minute amounts to aid in metabolism.

How To Make Naan Bread

* 1 tsp dried active yeast * 1 tsp demerara sugar * 200 g plain flour * ¼ tsp salt * ½ tsp baking powder * 1 Tbsp vegetable oil * 2 Tbsp natural yoghurt * 2 Tbsp milk * 1 small bowl * 1 teaspoon * 1 tablespoon * 1 mixing bowl * 1 rolling pin * 1 oven tray * 1 pastry brush * 1 tea towel.You need to have flashplayer enabled to watch this Google video