The overlooked importance of mycorrhizal fungi as pest control agents
Wheat field impacted by crown rot (Fusarium spp.), which causes the whitening and rotting of the seeds. Wheat is among the major crops...
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Miguel M.LS.
- Jan 24
- 2 min
The economic case for organic subsidies: externalities and subsidization
To anybody in charge of anything, no matter how complex their job may be, or how ample the extent of their authority, two laws are always...
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Miguel M.LS.
- Jan 16
- 3 min
What's missing in the yield gap debate between organic and conventional agriculture
Let’s imagine the following scenario: there is a city on the margins of a river, upwards of which there is a forest. This forest makes...
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Miguel M.LS.
- Jan 10
- 5 min
It’s time to figure out what went wrong with Sri Lanka’s organic push
Two women pick tea on a plantation in Sri Lanka. Tea producers were one of the most affected sectors by the ban, alongside rubber and...
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Miguel M.LS.
- Jan 5
- 2 min
Should carbon be the next organic crop?
The desirability of carbon-rich soil is a no-brainer for anybody engaged in agriculture and other land-based forms of food production....
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Miguel M.LS.
- Dec 23, 2021
- 3 min
What policymakers keep getting wrong about ending hunger
Ending hunger for everyone in the world by the year 2030 is the second Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of the United Nations. A goal...
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Miguel M.LS.
- Dec 14, 2021
- 2 min
Four principles of organic agriculture (4/4): Care
The principles of health, ecology and fairness are brought together into the fourth and final principle of organic agriculture: the...
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Miguel M.LS.
- Nov 28, 2021
- 2 min
Let’s take a moment to appreciate the importance of soil inoculants for an organic future
It’s no secret that conventionally-cultivated soils tend to become, by themselves, poor. They’re often managed under exploitative...
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Miguel M.LS.
- Nov 24, 2021
- 2 min
Four principles of organic agriculture (3/4): Fairness
Unfairness is unsustainable, and organic agriculture aims for sustainability: it must, consequently, be fair. Even if it is not a part of...
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Miguel M.LS.
- Nov 15, 2021
- 2 min
Organic agriculture stimulates species evenness for biological pest control, study finds
Organic agriculture is a fairly simple thing on its basis — only use organic fertilizers, and do not use synthetic pesticides. That is...
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Miguel M.LS.
- Nov 11, 2021
- 2 min
Four principles for organic agriculture (2/4): Ecology.
Seen from the outside, agriculture may seem to be a magical process: things are planted in the soil, cared for during a season, and food...
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Miguel M.LS.
- Nov 1, 2021
- 2 min
Four principles for organic agriculture (1/4): Health.
Organic agriculture is a different sort of business. It is, of course, still a business, where profitability and productivity matter (how...
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Miguel M.LS.
- Oct 24, 2021
- 2 min
Biological pest control agent profiles: Encarsia formosa
Any gardener, no matter the scale of their work, have noticed at some point the infestation of little white insects, flying frenetically...
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Miguel M.LS.
- Oct 19, 2021
- 3 min
The five principles of water-friendly land stewardship
Out of all the water in the world, only 3.5% is freshwater, and around 70% of it is currently trapped in the form of permanent ice. This...
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Miguel M.LS.
- Oct 11, 2021
- 2 min
An insight into the human values underlying organic agriculture
It would seem counterintuitive that emphasizing nature would foster deeply human values – at least, from the perspective of human beings...
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Miguel M.LS.
- Oct 6, 2021
- 2 min
Organic agriculture could double the yields of the world’s poorest farmers
When promoting policies that support and stimulate organic agriculture, one common criticism is heard: that organic agriculture lacks the...
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Miguel M.LS.
- Sep 26, 2021
- 2 min
Biological control agent profiles: Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita
Around the world and throughout history, slugs are one of the most enduring and pervasive pests that plague plant cultivation. Slugs...
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Miguel M.LS.
- Sep 20, 2021
- 2 min
Europe’s ambitious goal – converting 25% of its agricultural land to organic farming by 2030
Last March, the European Commission (the organism in charge of designing the implementation of the EU’s policies) presented a 22-page...
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Miguel M.LS.
- Sep 12, 2021
- 2 min
The end of green deserts? Organic agriculture boosts biodiversity by 30%, studies find.
Everywhere around the world, but more so in the developing countries, vast deserts spring up from the ground and begin to cover formerly...
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Miguel M.LS.
- Sep 6, 2021
- 2 min
Organic agriculture significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, according to 23 years of data.
According to the most recent data on the subject, no less than a quarter of all the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from...
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