Germany has agreed to allow test cultivation of Amflora, a genetically-modified potato manufactured by chemicals giant BASF, the agriculture ministry said.
Meanwhile, Poland has imposed new bans on the cultivation of the same GM potato, as well as certain genetically modified strains of maize, a day after an EU-required green light for GM crops took effect.
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Recently WWOOF International was directed to an interesting article, by Dennis Smith, on WWOOFing in Samoa. Have a read of the article here;
http://www.wwoofsamoa.com/2012/09/a-samoan-wwoof-hosts-perspective/
The article looks at a debate that has been discussed around the WWOOF world for some years now, namely how WWOOF responds to changing needs as WWOOF shifts from being offered only in developed nations to also encompass hosts in less affluent regions of the world.
WWOOF Samoa, along with... More
Suzanne is a high-performance athlete... and what better way to relax from her training than to spend a few days on Aunt Jane's farm..?But as she discovers, the rural idyll has a price: hard work...
Saturday July 8th kicked off a much-anticipated rest week after a six-week training block. With a few days off training I hit the road to 'escape' to my Aunt Jane's, farm near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. As I drove down the one-mile gravel driveway into Koru Farm, I could hardly believe that it... More
I knew better. Really, I did.
I always say, if you are going to err when making compost, err on the side of too much air or too much carbon. Too much water or too much nitrogen and your compost will go ANAEROBIC and it will smell like SHIT, literally. Good compost smells like the forest floor, sweet and rich.
Trust your nose. Your nose knows. If it smells like shit or vinegar or alcohol, it ain't compost.
When you are making compost, in the balance between water and air, it is better to have... More
Have you ever heard of travellers or backpackers talking of WWOOFing? If you’ve ever eavesdropped on a conversation where WWOOFing was the topic, and wondered what in the world this strangely-named experience was (NB: it has nothing to do with dog walking) then look no further. Here is WWOOF 101: A Complete Guide and Explanation to the ins and outs of WWOOFing.
Firstly, it would probably help to know exactly what WWOOF stands for as that clears a lot of confusion up. WWOOF is an abbreviation of... More
Here is a great little article written by Carrie Thompson and found online at The Expeditioner(plenty of other interesting travel features here too). This is just a general run-down of WWOOF and how it works but the article is interesting, different and fun to read. Plus it will only take 3 minutes of your time. I espeically love the description of the 7 different types of WWOOF host – Free labour, The Cult, The Philanthropist, The Student, The Hostel, The Family and The Linguist. Quite an... More
WWOOF International has recently had the privilege of reading Maggie Melin’s thesis on Active Learning as a Tool for Behaviour Change, focusing on WWOOF as a Case study for her research.
Maggie is originally from Michigan in the United States and completed her masters thesis at Lund University in Sweden. She has an educational background in statistics, urban planning, and environmental studies/sustainability science with a primary interest in environmental psychology.
After spending a summer... More