Tag Archives: Bill Mollison

Episode 340. We (Still) Need a Regeneration Revolution (Episode226)

This is the World Organic News for the week ending 5th of  June 2023.

Jon Moore reporting!

Decarbonise the air, recarbonise the soil!

Soil

Today we’re going to discuss regeneration in particular regeneration of the soil and ecosystems. Over the last 50 to 75 years, basically since the second world war we’ve gone through a period of destruction. In effect a faustian bargain in which we gave up 1% of our topsoil every year in return for production returns.

Industrial Agriculture

We did this by using chemicals: chemical fertilizers, chemical pesticides and herbicides and fungicides and it worked. There were lots of famines and people starving in the 1970s. A lot of the techniques developed with chemical inputs saved many people, kept them alive. But the cost! That bill is coming due and we need to pay for it now. If we wait, the cost will be so much higher. Continue reading →

Episode 321. Living a Natural Life, Bill Mollison, Ancient Amazon Farmers, World Congress of Agroforestry and Beekeeping in a War Zone

This is The ChangeUnderground for the 2nd of January 2023.

I’m your host, Jon Moore

Decarbonise the Air, Recarbonise the Soil!

This week start our summer series looking back on the most downloaded episodes from the first seven years of the show.

This episode, 130, was first published on the 20th August 2018. Continue reading →

Episode 286. The Once & Future World

This is The ChangeUnderground for the 7th of February 2022.

I’m your host, Jon Moore

Decarbonise the Air, Recarbonise the Soil!

As this pod enters its seventh year, I can see some patterns from the last six.

The big one is the continued decline in honeybee populations and mass deaths following spraying events. I’ve added a photo to the show notes on the website: https://worldorganicnews.com/episode286/ showing which foods would drop from the supply chain, as we say these days, if our pollinators went missing. “Went missing”, if we killed them off through our own inability to respond to reality. 

And the bee question is a microcosm of our planet. Continue reading →

Episode 279. Input Costs Vs Output

This is The ChangeUnderground for the 22nd of November 2021.

I’m your host, Jon Moore

Decarbonise the Air, Recarbonise the Soil!

A little follow on from last week, from Politico.eu comes a post entitled: Britain’s half-arsed climate summit

Quote:

LONDON — It wasn’t quite the coming out party post-Brexit Britain had dreamed of.

The COP26 climate summit, long pitched by advocates in the British government as an opportunity to project the United Kingdom’s continued influence on the global stage, came to an emotional close last weekend with the U.K. hosts having done just about enough to get a pass mark, despite the best efforts of parts of the government.

End Quote

Continue reading →

Episode 261. Seymour, Fukuoka, Mollison and MacKenzie

This is The ChangeUnderground for the 21st of June 2021.

I’m your host, Jon Moore

Decarbonise the Air, Recarbonise the Soil!

This week I’m taking a look back at my literary mentors in the smallholding/horticulture field. 

John Seymour

It turned out I finally managed to get to the library to ask about self sufficiency books the day after “The Good Life” first aired on Australian TV back in 1977. I hadn’t heard of it, let alone watched it but the librarian alerted me to it. A romanticised version of backyard self sufficiency but with some useful ideas. Continue reading →

Episode 233. The Change Underground Movement

This is the World Organic News for the week ending 28th of  September 2020.

Jon Moore reporting!

Decarbonise the Air, Recarbonise the Soil!

The Change Underground Movement indeed! 

Over the past month or so I’ve been going through a kind of life realignment. World Organic News and I have been so intertwined since I started the blog back in 2014. It’s almost a part of me, and I hope it’s been a useful part of my listeners’ and readers’ lives too. Continue reading →

Episode 228. A Number to Send Chills 

This is the World Organic News for the week ending 24th of  August 2020.

Jon Moore reporting!

Decarbonise the air, recarbonise the soil!

This week we’re going on a 30,000 foot overview. 

As some of you may know I’m currently back at Uni, studying for a Diploma in Sustainable Living. This is twenty five years after my Bachelor’s Degree where I double majored in archaeology. It’s been fun so far but. 

There’s one unit entitled: Humans: Earth Shapers. As anyone who’s done any archaeology will know, that’s what humans do. To be fair, all species change their local environments. We, one species, just happen to be on all the continents and we’re armed with technology!  Continue reading →

Episode 226. We Need a Regeneration Revolution

This is the World Organic News for the week ending 11th of  August 2020.

Jon Moore reporting!

Decarbonise the air, recarbonise the soil!

Soil

Today we’re going to discuss regeneration in particular regeneration of the soil and ecosystems. Over the last 50 to 75 years, basically since the second world war we’ve gone through a period of destruction. In effect a faustian bargain in which we gave up 1% of our topsoil every year in return for production returns.

Industrial Agriculture

We did this by using chemicals: chemical fertilizers, chemical pesticides and herbicides and fungicides and it worked. There were lots of famines and people starving in the 1970s. A lot of the techniques developed with chemical inputs saved many people, kept them alive. But the cost! That bill is coming due and we need to pay for it now. If we wait, the cost will be so much higher. Continue reading →

Episode 210. Redesigning The Food System

This is the World Organic News for the week ending 20th of April 2020.

Jon Moore reporting!

Decarbonise the air, recarbonise the soil!

We have a great opportunity at this strange time in world affairs. In my own world, the complete lack of clients has led to great leaps forward in the garden space at work. One person with the time and the seeds can make a difference. As I’ve mentioned before, I am employed by a disability day program service and three residential units are in the same location. I’ve been able to supply them with silverbeet, tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins and winter squash. Continue reading →

Episode 168. The Revolution Takes Shape!

This is the World Organic News for the week ending the 13th of May 2019.

Jon Moore reporting!

Decarbonise the air, recarbonise the soil!

As you may recall I finished last week’s episode in a bit of a frustrated funk. We know we have to do, we have the techniques to do it but our political classes are still fighting battles from 15 years ago. 

So this past week has been one of deep contemplation, discussion with peers and a moment of satori, a moment of enlightened clarity. 

Let me explain. Looking at the “big” things that have changed parts of society in this millennium I came to a conclusion. Single use plastic bags from supermarkets being banned, incandescent bulbs being withdrawn from sale and the wonders of separating household waste for collection all have a few things in common.  Continue reading →