Non-GMO Label Comparison Chart
There are many reasons why you might want to avoid genetically modified organisms, more commonly known as “GMOs.” Most consumers have concerns about health. Other questions one might ask in the face of this new technology: What do GMOs do to our ecosystems, the independence of our farmers, and the rights of consumers to decide what to put in their bodies? If you’re interested in avoiding GMOs, understanding the different non-gmo claims is important to know what they mean–and don’t…
Mythane
Methane emissions from the industrial sector have been vastly underestimated, according to new research from Cornell University and the Environmental Defense Fund. Published in Elementa, researchers equipped a Google Street View car with a high-precision methane sensor and discovered that total annual methane emissions from ammonia fertiliser plants were 28 gigagrams—over 100 times higher than the fertiliser industry’s self-reported estimate of 0.2 gigagrams per year. In addition, the measured emissions alone far exceed the EPA’s estimate for all industrial processes…
It Wasn’t the Cows After All
While the cattle industry is repeatedly accused of being the main culprit for increased global methane emissions (and a leading cause for climate change), a new study shows that the fertiliser industry is the root cause. The report by researchers from Cornell and the Environmental Defense Fund, published in Elementa, shows that emissions of methane from the industrial fertiliser industry have been dangerously underestimated (and, it turns out, based on self-reporting) and the production of ammonia for fertiliser may result…
A Convenient Untruth
By Simon Fairlie. This article was originally printed in the Spring 2019 (Volume 4 Issue 2) of Sustainable Farming magazine. To read the full issue please visit agreenerworld.org.za/resources/sustainablefarmingmagazine. Ruminants, and particularly cattle, are habitually cast as climate villains, responsible for large amount of greenhouse gas emissions. According to a much quoted United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) figure, livestock are responsible for 14.5 percent of human greenhouse gas emissions.1 Eighty percent of these emissions come from ruminants, half being methane,…
Glen Oakes Farm – Hemel en Aarde Valley, Western Cape, South Africa
Set in the picturesque Hemel en Aarde Valley and surrounded by the beautiful Klein River mountains, fynbos and pasture lands, Glen Oakes Farm is a 300-hectare livestock farm owned by Jules and Charles Crowther, who pride themselves on their Certified Animal Welfare Approved by A Greener World (AGW) pasture-reared pigs. “Our pigs grow up slowly in a low-stress environment,” explains Jules. “This is what makes all the difference to the flavour and quality of our meat.” The Crowthers raise their…
A Greener World South Africa