Tag Archives: agricultural strategy

Integrated Agro-ecological Systems Land Use vs the ‘dis-integrated’ industrial machine

There is a difference in kind between complex, integrated, low input, free range systems of land, soil, organic matter, fungi & macroinvertebrates, plants & animals, and …. ….. industrial high energy input feedlot systems which abuse each of those – … Continue reading

Posted in agricultural strategy, Environmental Philosophy, Industrial Mindset, Land Use, Land use policy, Thought Pieces, Ways of Seeing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Propaganda and the Rhetoric of the Ruataniwha Dam

“Political language… is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.” George Orwell I was taught propaganda at school. Our English master, Mr Brown, liked words. He had an inspirational … Continue reading

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Some Water Myths – and a Few Science Myths as well

The following was published in the Hawke’s Bay Today 4th July 2015. I was surprised at the title of Dr Jacqueline Rowarth’s 30th June talk to an audience of the Hawke’s Bay Rural Business Network: “Water – urban myth and … Continue reading

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Seeing the World System of Weeds – Or – Do Androids dream of Intelligent Sheep? A Compleat Ramble

An anecdote about our research focus on ‘weeds’.  I was a little mischievously provocative about our ‘weed’ research at Otago University.  I remembered an Aldo Leopold article in one of my books of his essays (no, I can’t be bothered … Continue reading

Posted in Land Use, Resilience Thinking, Socio-ecological Systems, Thought Pieces, Wicked Problems | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Future Goals and Options in NZ Land Management – A Transdisciplinary View

A brief argument from some years ago to rethink land use in New Zealand “If we go through a list of some of the main problematiques that are defining the new Century, such as water, forced migrations, poverty, environmental crises, … Continue reading

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NZ Primary Sector Strategy: an Alternative to the Race to the Bottom

Irrigation NZ CEO Andrew Curtis (NZ Farmer’s Weekly 25th Nov p 3) highlights one of the big problems with the New Zealand primary sector; our continued focus on producing large volumes of cheap commodities for international markets. We’re not to … Continue reading

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